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
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Recipe adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
How much cooking time would you suggest for a two pound brisket?
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I just so happened to have double smoked uncured bacon and it made it extra smoky. This was just as good as stuff we pay $20/lb for here in Texas.
This recipe is so delicious my family just loves it. My husband could not stop eating it. I am making it a second time because the review here was astounding. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thinking of making this for a party. How long would you cook a 12-15lb brisket for using this method?
Also would like to make in advance the night before then reheat that day. How would you go about doing this so it still is juicy and tender?
I’m not sure how much longer it would take if it is in one big piece. I would cut it into 2 or 3 pieces and follow the recipe.
Reheat in a 300 degree oven covered with aluminum foil then you can stick it under the broiler for a few minutes if you want to crisp it up.
I made this with a 5 pound cut but I have a 19 pound brisket for a party. I love this recipe so I need cooking time!!!!! Please. I heard cutting it in half is not that simple. Each end is not created equal. Please anyone do a big one like this and follow recipe?
why isn’t a glass pan not recommended? How deep does it have to be?
Glass is not recommended because the intense heat from the broiler can cause glass to shatter. You want it to be about 2 inches deep. There will be alot of liquid produced as it cooks and you don’t want it to overflow and make a mess in your oven.
Thanks for quick response! Guess I’ll be acquiring a new pan for the kitchen. Can’t wait to try this weekend!
Hope you enjoy it!
OMG!!! Quite interesting to try this unique dish. So excited to try out.
What happens with the bacon when you flip it? And after cookinb gor 4 hours and another hour after flipping it the bacon isnt already cooked and bacon rendered? Am i reading this wrong?
Leave the bacon on. It will not be overcooked since the oven temperature is so low.
Thanks. And it doesnt fall off? Its just tucked around it. I picture turning it and bacon all over the place. Lol. I think ill make it for my husband birthday this weekend. IT LOOKS GREAT.
You do kind of have to be careful so it doesn’t fall off, but you can kind of reposition it and since it all gets scarped off at the end, it doesn’t matter what it looks like.
Making it tomorrow. I hope it works out well. I will rrport back.
Good luck!
Delicious ! Thank you
You can do a basket weave all the way around like a meat bomb.
Christin, my oven is gas and has a convect bake and convect roast setting. Which would you recommend for this?
Hi Wanda, I really don’t have experience using a convection oven. I think the low and slow cooking method is what really works for this recipe.
I modified the recipe slightly. I used jalapeno bacon and changed the sauce. I still browned up the chopped bacon and onion, but added a bottle of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, 2 TBSP of honey, and nip of Fireball whiskey. The sweet and heat made the brisket amazing.
Oh wow! The Fireball whiskey was a great idea Matthew!
My barbecue sauce didn’t thicken at all. Where did I go wrong? Followed directions to a “T”.
The sauce thickened a bit and tasted good. I followed everything but I let the sauce cook for 30 minutes and had to add cornstarch to thicken. First brisket I’ve ever cooked and it was amazing!
Hi I’m cooking an 18.4 lb brisket. How long would you cook that? Any advice would be awesome!
Do you suggest putting the rub on and letting it sit for a few hours first? Or just putting it right in the oven as soon as the rub is on?
Thanks!
You can do either one Kelly. Enjoy!
How long do you keep the brisket in the broiler?
It can vary based on how hot your broiler gets and how close the brisket is to the broiler. I would say 2 to 5 minutes.
What temperature should this be cooked at?
275 degrees Debbie. Very low heat.
I made this brisket for some friends and they absolutely loved it!! It came out great! The brisket was $70 so I was really hoping it would turn out. It was amazing! The only thing I did different was rub the brisket down with a little liquid smoke before I put the dry rub on and used double smoked bacon to really ensure that smokehouse flavor.
I had never cooked a brisket before. I fixed one today using this recipe and it was beyond awsome. So tender and flavorful. Loved it and my hubby did also.
I just made this for a a party of 15 with a 10 lb brisket to rave reviews. I didn’t cut the brisket in half, and I doubled the recipe. My only suggestion is to leave the heat on in the oven after the flip; the size of the meat required extra cooking time. Fabulous–just FABULOUS! Thank you for sharing!
Sorry! I switched that around! It should be 1 1/2 HOURS per POUND!
I’ve been cooking brisket like this for years with one exception – I heat my gas grill to a high heat and sear the brisket on each side for about five minutes. Then sprinkle with spices, wrap in heavy foil and bake low and slow for about an hour per 1 1/2 pounds meat. The searing helps seal the juices and gives a nice color. I’ve never tried it wrapped with bacon and your sauce recipe looks really good! I may give that a try with my next one!!
I made this once in the oven (it was the best thing ever), but I’m going to make it in a crock pot today. It’s summer and I don’t want to have my oven on for hours. I think it will still turn out great!
Hi! We don’t eat pork in our home. Any suggestions on a replacement for the bacon?
Thanks!
Christina
Hey christina, we also dont eat pork. Guantly brand makes a beef bacon that substitutes perfectly in any recipe. If you cant find it, i recommend using smoked paprika for the smoky flavor, or add liquid smoke to the rub and sauce for the flavor. The brisket is fatty and tender enough, it wont suffer from the lack of bacon fat.
What about using turkey bacon guys?