Smoked Beef Brisket

A couple hours in

I picked up a brisket a couple weeks ago and was planning on curing it and making pastrami. After realizing I didn't have all the necessary spices on hand I decided to go ahead and smoke it for some Texas-style Smoked Brisket. Cooking brisket is kind of tricky and it's really easy to screw it up. Of all the times I've made it, I think the first time was the best (beginner's luck).

I started with a 5.5# beef brisket from Costco. A couple days ago I applied a generous amount of Rudy's Rub (a buddy of mine used to live in Texas and was nice enough to bring me some). This morning I pulled the brisket out of the fridge and added a little more rub. I gave it about an hour to warm up a bit then threw it in the smoker (fat side up) with a combination of about 30% hickory and 70% mesquite. I smoked it for about four hours (right about 200F) then transferred it to a stainless steel pan and cooked it in my oven at 200F for another four hours, then at 250F until the internal temp was about 215F (about an hour). I let it rest for about 20 minutes then cut slices across the grain. This one turned out amazing; I think even better than my very first one.  It's fork tender and still very juicy.

Nice smoke ring