Perfectly Smoked Brisket Flat  - Smoked BBQ Source (2025)

Smoking a full packer brisket isn’t always practical (thanks brisket prices 😡). You can easily pick up a brisket flat for a fraction of the price, but the flat gets a bad rap for being too lean.

But with the right technique, you can achieve deep smoke flavor, a gorgeous bark, and juicy, tender slices. In this recipe, I’ll walk you through how to smoke a brisket flat to perfection and share expert tips for tender, juicy results in just 6-8 hours.

*While cooking and slicing a flat is technically easier, if your primary objective is the best brisket possible, going with a whole packer brisket will always get you better results.

Check out our brisket flat vs point article if you want a more comprehensive guide to the differences between each muscle.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Brisket flat – If you can’t find a pre-separated brisket flat, you can trim one from a whole packer (and make burnt ends with the point). Look for good marbling to help retain moisture.
• Yellow Mustard (Optional)– Used as a binder to help the seasoning stick, but you can use Worcestershire sauce or hot sauce or skip it altogether.
• Steak seasoning – I like to use steak seasoning as a base layer when smoking brisket to add extra flavor. I used the Uncle Chris’ Steak Seasoning because it has a touch of MSG, but any seasoning will work here, or keep it simple with just salt and ground pepper.
• Coarse Salt & Black Pepper – A classic Texas-style combo that enhances the bark and beefy flavor. Use a 50/50 mix for the best balance.
• Apple Juice (For Spritzing & Wrapping) – Keeps the brisket moist and helps with bark formation. You can substitute beef broth or even plain water if preferred.

Equipment you’ll need

• Smoker or pellet grill – this recipe can be smoked on any smoker or pellet grill as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for 6-8 hours.
• Wood or pellets – I prefer to use oak wood or oak blend pellets when smoking brisket. It has a mild flavor that pairs wonderfully with beef.
• Slicing knife – if you are separating a whole packer brisket, you will need a slicing knife to separate the two muscles. If you purchased a brisket flat on its own, you will still need the slicing knife to slice the brisket at the end.
• Boning knife – a sharp, flexible boning knife to trim the brisket flat and remove any silver skin.
• Meat thermometer – an instant-read meat thermometer or a Bluetooth probe to watch temperature during the smoking process.
• Butcher paper – to wrap the brisket during the last portion of the cook. This will keep your brisket moist and your bark intact.
• Sprayer bottle – a spritz or sprayer bottle is helpful when you spritz the brisket.
• Cooler or Cambro – you will need an insulated container to rest your brisket in. I recommend a Cambro Go Box, but a dry cooler lined with towels will.

How to smoke a brisket flat step-by-step guide

1. Trim the brisket

If you purchased a brisket flat from the grocery store or your local butcher, there is a good chance that it’s already been trimmed fairly well. If a butcher is going to the trouble of separating the two muscles for you they should do a decent trim.

If you’ve started with a full packer, you’ll first need to separate the flat from the point. Use a slicing knife to cut down the length of the deckle fat to separate the two muscles.

I separated a whole packer gold-grade American Waygu brisket from Snake River Farms for this recipe.

If you see any loose fat or silverskin on the top of the brisket, use a knife to gently remove it.

It’s also a good idea to round off the edges so that the flat is as uniformly thick as possible. Additionally, you want to cut the fat cap down to about ¼” thick.

2. Seasonthe brisket

I always prefer using a binder when seasoning brisket. While the meat’s surface is still slightly moist after trimming, a binder helps the seasoning stick more evenly for better flavor and bark formation.

I used a light coat of yellow mustard, but you can use anything from Worcestershire sauce to hot sauce—or skip it altogether if you prefer!

Like most cuts of beef, brisket doesn’t need much seasoning. A simple combination of coarse black pepper and Kosher salt will do the trick.

If you want to get a little fancy with it, you can add a base layer rub before you season it with salt and pepper. I like to use a steak seasoning with MSG in it. The umami flavor from the MSG really helps the flavor of the brisket shine, but this is completely optional—your brisket will still be delicious without it.

Since salt and pepper are still the dominant ingredients, this still counts as Texas-style brisket.

Once your brisket is seasoned, you can let it sit on the counter at room temperature while you fire up the smoker.

3. Fire up the smoker

Preheat your smoker to 250°F.

You can smoke a brisket flat on any smoker, charcoal grill, or pellet grill as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for 6-8 hours.

Once your smoker is preheated, you can place the brisket directly on the grates with the fat cap down.

Smoke your brisket flat for 3-4 hours, adjusting based on its weight—a smaller flat may finish closer to 3 hours, while a larger one could take closer to 4. Cook until the thickest part of the flat reaches an internal temperature of around 175°F.

A great way to check the temperature on a brisket is with an instant-read thermometer like the Thermoworks Thermapen One or with a Bluetooth thermometer like the MEATER Pro.

4. Spritz

After the brisket has been on the smoker for about 90 minutes, you can start spritzing it with apple juice every hour. I love to use the Smoke Kitchen BBQ sprayer for this. It is a large container with a pressurized sprayer that is absolutely perfect for spritzing all kinds of BBQ.

While spritzing is optional, I find that it really helps with bark formation. Contrary to popular belief, spritzing brisket has nothing to do with keeping the actual meat moist. It’s all about building that bark. It can also help form a smoke ring.

5. Wrap

Wrapping is especially important when smoking just the brisket flat. Since it’s the leanest part of the brisket, wrapping helps retain moisture and prevents it from drying out.

You can use either butcher paper or foil, each with its own benefits. Foil locks in more moisture but can soften the bark, while butcher paper allows the brisket to breathe, preserving that perfect bark.

I prefer butcher paper for brisket, and my go-to is our Smoke Kitchen Pink Butcher Paper.

Pro Tip: Spritz your butcher paper with water before wrapping to make it more pliable. This helps it conform tightly around the brisket for a better seal.”

Remove your brisket from the smoker with heat-protectant gloves and place it onto the butcher paper.

Wrap the brisket nice and tight in the paper.

Return it to the smoker, which should still be sitting at 250°F.

Let it smoke for another 2-3 hours until the internal temperature reaches between 200°F and 203°F and the brisket is probe-tender.

This means that you should be able to slide your meat probe in and out of the brisket with little resistance, similar to if you slid a butter knife into a stick of softened butter.

6. Restthe brisket

The final—and most crucial—step in smoking a brisket is letting it rest for at least one hour.

As the brisket cooks, its muscle fibers contract, pushing moisture toward the center. Resting allows the meat to cool gradually and the fibers to relax, letting those juices redistribute evenly for a more tender, juicy bite.

For the best results, rest your brisket in an insulated container like a Cambro Go Box or a dry cooler packed with towels. This helps it cool slowly while keeping it hot until serving.

No Cambro or cooler? No problem. Set your oven to 170°F and let the brisket rest there instead.

You want to let your brisket rest for at least an hour, but preferably two hours if you have the time.

7. Slice

Slicing a brisket flat is simple since the muscle fibers run in one direction—just slice against the grain for even, tender pieces. Unlike a full packer brisket, you won’t need to adjust your knife angle to account for changing grain patterns

If you need some tips on how to slice brisket, check out our brisket-slicing guide here.

Why brisket flat can turn out dry

Brisket flat has a reputation for turning out dry. Even when smoking a whole packer brisket, many beginners complain of the flat turning out dry. Since the flat is leaner, it’s less forgiving.

After smoking a ton of briskets both in BBQ competitions and at home, I’ve found there are a few crucial steps to ensure tender brisket flat.

• I wrap the brisket in pink butcher paper around 175°F internal temp to balance bark development with moisture retention.
• I always plan to rest the flat for 1-2 hours in a cooler or Cambro, keeping it wrapped so it stays hot and moist while the juices redistribute.
• Instead of relying only on temperature, I like to use test doneness with a probe or skewer until it slides in like butter. This typically happens around 200-205°F, but feel is more important than the number.

What to serve with sliced brisket flat

Smoking a brisket flat is easier than you think, and with the right technique, you’ll get incredible flavor, bark, and tenderness without the hassle of a full packer. Tried this smoked brisket flat recipe? Rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out! Your feedback helps other BBQ lovers perfect their brisket, and we’d love to hear your tips too.