Franklin BBQ is widely praised for being one of the best BBQ restaurants in the country. You’ve probably seen the owner, Aaron Franklin on TV or YouTube. He gives away all of his hard-earned secrets of his recipe every chance he gets, right? Wrong. In this article I’ll show you the real secrets behind the Franklin BBQ Brisket Recipe.
Smoking the perfect brisket is not an easy task. The recipe is only part of the equation. I’ll go into full detail on how you smoke a brisket and what ingredients will make it just as good as Franklin BBQ. If this is your first brisket you’ll want to follow the instructions closely.
Understanding Beef Brisket
Brisket is the cut of meat from a cow that is from the lower chest just below the shoulder. It was once considered a lower quality cut of meat because of the heavy fat content and the toughness. Now it’s one of the most sought-after cuts of beef for BBQ smoking. This is because the fat in the meat renders down into the beef and with a low and slow cook will make the meat tender and juicy.
There are 2 parts to the brisket: the point and the flat. The point is thicker and has a lot of fat mixed in the with the meat. The flat is thinner and has less fat mixed in. Both of them have a layer of fat covering them.
The 3 grades of beef you can usually find at your local grocery stores are Prime, Choice and Select. These grades are not randomly assigned, but are standards set by the USDA. The best and most expensive grade is Prime. You will see more fat marbling and get a juicier finished product with Prime beef. Choice is the middle grade which is still going to give you some marbling. The Select grade beef is the leanest grade.
A whole brisket is the first and most important ingredient so choose wisely. Buy the best brisket you can find and afford.
Preparing Your Brisket
I’m going to take you through the Aaron Franklin method for making smoked Brisket.
The first thing you want to do when preparing your brisket is to trim the fat cap. Cut off all the big chunks of fat around the point. I like to trim it so that a quarter inch of fat is left on the meat. I also recommend cutting the silver skin off the non-fatty side of the flat cut. This will allow the smoke to more fully penetrate the meat and is easier to eat.
Pro tip: Cut the fat while it’s still cold. The colder the fat, the easier it will be to cut with a knife.
Once you have the fat and skin cut off the meat, you can now apply the salt and pepper rub. See below for ingredients. Make sure the rub is well mixed and evenly spread across the brisket. Don’t go crazy with it. Too much rub on the meat will make it taste bad.
Pro tip: Let the brisket get to room temperature. Just leave the brisket out for about an hour after taking it out of the fridge. Beef is just about the only meat that will allow you to do this without getting bacteria.
For full instructions, watch the video below.
Smoking the Brisket
I smoke my brisket on a Green Mountain Grill which is a pellet smoker. I’ll break things down on what you should do with an offset smoker that burns charcoal and/or wood as well.
With a pellet smoker I like to put the fat side down on the grill. The reason I do this is because the heat source is directly below the meat. Putting the fat side down will protect the meat from being over-cooked and dried out. I set the temperature to 225 degrees and smoke the meat for about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours per pound.
Pro tip: Put a water pan in the smoker to maintain a high level of moisture in the meat.
Once you put the brisket on, don’t get impatient! It’s going to take a long time. Leave the lid shut as much as possible for the entire duration of the cook. Once every hour, I open up the lid and spray my brisket with a mix of water and apple juice. This keeps it moist and prevents burning. Some people will use Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce or apple cider vinegar or some combination of these.
Towards the end of the cook, you’re going to need to check the temperature. You want to make sure the internal temperature of the meat is 200 degrees.
If your brisket is taking too long to cook you can speed up the process by wrapping it in butcher paper or aluminum foil. This does two things. It keeps the beef moist and raises the internal temperature more rapidly.
Pro tip: I use a meat probe with a wire on it that is in the meat during the entire brisket cook. This lets you monitor the temperature the whole time without opening the lid of your smoker.
If you’re using an offset smoker, you can put your brisket on the grill with the fat side up. This will let the juices from the fat roll down and through your meat. Keep the temperature around 250 degrees for 12 hours or 1 – 1-1/4 hours per pound. Use your favorite charcoal or a good hardwood. I like the smoke flavor from pecan, hickory, oak and cherry. Mesquite is acceptable too, but is very strong. Everything else about the cook is the same as using a pellet smoker.
Pro tip: The internal temperature of brisket tends to stall. If it doesn’t look like it’s progressing, just wait. If you keep the temperature consistent it will push through “the stall”. A wrapped brisket will push through the stall faster.
After the Cook
Once your brisket has reached the internal temperature of 200 degrees you want to take it off the smoker. If you haven’t wrapped it yet, you’ll want to do so after cooking. This ensures that you keep the juices in. I put my brisket in an empty cooler. This helps retain the heat which breaks down the connective tissues of the meat. Leave it in the cooler for at least an hour. I like to leave it in for up to 2 hours. This gives you a tender brisket that is worthy of a barbecue competition.
After letting the juices settle into your meat you’re finally ready to serve the brisket. Cut the flat portion of the brisket across the grain in quarter inch strips. If your quarter inch cut of brisket fall limp without falling apart, you know you’ve cooked the brisket well. When you get to the point cut, the direction of the grain changes. Turn the meat 90 degrees and start cutting 3/8″ strips.
Pro tip: Don’t cut your brisket until you’re ready to serve. Once cut, the meat will start to dry out.
Franklin BBQ Brisket Recipe Secrets
Speculation has surface about this being a fake Franklin BBQ brisket recipe. Salt and pepper is a classic Central Texas barbecue recipe. John Lewis, who used to work at Franklin BBQ has come out with his own recipe. He did not confirm or deny that it is the same recipe used at Franklin BBQ. Check out the John Lewis BBQ Brisket recipe.
John Lewis adds a mustard and pickle juice mixture to the meat before applying a rub. It makes you wonder if he got this from Franklin BBQ
Franklin BBQ Brisket Recipe (Secrets Revealed)
Description
This is a classic Texas-style BBQ brisket recipe. Simple, yet flavorful.
Ingredients
Instructions
Preparing the Brisket
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Trim the fat cap. leave about a 1/4 inch thick layer of fat.
It's easier to cut the fat when the brisket is cold. -
Mix the salt and pepper together to make a dry rub. Spread the rub mixture evenly on the entire exterior of the brisket.
Let the brisket sit for an hour to get to room temperature. -
Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F. Put a water pan in the smoker while preheating. If you don't have a smoker you can place it in a conventional oven (it just won't get the smoke flavor).
You can preheat your smoker while the brisket is getting to room temperature. -
Place your brisket on the smoker fat side down. Spray your brisket with water every hour. Keep the temperature as close to 225 degrees F as you can until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 205 degrees F.Plan on cooking for 1 1/2 hours per pound of meat. You can wrap the brisket in tin foil or butcher paper to speed up the cooking process.
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When the meat reaches the right temperature, pull it out of the smoker. If you have wrapped it, don't remove the wrapping. Place the brisket in a cooler (without ice of course). Let the brisket rest for at least an hour, but preferably 2 hours.
Note
Don't cut the brisket until it's ready to serve.
You know you cooked your brisket right if you can slice it in 3/8 inch strips against the grain and the meat doesn't fall apart. It also should hang completely limp on your finger and not break apart.