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Sliced oven baked brisket shown covered in bbq sauce.
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5 from 1 vote

Oven Baked Brisket

Learn to bake beef brisket in the oven - a mostly hands-off process that results in fall-apart tender meat every time. We love this coated in my Honey BBQ Sauce, but use your favorite sauce or skip it altogether. For best results, dry brine the meat in a spice rub the night before baking your brisket.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 hours
Total Time5 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 423kcal
Author: Michelle Miller

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2-4 1/2 pound brisket
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup Honey BBQ Sauce

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the Kosher salt and the spices, and mix well.
  • Sprinkle the spice rub on, rubbing it in with your hands to evenly coat the whole brisket.
    A bowl with a blend of spices, and a roast shown on a pan coated in spices.
  • 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!)
  • 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.
    A brisket covered in spices shown wrapped in plastic wrap to dry brine overnight, and an uncooked brisket shown in a cast iron baking pot.
  • Take the brisket 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.
  • Allow the meat to rest for 10-15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, carve the brisket into 1/2 inch slices across the grain.
    A cooked brisket shown covered in bbq sauce and a brisket shown on a cutting board being cut against the grain.
  • 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.
    A sliced baked beef brisket shown on a white platter.

Video

Notes

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.
A whole beef brisket shown with the fat cap being trimmed.

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

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.
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!

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 1489mg | Potassium: 799mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 5mg