Texas Brisket Sandwich
Texas Brisket Sandwich Say it: TEKS-us BRIS-kit SAND-wich
Texas brisket sandwich is the iconic barbecue order of Central Texas: slow-smoked beef brisket with a peppery, salt-crusted bark, sliced thick and piled onto soft white sandwich bread. Traditionally cooked over post oak for 10-12 hours, the brisket becomes tender and juicy with a deep smoke ring. It is served with dill pickles, raw onion, and a thin, tangy sauce, letting the beef and smoke take center stage. This is weekend barbecue food at its simplest and most revered.
Texas Brisket Sandwich
Texas Brisket Sandwich
Pronounced TEKS-us BRIS-kit SAND-wich
- Serves
- 8
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 12 hr
- Total
- 12 hr 30 min
- Level
- Advanced
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the brisket
For the sandwiches
Method
Trim the brisket. remove any hard fat and silver skin, leaving a 1/4-inch (6 mm) fat cap over the point and a thin layer over the flat. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mix the kosher salt and black pepper. Season the brisket generously on all sides, pressing the rub into the meat; use all the rub.
Prepare a smoker or charcoal grill for indirect heat at 225-250°F (107-121°C) and add oak wood for clean, thin smoke. Place the brisket on the grate, fat side up, and insert a leave-in probe into the thickest part of the flat.
Smoke the brisket, maintaining steady temperature and replenishing wood as needed, until the bark is dark and the internal temperature reaches 165-170°F (74-77°C), about 5-6 hours. If the surface looks dry, spritz occasionally with water.
Wrap the brisket tightly in pink butcher paper or aluminum foil and return it to the smoker. Continue cooking until a probe or skewer slides into the flat with almost no resistance, and the internal temperature is 200-205°F (93-96°C), about 4-6 more hours.
Rest the wrapped brisket in an insulated cooler or a warm (170°F/77°C) oven for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours; do not skip this step or the slices will be dry.
Unwrap the brisket and separate the point from the flat. Slice the flat against the grain into 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices; slice or chop the point. Moisten slices with a spoonful of the accumulated juices.
To build each sandwich, lay 2 slices of white bread on a board. Pile about 1/2 lb (225 g) of sliced brisket on one slice, top with onion slices, dill pickles, pickled jalapeños if using, and a drizzle of barbecue sauce. Close with the second slice, press gently, and serve.
Regional variant: Chopped Beef Brisket Sandwich (Texas Chopped)
Use the fattier point end of the brisket, chop it into small pieces, and toss with about 1/2 cup (120 ml) Texas-style barbecue sauce. Pile the chopped beef onto a toasted hamburger bun and top with dill pickles and raw onion. This is a common way to serve the point when it is too fatty to slice neatly.
Cook's notes
- Cook brisket by feel as well as temperature: the probe should enter the flat like room-temperature butter. If it still feels tight, keep smoking.
- Do not slice the brisket until after it has rested; carry-over cooking finishes the tenderness and the juices redistribute.
- For an indoor version, season the brisket, place it on a rack over a water pan, and roast at 225°F (107°C) for 10-12 hours, adding 1 teaspoon liquid smoke to the rub; the texture and flavor will be similar but without true bark.
Serve with
Serve with potato salad, coleslaw, pinto beans, or dill pickle spears; sweet iced tea or a cold lager are traditional.
Make ahead and storage
Smoke the brisket up to 2 days ahead; cool, wrap tightly, and refrigerate. Reheat sliced brisket gently in a covered pan with a splash of beef broth, or wrap in foil and warm at 300°F (150°C) until just hot.
