Does rubbing your brisket with salt before smoking make it better or worse? We’ve always assumed that salting your brisket before smoking is the only way to do it. But what if salting your brisket after smoking it actually makes it juicier? Steve from @smoketrailsbbq explores this unusual question in this week’s episode of the Smoke Lab.

Salt-Second Brisket Method

PREP TIME: 1 HR
COOK TIME: 30 hours (12 hours active smoking, 18 hours passive holding)


INGREDIENTS
12-15 lb brisket
¼ cup course grain pepper
2 tbsp table salt

THE COOK (30 hours)
Trim and season brisket with pepper (no salt yet!)

Smoke at 250 degrees f for 5 hours until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees and brisket starts sweating out moisture

Smoke at 300 degrees for 3 more hours or until brisket reaches 170 internal

Foil boat brisket in aluminum foil and continue to cook at 300 for 4 more hours or until internal temperature of brisket reaches at least 195 everywhere you probe

Wrap brisket in foil with tallow and clarified butter and hold for 18 hours at 150 degrees

Open foil, flip brisket over and sprinkle 1 tbsp table salt over bottom of brisket.

Flip brisket fat-cap-up and sprinkle with 1 tbsp salt, pat with juices to dissolve the salt until it is no longer visible

Slice and serve

WHAT SMOKER/GRILL WAS USED: Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Offset Smoker