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.
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?