Green Chile Smoked Brisket
Since living in Southern California, Mexican Coke has been my go-to when cooking brisket. What I like about using it is not simply the sweetness. Mexican Coca-Cola is made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, giving it a cleaner sweetness that works well against rich beef. It also brings acidity that helps balance the heavy texture and rendered fat of a long-smoked brisket.
For this cook, I paired that Mexican Coke spritz with Revolution Barbecue Green Chile Seasoning. The seasoning brings green chile, garlic, onion, cumin, ancho chile, black pepper, and Mexican oregano to a cut of beef that can handle plenty of flavor. The cane sugar and acidity from the Coke complement those savory chile flavors while oak smoke builds another layer around them.
Beef tallow is used as the binder, keeping everything firmly in the beef family while giving the seasoning a good surface to hold onto. The finished brisket has a dark, well-developed bark, a pronounced smoke ring, tender slices, and rich rendered fat, with green chile and oak carrying the flavor and the Mexican Coke working quietly in the background.
Oak-Smoked Brisket with Green Chile Seasoning
Glenn Connaughton
10
30 minutes
14 hours
550
American
Dinner
Brisket gives you plenty to work with: rich beef, rendered fat, a large surface for bark, and enough time in the smoker for seasoning and wood smoke to develop into something deeper than what went on at the beginning. With this cook, Revolution Barbecue Green Chile Seasoning brings savory chile flavor supported by garlic, onion, cumin, ancho chile, black pepper, and Mexican oregano.
Beef tallow works especially well as the binder because it does not introduce a competing flavor. It helps the seasoning adhere while reinforcing the richness already present in the brisket. As the surface dries and the brisket takes on oak smoke, that seasoning becomes part of the dark bark surrounding the meat.
The Mexican Coke spritz plays a supporting role. Its cane sugar contributes a clean sweetness, while its acidity provides contrast against the richness of the beef and rendered fat. The goal is a firm, dark bark on the outside and tender slices inside with properly rendered fat and enough moisture to keep the flat juicy. Temperature gives you checkpoints during the cook, but tenderness is what ultimately tells you the brisket is ready.
Ingredients
Brisket
- 1 USDA Prime whole beef brisket, 12 to 14 pounds
- 3 tablespoons beef tallow, softened
- 1/4 cup Revolution Barbecue Green Chile Seasoning
Mexican Coke Spritz
- 1 bottle Mexican Coca-Cola made with cane sugar, 12 ounces
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
- Trim the Brisket: Trim the brisket, leaving a fat cap approximately 1/2 inch thick. Remove hard pockets of fat and silver skin that will not render during cooking. Pat the brisket dry with paper towels.
- Apply the Beef Tallow: Spread the softened beef tallow in a thin, even coating over all sides of the brisket.
- Season the Brisket: Generously coat all sides of the brisket with Revolution Barbecue Green Chile Seasoning. Allow the seasoned brisket to rest at room temperature while the smoker comes to temperature.
- Prepare the Smoker: Build a fire using oak wood or a combination of oak wood and charcoal. Bring the smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain clean, light smoke.
- Mix the Spritz: Combine the Mexican Coca-Cola and water in a food-safe compression sprayer. Prime the sprayer before using.
- Smoke the Brisket: Place the brisket fat-side up on the smoker with the point facing the firebox or primary heat source. Smoke at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 8 hours, lightly spritzing the brisket with the Mexican Coke mixture every 45 minutes. Replenish the oak as needed to maintain steady heat and clean smoke.
- Wrap the Brisket: When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of approximately 170 degrees Fahrenheit and the bark is dark and firmly set, transfer it to heavy-duty aluminum foil. Pour the remaining Mexican Coke spritz into the foil and wrap the brisket tightly, crimping the edges to seal in the moisture.
- Finish the Brisket: Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker and continue cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of approximately 203 degrees Fahrenheit, about 2 to 3 additional hours. Use the temperature as a guide. The brisket is finished when a temperature probe slides into the flat with very little resistance.
- Vent the Brisket: Remove the brisket from the smoker and carefully open the foil. Allow the brisket to vent for 3 minutes so excess steam can escape.
- Rest the Brisket: Reseal the foil and place the brisket in an insulated cooler. Rest for 1 hour.
- Slice the Brisket: Unwrap the brisket over a baking sheet to catch the juices. Locate where the grain changes direction between the flat and point. Slice the flat against the grain into slices approximately the width of a No. 2 pencil. Turn the point 90 degrees and continue slicing against the grain.
- Finish and Serve: Arrange the sliced brisket for serving and spoon the collected brisket juices back over the meat.
