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Release Date: May 21, 2024
LAS VEGAS – As BBQ season heats up, Christie Vanover, a renowned pitmaster and founder of Girls Can Grill, shares her expert tips to help home cooks achieve perfectly smoked brisket just in time for National Brisket Day, May 28.
With years of competition experience, including placing fifth in the world in brisket in 2022, Vanover’s no-fail brisket method, delivers mouthwatering results whether you’re a novice or a seasoned griller.
“Brisket can be intimidating because of its size and cost,” said Vanover. “But once you understand the fundamentals, you’ll be able to smoke a delicious brisket every time.”
Vanover said those fundamentals come down to understanding the grade of your beef, the proper smoker temperature, locking in moisture and knowing when the brisket is done.
Key Tips for Smoking the Perfect Brisket
Select the right brisket
Choose a whole packer brisket with good marbling. While USDA choice grade briskets will cost a bit less, prime grade briskets are ideal for their flavor and tenderness. They’re also more forgiving.
Proper trimming
Trim the brisket to remove excess hard fat, which helps the smoke and rub penetrate the meat more effectively.
Seasoning
Use around 1/2 tablespoon of rub per pound of untrimmed, raw brisket. A simple mix of kosher salt, coarse-ground black pepper and granulated garlic (SPG) works wonders.
Smoking process
If you’re smoking a choice or prime grade brisket, maintain a consistent smoker temperature of 225 F. If you’re smoking a wagyu brisket, you can smoke it at a higher temperature.
Use a mix of hardwoods like post oak, pecan and cherry for the best smoke flavor. Smoke the brisket with the fat side toward the heat source to protect the meat.
Spritzing
Spritz the brisket with apple cider vinegar, beef broth or water every two hours to keep it moist and enhance the bark.
Wrapping
Wrap the brisket in butcher paper or foil when it reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 F to lock in moisture and speed up the cooking process.
Probing
The best way to test the doneness of your brisket is to pierce an instant-read meat thermometer into the meat in multiple spots. If it glides in like butter with little resistance, it’s ready.
Resting
Let the brisket rest in a cooler wrapped in a towel for at least one hour before slicing. This step is crucial for juicy, tender meat.
Vanover’s detailed brisket guide covers everything from where to buy brisket to slicing it perfectly, making it easy for anyone to smoke a crowd-pleasing brisket in their backyard.
Her approachable style and expert advice and recipes have resulted in thousands of comments and 5-star reviews.
“I’ve made several briskets and they didn’t turn out well, after reading your way, my first one came out perfect,” commented Wayne Pickett after he followed her brisket guide.
Founded in 2015, Girls Can Grill is an online resource for all things related to griling and barbecuing. The site, which is owned and operated by pitmaster Christie Vanover, contains hundreds of recipes, how-to videos, product reviews and BBQ tips to help everyone from the beginner barbecuer to the most advanced pitmasters. Christie has won multiple state BBQ championships, is the 2023 Nevada BBQ Team of the Year and appeared on Season 4 of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl. She also starred in and produced several how-to videos for Ninja Kitchen’s outdoor grill line and is an expert grill reviewer for BBQ Guys. She has cooked on dozens of grills and has around 30 in her backyard at any given time.
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