This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Ian Ferdock. Find him on Instagram at @ianferdock. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Everybody loves a good summer BBQ. A classic staple will always be a juicy, tender brisket. The most traditional cooking method for this summer classic is usually with the help of a smoker. However, not everyone has the resources or even the time to make that kind of magic happen. So, what do you do when you want to create a fantastic brisket, but only have an oven at your disposal? Keep reading to learn the best oven brisket recipe!
Until recently, I had never cooked a brisket. I love BBQ and I love to cook, but I don’t have a smoker and wasn’t exactly keen on setting aside a whole day to cook a huge chunk of meat. However, when my mom asked me to cook a brisket for her, I had to rise to the challenge. Initially, this was a bit intimidating. I scoured TikTok and googled recipes and everyone seemed to have their own take on a brisket. Instead of searching for the best oven brisket recipe, I decided to create my own.
Overnight Preparation
To get the most flavor-packed oven brisket you can, you must start off with a dry brine. If you have never heard of the term, it simply means allowing the meat to sit overnight with a dry rub on it.
First, you’ll need to decide on your seasoning. You can either mix something at home or buy a pre-mixed option. I rely on my super top-secret dry rub recipe for a lot of different meats and since I keep it on hand I used it for my oven brisket. It’s a mix of brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. I would like to give you the exact proportions, but as I said it’s top secret. Also, I don’t always believe in measuring so I couldn’t give you an exact recipe if I tried.
Next, you’ll also need a binder. That is a liquid of some sort which will allow the seasoning to literally bind to the meat to ensure all the flavor is soaked up. It will also help turn the dry rub into a bark on the outside of the meat once the actual cooking begins. I opted for mustard because that’s the most traditional choice. However, I have seen people use other binders such as mayonnaise or Worcestershire sauce.
To complete the dry brine, it’s very straightforward. All you must do is spread a thin coat of the binder on the meat and then pack on a good helping of seasoning all over every nook and cranny. Then, tightly cover it with foil or plastic wrap and allow it to sit airtight in the fridge overnight.
Cooking Day
Once you and your brisket have rested overnight, it’s time to start cooking. Luckily, this part of the process is still quite simple and relatively hands-off. You will spend more time waiting than anything else.
Stage 1
Step one is to preheat your oven to 275°F. While waiting for the oven to reach the optimal temperature, you’ll need to do the final preparations for the brisket and get it ready for the first stage of cooking. First, pour around a half or a whole bottle of beer in a roasting pan, and sit the brisket inside the pan. You want the beer to come up a few centimeters on the side of the brisket, but it should not be totally submerged. I chose Hofbräu Original for my beer because it was in my fridge, but any basic lager will do. Those with a more malty taste will complement the brisket the best.
Then you will want to cover the roasting pan with foil or a lid. Once the oven is hot, just set the brisket inside and forget about it. You’ll want to let it cook for a few hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 170°F to 180°F. Mine took about 3 hours during this initial stage. Once the brisket has hit 170°F to 180°F, it should be tender when you stab it, but not quite falling apart.
Stage 2
For the next stage of cooking, you’ll want to add sauce. The bark should have crisped up by this point and adding a sauce will help create an even more flavorful and sticky outer layer. Like the dry rub, you can do your own thing or just buy something from the store. I mixed about ¾ cup of honey, ¼ cup of ketchup, ¼ cup of Frank’s Red Hot, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and slowly let it combine over low heat in a pot on the stove for around 5 to 10 minutes. While you’re making your sauce, kick up the oven temperature to 325°F.
Take a rubber brush and lather the brisket with sauce. To make sure the beer doesn’t wash away any of the sauce I would recommend removing most of it from the pan. Once you’ve lathered the meat, keep the lid off your pan and place the brisket back in the oven. I let mine cook for about 20 minutes. Then I reapplied the sauce and cooked it for another 20 minutes.
The Grand Finale
Now that your oven brisket is done, you may think it’s time to dig in. Patience is key though so there still is some more waiting before you can enjoy your creation. Take the brisket out of the oven once it has reached an internal temperature of 195°F to 200°F. You will want to cover it again and let it rest on the counter for at least 20 to 30 minutes. After that, you can finally enjoy the best oven brisket recipe. Just make sure to slice against the grain of the meat to get the optimal texture.
Final Tips
These are the temperatures and times that worked best for my brisket and my oven. As a general rule, you want to go as low and slow as possible because that will preserve the most flavor and moisture in the meat. However, the biggest determining factor in your cooking time will be the size of the brisket. Mine was quite small at only 3 lbs. So, 3 hours and 45 minutes was plenty of time to get to 195°F to 200°F.
A good rule of thumb is to roast the brisket for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound. Times will vary widely depending on the brisket size and your oven temperature, so as long as your brisket reaches the right temperature before moving onto each step it should turn out well. I bid you all farewell and wish you the best of luck using the best oven brisket recipe!
What’s your favorite BBQ dish to enjoy warm weather? Let us know in the comments below!
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