How to Cook Beef Brisket in the Oven

Learn how to cook beef brisket in the oven. This tender and moist beef is heaven coated in spices and BBQ sauce! Cooking it in the oven is an fool-proof method that is mostly hands off.

The Perfect Oven-Roasted Brisket

Brisket is a perfect addition to a summer spread, and is often grilled or smoked. While both options can be amazing, I have been baking my brisket indoors in the oven recently!

It simplifies the process and yields the perfect, fall-apart-tender meat every time. Turning the main course into a mostly hands-off process means more time for making amazing side dishes (or socializing with your family!).

After making quite a few briskets this summer, I have found two things make a huge difference in yielding the most tender slices of meat:

• Dry Brine the Meat in Spice Rub Overnight: Brisket is a tougher cut of meat. The salt in the spice rub helps begin breaking down muscle fibers prior to the baking process.
• Use a Cast Iron Braiser Pan or Dutch Oven: Using a ceramic baking dish and aluminum foil will work, but it doesn’t seal the heat and moisture quite like using cast iron with a heavy lid. If you can, opt for cast iron! Sealing in the heat helps break down the connective tissue, yielding a more moist and tender brisket.

The flavor of this recipe comes from first using a spice rub to marinate the meat overnight, and then baking it with a flavorful homemade BBQ sauce. I use this Honey BBQ Sauce, made with simple ingredients – so easy you can whip it together in 5 minutes! It’s a much healthier version than what you’ll get at the store.

What You’ll Need

• 3-4 pound Beef Brisket
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Paprika (sweet or smoked paprika)
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Thyme (fresh or dried)
• Optional: a pinch of cayenne pepper to add a little kick
• Honey BBQ Sauce (or your favorite jarred barbecue sauce. We love this recipe because it’s sweetened entirely with honey and is more tangy/spicy and less sweet than a typical sauce.)

Flat Cut vs. Point Cut Brisket

Which cut of beef brisket should I use? I use a flat cut brisket for this recipe. A flat cut is the “first cut,” and is more uniform in thickness, making it bake more evenly and yield tender slices. A Point Cut brisket is the second cut and has a less regular shape with more fat, yielding very tender meat that falls apart. This cut is better for smoking or slow cooking, and is perfect for pulled beef sandwiches.

Trimming the Fat Cap

A flat cut brisket has a layer of fat across the top of the meat. Ideally, the fat cap will be no more than 1/4 inch thick, allowing it to keep the meat tender and moist and add amazing flavor.

If your brisket has a thicker fat cap, trimming it will lessen the fat added to your sauce and give is the perfect amount of fat to serve with slices.

Using a sharp knife, shave layers of the fat off the top of the meat until a desired amount of fat is left on the brisket. This is a personal preference but I trim most of the fat cap off, leaving just a thin strip to protect the meat from drying out.

How to Bake a Beef Brisket in the Oven

Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the Kosher salt and the spices, and mix well.

Step 2: Sprinkle the dry rub on, using hands to evenly coat the whole brisket.

Step 3: Cover the meat with plastic wrap and allow to dry brine overnight in the refrigerator, up to 24 hours. (I have baked this with only 3 hours of marinating time and it will be fine, but longer is better!)

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 275º F. Add the meat to a cast iron dutch oven or braiser pan, fat side up. Cover the pan with the lid, and bake the brisket for 2 1/2 hours.

Step 5: Take the roasting pan out of the oven, and cover the top of the brisket with 1/2 cup of the bbq sauce. Replace the lid, and return it to the oven for an additional 2-3 hours. Test the brisket to know when it’s done by pushing a fork into the edge of the brisket. If the meat easily comes apart from the roast, the brisket is ready to serve. The internal temperature should be between 195º F and 205º F.

Step 6: Place the meat on a cutting board and let the brisket rest for 10-15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, carve the brisket into 1/2 inch slices across the grain.

Step 7: Dip the slices of meat (or use a spoon to drizzle them) in the cooking liquid. Drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce over the sliced brisket prior to serving.

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Brisket

Once the brisket has fully cooled, pack leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Brisket freezes well! Pack it in a freezer safe container and freeze it up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature prior to reheating.

To reheat: Preheat oven to 400º F. Add brisket with a little water or broth to a pan, and cover tightly with foil. Reheat for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is bubbling. Serve hot.

Tips for the Best Brisket

How much brisket to serve per person: A good rule of thumb is to have 1/2 pound brisket per person. A 3 1/2 pound brisket will serve 7 people and a 4 1/2 pound brisket will serve 9 people. This is a generous serving.

Don’t over cook: The brisket should be done in about 1 1/4 hours per pound when cooking at 275º F. Overcooking the meat will dry it out. For the best results, use a cast iron pan, and check the brisket every 30 minutes until the meat easily pulls from the roast with a fork.

Don’t over trim the fat cap: While I prefer leaner meat, the fat cap helps keep the meat moist and tender during the long cooking time. A little fat over the whole beef brisket also infuses the meat with great flavor.

Cut the Roast Against the Grain: Be sure to carve the brisket against the grain. Look at the bottom side of the meat to see the direction of the grain and cut it perpendicular.

Don’t Discard the Cooking Liquid!: The cooking liquid is flavored by the spice rub and the bbq sauce, and has great flavor from the fat in the meat. Dilute the bbq sauce with the cooking liquid and drizzle over the meat. If you have leftovers, pack the leftovers with remaining liquid to use when reheating the meat.

Vacuum Pack a Brisket Roast: If your grocery has brisket on sale, buy an extra and vacuum pack it. It will stay fresh for up to 6 months. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, use the extra roast within 3 months of freezing it. Cooked brisket can also be vacuum sealed and defrosted/reheated at a later time!

Other Oven Cooked Meats

• Barbacoa (Mexican Chipotle Beef)
• Oven Baked Pulled Pork
• Baked Boneless Pork Chops

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