This Oven-Barbecued Beef Brisket is so smokey, tender, and juicy. No one will ever guess it wasn’t cooked on the grill.
We are very partial to pork in the Carolinas and I truthfully haven’t eaten a whole lot of beef brisket in my life.
But this Oven-Barbecued Beef Brisket. OMG!
This is a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated and it makes THE most flavorful brisket.
It is one of the most scrumptious pieces of meat I have ever tasted and I think it has the potential to create quite a few brisket lovers.
The brisket is coated in a rub and completely wrapped in bacon – 1 full pound of bacon- and slow-cooked in the oven. The smokey flavor of the bacon really penetrates into the meat and all that pork fat coating the beef brisket really adds to its flavor.
So much smokiness that it will fool most people into thinking this brisket was cooked on the grill or in a smoker.
Once the brisket has cooked fully, the bacon is removed and serves double duty as a flavoring for the BBQ sauce. The meat is then broiled to give it a nice char to complement the smokey flavor.
A super flavorful sauce that is both sweet and spicy is made from the bacon, which is finely chopped, cider vinegar, dark brown sugar, chicken broth, ketchup, and chipotle peppers. Once cooked, you can strain the sauce and discard the bacon, or I like to strain half of the sauce and then add it back to the saucepan. This way, there’s still some bacon, but it’s not an overwhelming amount.
Leftovers heat up well and this would be a good thing to cook in advance if you are having dinner guests. If you are just feeding your family, you can get multiple meals from this Oven-Barbecued Brisket. No kidding, I usually manage to get 3 meals out of it. Leftovers can be made into Brisket Grilled Cheese Sandwiches or Brisket Nachos.
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Watch the short video below to see how to make Oven Barbecued Beef Brisket.
Oven-Barbecued Beef Brisket
Ingredients
Rub
- 1 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Brisket
- 1 (4-5 pounds) brisket roast – if there is a thick layer of fat, trim it down to 1/4 inch
- 1 pound bacon
Sauce
- reserved bacon from cooked brisket
- 1 onion,, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1-2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 4 teaspoons canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce,, minced
Instructions
- Make the rub. Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl and set aside.
- Place oven rack in upper-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Rub dry rub all over brisket and poke holes all over with a fork. Place half of bacon going crosswise in a broiler safe 9 by 13-inch pan (it’s best not to use glass). Put brisket fat side down on top of bacon. Lay the rest of the bacon crosswise on top of brisket, wrapping it down around the sides, and tucking any excess under. Cover pan with foil and place in oven for 4 hours.
- Take pan out of oven. Carefully flip brisket over, fat side up. Replace foil and return to oven. Turn off heat and leave brisket in oven 1 additional hour.
- Pour accumulated juices from brisket into large measuring cup or a bowl. Remove bacon from brisket and chop into pieces. Cook bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until fat has rendered. Add onion and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes. Take off heat and add vinegar and dark brown sugar. Return to heat and simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes.
- Skim fat from accumulated juices and add chicken broth to make a total of 3 cups. Add to mixture in saucepan and reduce until about 3 cups in volume, 8-10 minutes. Take off heat and add ketchup. Mix well and strain if desired. (I like to strain about half the solid pieces out and leave the rest). After straining, add chipotle peppers.
- Turn oven to broil. Brush brisket with 1 cup sauce and broil until top is lightly browned and fat starts to crisp. Cut brisket against the grain into 1/4-inch slices and serve with extra sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
This recipe is AWESOME! We did 8 hours at 215 and looooved the results.
Very good recipe! I followed directions as close as I could and it was tender and very flavorful. I didn’t have ancho peppers so used two Tabasco’s. Will certainly make again for a crowd!
Was that 2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce
I plan on serving this Saturday evening but I will only be home about 2 hours before dinner. Would you suggest cooking full then putting back in to heat up before serving? If so, how long? I don’t want to dry it out! Or cooking it partially and finishing prior to serving? It looks delicious. Thanks!
Update! I cooked it fully the night before then popped it into the oven for an hour before broiling and it was PERFECT. Tender and that sauce? My guests actually took some home because they loved it so much!
Did you go ahead and make the sauce the night before? If not, Did you leave the bacon on for reheating?
Best dish of my Christmas dinner. Did the Brisket and Babyback Ribs. I screwed up the sauce, so substituted Sweet Baby Ray’s. All loved the brisket, one a BBQ snob said it was best brisket they ever had.
I was raised cooking fat cap on top so as it cooks low and slow the fat tenders through the meat. So my question is I’m cooking a 12 pound brisket, I figured an hour and ten minutes per pound at 230’. Should I cook half time fat cap down as stated and then flip fat cap up to finish?
Could I wrap the brisket in foil and place it on a rack in an electric roasting oven?
I would not recommend it. Brisket is fatty and produces a lot of juices. I think you would have a big mess cooking it that way.
Excellent! I made this last night for a bunch of friends and everyone commented that “it was worth the wait!” I did not completely plan out or manage my time well at the very end of this, basically. My guests also came over a bit early too, so I was trying to negotiate all these moving parts! Anyway- I read a recipe over a few times before making, especially one like this with a few steps at the end…and I am glad I had, because as it was time to begin the sauce, both my laptop and phone died! Anyway, I had all the ingredients laid out and just went from memory as to what to add and when… I also just really wanted to get it on the table for everyone too. I decided there was enough wonderful juice in the pan from the meat, so I didnt add the vinegar or the broth, because I knew I didnt have the time to reduce it all down. Regardless, even missing a few steps and ingredients- this was still delicious and a total a hit! First time making brisket too, thank you for this!
My briscuit is 12lbs any suggestions on how long i should cook it
I would cut it in half and cook it in 2 pans and you may need to increase the cooking time some. If it is not very easy to slice, it needs to be cooked longer.
Approximately 1 hours of cooking time per pound.
This was a big hit for my Thanksgiving dinner. I don’t eat pork so I used liquid smoke instead of the bacon and it turned out fabulous. My family is still raving about how good and tender the beef was no to mention the flavor of it since it was cooked in the oven and not on the grill or in a smoker. Thanks for this delicious recipe chef.
Best brisket I ever had.
I modify the recipe slightly.
Liquid smoke marinade for few hours, then add rub.
Cooked at 215 for 12 hours.
For the sauce I did not strain, instead, I blended the bacon and onion into the sauce.
This is the second time I have used this recipe. The first time it came out perfect. This time I used a 6 pound piece of brisket the butcher hand cut and trimmed for me. Followed directions exactly but cooked for 6 plus hours. Came out tough (undercooked). Very disappointed since I paid $7.99/ pound. I only sliced half of it. So I called my brother who used to own his own barbecue restaurant and catering company who concurred about the undercooking. He said to either add some of the barbecue sauce thinned with broth and cook an additional few hours or put in a pressure cooker. I was so disappointed because it had turned out so well before.