This beef brisket made in the oven is about as close as you can come to Texas-style smoked brisket without actually using a smoker. Juicy beef brisket is rubbed with an amazing dry rub and baked in the oven until tender. Learn how to make a great beef brisket right in your kitchen.
For this brisket and many other meats, I use my favorite Dry Rub recipe. Try making corned beef brisket in the oven as well, you won’t be disappointed. If you just love Beef Brisket in the oven, you must try my French Onion Beef Brisket.
BEEF BRISKET
Beef brisket comes from the lower chest area of the cow. It’s a very tough cut of meat because it comes from the area where there is a lot of muscle and tendons. Because it’s a tough cut of meat, brisket should be cooked at low temperature for a long period of time.
There are two basic parts of the whole beef brisket. The bottom part of the brisket is called a “flat” and it doesn’t usually contain much fat at all. Top part of the brisket is called a “point” and it is mostly fat with very little meat on it.
Ideally, the whole brisket is cooked at the same time because the fat juices from the top point part seeps into the flat. This makes brisket flat meat juicier. Unfortunately, many grocery stores don’t carry the whole brisket but only carry the flat. (For the whole brisket, check your butcher shops.)
Because flat is much more common, I normally work with that cut. Try to get beef brisket that has a little more fat on top, in the fat cap. (Flat brisket cut still had a small fat cap on top.)
Of course, for best results and for a true Texas-style brisket, it should be cooked in a smoker. Since not everyone has a availability and time to slow cook the brisket in the smoker, I want to share my recipe for making the beef brisket in the oven.
HOW TO COOK BEEF BRISKET IN THE OVEN
Note: Be prepared to start the brisket a day before cooking it. Giving it time to soak up the flavors from the dry rub overnight will give you a much better result.
Before Cooking
Let’s start with making our favorite dry rub, that should take a whole 5 minutes to make.
Take brisket flat out of the package, lay it on a cutting board and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Spread a generous amount of dry rub on top, flip the brisket over and spread a generous amount of dry rub over that. Make sure there is a good amount of seasoning and rub it all over all the sides of the brisket. Massage the rub into every nook and cranny and make sure it’s nicely coated all over.
Wrap rubbed brisket in a couple of layers of foil, covering it tight. Place in a pan or a dish just in case some juices leak out, so that it doesn’t leak all over the refrigerator.
Refrigerate the brisket overnight or up to 12 hours. Take the brisket out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking it, unwrap and let it get to room temperature.
Cooking Brisket
Preheat oven to 300° and place a rack inside the large roasting pan. Lay a couple of sheets of foil that are long enough to loosely cover the brisket, crisscross, on top of the rack. (You can layer the bottom of the roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch whatever drippings might leak through.)
Place the brisket, fat cap up, in the middle of aluminum foil prepared in the roasting pan. Bring the aluminum foil together and close it, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between the brisket and the foil.
Place in the oven and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes per pound, until the brisket reaches 185°. Use a meat thermometer to measure the thickest part of the brisket.
Open the foil and bake brisket for another 45 minutes to an hour, until internal temperature reaches 200-202°.
Take the brisket out onto the cutting board, tent it with a sheet of foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Make sure to cut the brisket against the grain.
BRISKET SERVING SIZE
Wondering how much brisket to get? That’s the story of my life. Recommended serving size for brisket is 1/2 lb of uncooked meat per person.
It’s also very subjective because it highly depends on the sides that you’re servings with it. Lighter sides will not fill guests as much, so more brisket will be needed per person. Heartier sides, will be more filling.
To me, recommended servings never seems enough so I get an extra pound or two of meat. It’s better to have meat leftover than not have enough.
HOW TO STORE BRISKET
If you have leftover brisket, store it covered in the refrigerator, covered tightly.
Wrap cooled brisket in a sheet of parchment paper and then wrap it in some aluminum foil.
Keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
HOW TO REHEAT BRISKET
Brisket is nicely reheated in the oven.
Preheat oven to 350°. Slice cold brisket and wrap the slices in foil.
Reheat the foil packets in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are and how many slices there are in the foil. You can place foil wrapped brisket directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet.
Note: the little fat layer on top won’t have the crunch once it’s been reheated.
SOME MORE RECIPES YOU WILL ENJOY:
Making Corned Beef Brisket In The Oven
Tips for Grilling The Perfect Steak
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Beef Brisket In The Oven
Instructions
- NOTE: Be prepared to start the brisket a day before cooking it. Giving it time to soak up the flavors and tenderize from the dry rub overnight will give you a much better result.
Meat rub and refrigerating:
- Mix dry rub ingredients. (This recipe for dry rub will cover a 6 lb brisket.)
- Take brisket flat out of the package, lay it on a cutting board and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Spread a generous amount of dry rub on top, flip the brisket over and spread a generous amount of dry rub over that side. Make sure there is a good amount of seasoning and rub it all over all the sides of the brisket. Massage the rub into every nook and cranny and make sure it’s nicely coated all over.
- Wrap rubbed brisket in a couple of layers of foil, covering it tight. Place wrapped brisket in a pan or a dish just in case some juices leak out, so that it doesn’t leak all over the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate the brisket overnight or up to 12 hours. Take the brisket out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking it, unwrap and let it get to room temperature.
Baking the brisket:
- Preheat oven to 300° and place a rack inside the large roasting pan. Lay a couple of sheets of foil that are long enough to loosely cover the brisket, criss-cross, on top of the rack. (You can layer the bottom of the roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch whatever drippings might leak through.)
- Place the brisket, fat cap up, in the middle of aluminum foil prepared in the roasting pan. Bring the aluminum foil together and close it, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between the brisket and the foil.
- UPDATE: Place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound, until the brisket reaches about 180°. Use a meat thermometer to measure the thickest part of the brisket. (My 4.5 lb brisket takes about 5 1/2 hours but there are many factors that can affect exact time. Meat itself will take different time and brisket can also stall at a certain temperature in the oven much like a smoker. Use a leave-in meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of your brisket and that way you won't have to keep opening the oven .)
- Open the foil and place it back in the oven. Bake brisket for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Let it rest:
- Take the brisket out onto the cutting board, tent it with a sheet of foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Make sure to cut the brisket against the grain.
Miranda Dodson says
Made this recipe for my family Christmas party. I’ve never attempted a brisket before. WOW!!! This was an easy and AMAZING recipe. This was the hit of the party. It’s officially going to be a year-round tradition. Thank you for this awesome recipe!!!!
LyubaB says
I am so happy to hear that! You are so welcome!
Akire says
Your thermometer is set to C° not F°! I know becasue I did the same exact thing with a rib roast a few years ago. 🙄
Akire says
This was in response to the commenter saying their brisket had been cooking for 12 hours and the probe wasn’t reading anywhere near done.
Shari says
Could the brisket be made a day ahead and heated in the crockpot on warm the next day!
LyubaB says
It is best to reheat brisket in the oven. I go over how to reheat above in the post and I have copied and pasted it below for your convenience.
Preheat oven to 350°. Slice cold brisket and wrap the slices in foil.
Reheat the foil packets in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are and how many slices there are in the foil. You can place foil-wrapped brisket directly on the oven rack or a baking sheet.
Note: the little fat layer on top won’t have the crunch once it’s been reheated.
Pam says
Hello, I was wondering why you have to use so much tin foil ? Why can I just use my long Dutch oven with a rack in it and a lid . It is stainless steel . Just wondering if that would be ok . Thanks
LyubaB says
I wouldn’t recommend that because the Dutch oven will not create a close enough cooking pocket around your meat and it will probably come out dry. You need a tight pocket around the meat for it to cook tender.
Julia Jin says
Used this for the 1st bbq of the season, is new family favorite!
LyubaB says
I am so happy to hear that!
Linda says
Just made this and it’s done, 2 hrs before I am serving it! Don’t want to dry it out. How do you suggest keeping it warm?
..
Alexandra griffin says
I FORGOT TO PUT MINE ON A RACK! ITS IN THE OVEN NOW STILL HAS ABOUT 4 HOURS TO GO AS ITS 10 LB BRISKET WHAT DO I DO?!!!
LyubaB says
Oh, no! I am sorry, I am just seeing your message! I hope it turned out well! Next time send me a message on FB so I can respond right away.
Janice says
Please tell me how it turned out without using a roasting rack. I don’t have a roasting rack. Thanks.
Susan says
I followed your recipe almost exactly, and my first ever brisket turned out perfectly.
LyubaB says
That’s great! I’m happy to hear that!
Marlene says
This was my first time to cook brisket and it turned out amazing! Thanks for this great recipe and the detailed instructions! I will use it again!
LyubaB says
I am so happy to hear that, Marlene!
Ames says
As luck would have it, I have a brisket point cut (only) in my freezer. Do you think I could use the same method and get good results? I’m worried it will be way too fatty for my family, though. Any advice on how to cook a point only, without the flat? Thank you!
Liz says
I put my brisket in the over at 300 degrees and set my internal temp for 185 degrees. I put it in around 7:30 am and it’s now almost 6pm and it’s still cooking . It’s only at 176 degrees. That’s almost 12 hours 😳
LyubaB says
Sorry, I am just now seeing your question next time for a more immediate responds you can message me on Facebook.
How big was your brisket? It’s not uncommon for cooking times to vary when preparing a brisket, as the size and thickness of the meat can play a significant role in how long it takes to reach the desired internal temperature.
Nikki says
Saving this recipe! My husband loves brisket but is very picky about it. He said he would “order this again” if it were a restaurant. I consider that a high compliment from him.
Great!
LyubaB says
Wow! Nice! I am so glad he liked it!
Amy :) says
Hi gorgeous! We are trying your recipe out right now!! This is the first time we’ve ever cooked a brisket and your recipe was very easy to follow!! Our whole house smells so good! I can’t wait to try it!!Since this was our first time making a brisket we didn’t know to prep it in the refrigerator the night before but we learned something new which is Awesome!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂 I’ll report back and let you know how it was!! We didn’t make our own rub either. We bought a rub from H&S store that sells Traeger smokers/grills!! Buying a Traeger is definitely on my wish list bc I’ve heard amazing things about them & all the delicious things out can cook on them!!
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Amy!
Pat says
This turned out prefect!
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Pat!