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.
Families favorite now
A very tasty dish. Will recommend to others. I did take the advice on pureeing the Chipotle peppers.
Yes made today. marinated overnight. Very tender. I blended the sauce to get the smoothness. Will make again
My first brisket! It turned out perfect! I had a 3lb brisket and cooked for 3 hours then flipped and rested in the oven for 1 hr. Then broiled a bit before adding the sauce to broil more.
OMG pretty much sums up this recipe! So, so, so delicious!!!! I am never making a brisket any other way. I used low sodium bacon. I just omitted the chipotle because I don’t like the smokey flavor. Also omitted cumin due to another family member who does not like it. Other than that, followed to the letter and it was AMAZING!!!!!!
I have used this recipe for about 4 years now. Still a hit with my family during the holidays
I’ve made this sooo many times. Simple and delicious. I skip the peppers but follow the rest to a “t” and it is always a hit. The sauce is to die for, don’t skip it!
Very good! My husband loved it.
It was my first brisket, so I put it in a brine. Won’t do that again, it’s too salty. I had a 10lb piece of meat so I cooked it over night for 10 hours. Also we don’t eat pork, so I used beef bacon. I suppose that could have also contributed to the salt. Regardless we both loved it and I’ll make it again
Thank you for the recipe.
I noticed that I didn’t see any negative comments on the recipe so I guess I’d better go buy a beef brisket. Can this be made with a store bought BBQ sauce??
Wow! A little bit more work than i anticipated but it was so worth it! “Absolutely amazing “ as my 5 year old said! I will be making this again.
This is so delicious! If you don’t want as spicy make sure to weed out the seeds when adding Chipotles! It’s still flavorful without the extra heat. I’m making this again tomorrow
I have made this recipe about a half dozen times now and it has come out great every time. I use the point cut of the brisket every time. In my opinion it tastes better. I don’t rely on a Thermometer and primarily go by feel when poking into the meat. According to all the smoking video research I watched the brisket is done between 200-205 degrees internal temp. I have had some feel done around 190 and some around 220. The longer the rest period after cooking the better. I have changed the recipe a little due to personal taste. I add about an 1/8-1/4 cup of liquid smoke to the pan before adding the brisket. I triple the cayenne pepper and use a whole small can of Chipotle pepper. When the sauce is done I Puree it in a blender before basting and broiling. I think the sauce also keeps better this way for left overs. Every time I cook this recipe for people, they love it and ask for the recipe.
Puree is good idea I’ll have to try it!