Learn how simple it is to make smoky and tender Oven Baked BBQ Beef Brisket with this never-fake brisket recipe—just two ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time—everybody deserves great BBQ.
🐄Ingredients
- Beef brisket—any size
- Liquid smoke—optional but recommended
- BBQ sauce—for serving
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Featured Comment from Dave:
"Thank you for this recipe. I have done 3 so far, and thanks to your simple thorough instructions, they have all been perfect. And it’s so easy!"
Most beef brisket recipes call for many spices, grills, smokers, or pits. And the results some sometimes great but are frequently dry, tough, and tasteless—plus a LOT of work. All you need is two ingredients, 5 minutes, and bake until done.
Cooking brisket in the oven makes it super easy to do low and slow cooking, which is perfect for brisket. Add barbecue sauce after you bake in the oven with liquid smoke. You can cook small or large briskets—perfect for any needs. They can be points, flat, or full briskets. You can cook fresh or frozen briskets.
Special thanks to Peggy, our secretary in Kansas City 45 years ago, who taught us the true KC brisket cooking method which I have used for 45 years.
👨🍳How to Cook BBQ Brisket in the Oven
Turn on the oven to 300°—no need to preheat.
Pat dry the brisket. Place in pan fat side up. Cover the top of the meat with a generous amount of liquid smoke—about 3-4 tablespoons.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil sealed on all edges.
Bake in the oven until "fork-tender" and at least 195+° (200° to 205° preferred.) Usually about 1 hour per pound. If you don't "get" fork-tender, just use the internal temperature. It may take over 6-8 hours if frozen or large. NEVER UNDER COOK, and do not cook by time alone. Always check the internal temperature.
Scrap off the "fat cap" before removing it from the pan. If you cooked a whole or flat half, it is a good time to separate the two layers. Place on a platter, cover with foil, and refrigerate for a least 3 hours before cutting. Discard the liquid.
Cut CROSS GRAIN into ⅛ to ¼ inch slices.
Transfer back to a pan. Cover the top with BBQ sauce. Seal with aluminum foil again and reheat in oven preheated to 375°—about 25 minutes.
Make sandwiches with sauce and bread. Ahhh, KC heaven.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰How Long to Cook a Brisket in the Oven
A good rule of thumb is about one hour per pound in a 300° oven. But thinner flats will cook a little quicker than thicker points.
I generally cook 4-pound flats for about 4 hours or a bit more. There can be a lot of variation in that. Points take a bit longer (thicker). Frozen adds an hour or two. A whole brisket takes longer and can easily run into the 8 to 10-hour plus range.
🌡️When is a Brisket Done?
It needs to be "fork tender," and the internal temp should be a minimum of 190° to 195°, but 200° to 205° is better.
"Fork tender" is when you insert a large fork, and it goes in easily and slides out easily. The meat will hardly move. It is "old school," and I always use internal temperature. My wife still uses fork tender, so we do both.
NEVER UNDER COOK BRISKET. Cooking a little too long is better than a little short.
Other classic BBQ recipes
Beef brisket is one of the three classic barbecue meats, along with pulled pork and baby back ribs. All can be cooked either on the grill or oven-baked. See Boston butt in the oven and Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs. For the gas grill, see Grilled Smoked Beef Brisket, Smoked Pulled Pork, and Grilled Baby Back Ribs.
Grilled Brisket
Cook smoked Grilled Brisket low-and-slow on your backyard gas grill—moist and tender meat with crusty bark and a smokey taste. Make classic BBQ brisket without a smoker.
🔪How to Cut a Brisket
- While you can cut warm brisket, it will tend to fall apart and not slice well. So, refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting.
- If you cooked a whole or flat of brisket, separate the flat and the point portions. Trim the fat between the layers.
- Cut both flat and point across the grain, which means 90° from the direction the meat fibers run.
- You can chop the brisket instead of slicing, but If I do that, I still slice first to prevent strands of muscle fibers.
Serving BBQ brisket
Reheat in the oven. Coat the top with a generous amount of sauce and seal with aluminum foil. Serve with sandwich bread or buns. It can also be used to top Mac and Cheese or many other uses.
To be a "correct" brisket sandwich in our family, it must be a triple-decker on white Wonder Bread and have Gates BBQ sauce from Kansas City. (Link in The Cooking for Two Shop.) Or try Memphis-Style Homemade BBQ Sauce.
Serve with side dishes like baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, French fries, or other potato dishes. Our favorite is Cheesy Potatoes with Real Potatoes.
Storage of leftovers
Seal in an airtight container, store in the refrigerator for 4 days, or freeze for 4 months.
❓FAQs
Several times, I have done this for parties, serving 25 to 50 people. You can cook several days ahead and reheat at the time.
A sandwich holds about ¼ pound for most people. So, I assume four servings per pound. This is always very popular, and even small eaters come close to two servings. If you cook about ½ lb per person, you should be about right. Add a little more to be safe and have leftovers.
But do ¾ lb if they are piggies—1 lb per teenage boy.
Liquid smoke is made from condensing the smoke from burning wood. The flounder of Wrights Liquid smoke invented the process. It is an all-natural product that should only contain two ingredients, smoke concentrate and water.
Many BBQ snobs do not like it but consume it in BBQ sauces, marinades, and BBQ-flavored foods. Most of the manufactured liquid smoke is used in these ways and not directly to consumers.
I only use Wrights, which is usually in small bottles around the Warchershire sauce in the stores. After opening, it can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 years.
If the brisket is being cooked in a smoker or grill, it is a good idea to get the bark from the rub directly on the meat by trimming the fat before cooking.
In this closed-baked method, it is not needed. It is very easy to scrape the fat off immediately after cooking when still hot. It is also the ideal time to separate the muscles of your cooked whole or flat brisket.
What is beef brisket?
The brisket is made up of the pectoral muscles. The cow does not have collar bones, so these muscles support about 60% of the standing/moving cattle's body weight. All that work produces a lot of connective tissue, so cooking a brisket is all about melting the connective tissue with low and slow cooking.
Buy only choice or prime-grade brisket. Whole briskets are vacuum-packed for the producers and are usually 8 to 12 pounds.
Most of us buy half briskets. There is the "point" and "flat." Generally, the flat half is two layers (the flat muscle and part of the point). The point with only one layer of muscle.
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📖 Recipe
Easiest Oven Baked BBQ Beef Brisket
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Ingredients
- 4 pounds Beef Brisket - any size will do
- 3-4 tablespoons liquid smoke
Instructions
- Turn on the oven to 300°—no need to preheat.
- Pat dry the brisket. Place in pan fat side up. Cover the top of the meat with a generous amount of liquid smoke—about 3-4 tablespoons.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil sealed on all edges.
- Bake in the oven until "fork-tender" and at least 195+° (200° to 205° preferred.) Usually about 1 hour per pound. If you don't "get" fork-tender, just use the internal temperature. It may take over 6-8 hours if frozen or large. NEVER UNDER COOK, and do not cook by time alone. Always check the internal temperature.
- Scrap off the "fat cap" before removing it from the pan. If you cooked a whole or flat half, it is a good time to separate the two layers. Place on a platter, cover with foil and refrigerate for a least 3 hours before cutting. Discard the liquid.
- Cut CROSS GRAIN into ⅛ to ¼ inch slices.
- Transfer back to a pan. Cover top with BBQ sauce. Seal with aluminum foil again and reheat in oven preheated to 375°—about 25 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- NEVER UNDER COOK THIS. A little too long is better than a little short.
- You MUST use a good quality liquid smoke. I only buy Wrights. If you do not want to use liquid smoke, find a different recipe.
- Cooking time is highly variable due to the size and thickness of the brisket. But it will usually be about one hour per pound. Longer if a thick point or whole brisket.
- You can start with a frozen brisket, but it will take an hour or two longer.
- Cook to "fork tender" and an internal temperature of 200°-205°. But the minimum is 195°.
- NEVER COOK BY TIME ALONE, you must check the temperature.
- Scrap off the fat after cooking before cooling.
- You can cut it while still hot, but it tends to fall apart.
- We cool the brisket completely and then thinly across the grain (about ¼ inch). Chopped is a good alternative. But never shred.
- Reheat with the sauce of your choice in the oven covered with foil.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor Note: Originally Published: April 9, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation. Please enjoy one of our favorite recipes.
Troy Steege says
Thanks Dan. Maybe I will serve both the brisket and the pulled pork. Great combination!
Do you have the link to your pulled pork?
DrDan says
https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-pulled-pork-from-pork-butt/ I doing this tomorrow again. I have a 5 pounder in the refrigerator. The brisket discussion is more theory but should work and give a great crust. I'm going to try it when my wife is not home. If you use the liquid smoke, buy only a good one that has only water and smoke as ingredients like Wright's
Troy says
I am having 20 guys over for MNF in a week, so I was looking for an easy brisket recipe and this looks like the ticket. I love the fact I can cook it on Sunday leaving me more time on Monday for other things.
Have you tried searing it first on the grill to create a crust, and then cook it in the oven? I do this method with my baby back ribs, and it seems like it would work with brisket too.
TIA
DrDan says
Hi Troy,
I have not done a sear but it won't hurt. I will say that there is lots of fluid released so if you just want to sear it, fine but if you are thinking a crust from a rub, that will not work.
Now in my mind, I suspect I can do a brisket open in the oven similar to my oven pulled pork butt which is excellent. You could still cool it, cut it and warm to serve later like this recipe. I would have to sneak it by my wife. Even to do a brisket on the grill, I have to sneak start it or she wants this recipe. If you try that, remember you are cooking to a final temperature.
Dan
Dea Varner says
This recipe is very similar to a long-time brisket recipe my mother-in-law makes.. the only difference is she rubs the brisket with equal amounts of celery, garlic and onion salt (no exact measurements, she just eyeballs it) and then pours on the liquid smoke and cooks it as you do. We top it with whichever BBQ sauce we happen to be loving at the time.. being from Kansas City it could be Gates or my favorite is KC Masterpiece.. but it turns out great everytime!!! Btw, I love your site.. it has saved me on more than one occasion when I was clueless as to what to make for dinner!!!
DrDan says
Hi Dea,
This recipe is still dear to our hearts and I cook it almost monthly. And I still get Gates BBQ sauce shipped to Michigan by the case. (We give it to friends.) I think this recipe will be coming up again for republishing. I need new pictures and it will just be a flat since there are usually 2 or 3 of use eating here. The whole brisket is just too much.
Thanks for the note
Dan
TheSassySouthernGal says
I liked this recipe. I thought the brisket would be a little more tender than it was but it had a good taste. It was an easy recipe to follow and really did smell good. We used Rufus Teague's BBQ Sauce - honey something. It was really good. Thanks for sharing the nice recipes.
Annie says
this looks amazing! I have been searching for a great brisket recipe. Can this be almost
shredded instead of cut up?
DrDan says
Shredded it might be a bit stringy. Hence the cutting cross grain. It does tend to fall apart but instead of shredding like a pork butt I would cut across grain into thick slices then shred.
DrDan
Leslie says
Great easy recipe that you can make ahead, made your barbecue sauce recipe good and spicey
Leslie says
Thanks for all your help, my husband and I are so excited for Carolina Panthers and a super bowl party!
Leslie says
Help! I have several questions. Since I am a newbie at party giving. I want to figure things out before I host my Super Bowl party for 30.
How many days in advance can I cook the brisket?
After I take it out of the oven & scrape the fat off do I store it in the cooking liquid?
Do I slice it exactly after 3 hours or on the day I reheat it?
Should I use a dry rub and when would I use it?
How long should I reheat it if I make it that Friday or Saturday before the super bowl.
Sorry for such a long list of questions. Thank you so much, your sight has giving the cooking confidence to host a party, Leslie
DrDan says
I would cook it Saturday for Sunday. Friday would be ok.
No dry rub... just the liquid smoke.
Discard liquid right after the initial cooking. It's a slimy fatty mess since I usually scrap the fat into it.
So cook, scrap off fat and cool. I put it in the fridge covered with foil on a plater. It cuts better cold. It falls apart if you try to cut it hot. Be sure to cut cross grain.
Cutting can be a bit tough so I cut the day ahead. Then just cover and refrigerate until ready to reheat. Then I add a coat of sauce and reheat covered until hot about 25-30 minutes... it might take a little longer.
Dan
Lottie says
Thanks so much for this! I was a "newbie" to brisket, and made it for a group of 18, it was wonderful and amazing! Many compliments, NOTHING leftover! Thanks for all the information, very informative!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note, so glad it worked for you.
DrDan
Katherine says
Thank you so much for this information. There was a miscommunication between my husband and I and the brisket wasn't defrosted. I was at a loss until I found this. It is now in the oven, and the scent will torment (heh) my family until I serve it this afternoon.
Thank you again, sorry for being late to the game. Must now go and explore the rest of the site.
DrDan says
Most of the time mine goes in frozen.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
steve roth says
I grew up in KC. Barbeque for me is a choice-Arthur's, Rosedale or Gates...and then the other 135 decisions. I have tried this recipe and yes you could probably pull it off in a crockpot. I suggest that you wait for a day off and do it the oven. The aroma from the brisket/liquid smoke/reheating in Gate's sauce should not be missed (crockpot).
There is a similar recipe in the Colorado Cache Cookbook (Jr. League of Denver), which includes a pretty decent pseudo Gates style barbeque sauce, if say you live in Anchorage and your KC shipment has been delayed.
DrDan says
I always would go back and forth between Gates and Bryant's. I get my Gates sauce mailed by the case still. 12 bottles is not too much.
As for the crock pot, to get done you need to get to the 190 range. On high a crock pot does about 250. It would take a long time but possible. Since I frequently start with a frozen brisket, I will stick to the oven.
Thanks for the note and the KC memories
DrDan
Karen says
This might have been my favorite meal of all time. I had a 2 lb. brisket which I cooked for about 3 hours, a little over 190 degrees internal temp. I followed your instructions exactly and for the sauce I used your recipe for Memphis Barbecue Sauce. We had this on white bread with macaroni salad on the side.
There's not one recipe from you that I've tried that hasn't come out perfect. Thank you SO much!
Dan Mikesell says
This may be my all time favorite also. Thanks for the comment.
Dan
Dr Dan says
I think you could do it in a crock pot but I would probably go for the el crapo oven. I have cooked these at 275 to 325 so I'm not convinced that the fluctuation would be a big deal. Just go for the correct end point. I suspect the crock pot could take a long time to get to that end point.
I remember doing them in a small apartment range in KC many years ago and your oven can not be worse than that.
Substantive Woman says
I have a 6qt crock pot... could I make this in that and simply follow the rest of the recipe... my oven has fluctuating temperature problems that makes using it a crap shoot... thanks.
Dr Dan says
Thanks, I though about just saying "put meat in cake pan, pore on a half jar liquid smoke, seal with foil and bake for 5 hours" but I wanted pictures.
Carolyn says
Wow, this recipe is a keeper, for sure!