Time after time we hear people say “I can’t cook brisket, it never turns out right.” Most of them are all making the same mistake; undercooking. Brisket is a tough piece of meat. The first time I cooked one, the dog wouldn’t eat it.

There is only one thing you need to know to cook brisket; low & slow. That means low temperature and let it cook, cook more and then cook some more.

We generally cook a full brisket for 24 hours. It’s very easy to undercook a brisket and end up with meat too tough to enjoy. However it’s almost impossible to overcook a brisket if you’re cooking at low temperatures.

Set your smoker temperature to 190.

Rub your brisket down with as much dry rub as it will hold.

Stick it in the smoker with the fat side down. Let it smoke for about 8 to 10 hours then take it out and wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Put it back in and let it smoke for about 14 more hours. We like for our brisket to cook low and slow for about 24 hours.

Take it out of the smoker and put it directly in the refrigerator immediately with the foil still on it. Wait for it to cool completely through, then remove the foil and slice it to whatever thickness you desire.

Two VERY IMPORTANT points to make your brisket a success.

When you slice, find the grain of the meat and make an X with your blade and the grain. Otherwise the meat will be stringy.

At the bottom of your smoker is a collection pan. As soon as you take your brisket out of the smoker take all of that juice out of the collection pan and save it in the refrigerator.

After you slice your brisket or chop it whichever you prefer, heat up that juice and pour it all over your brisket.

These instructions are for a full sized brisket. Reduce smoking times for a smaller piece or a flat.

Remember it’s real easy to undercook a brisket but almost impossible to overcook one. If you’re not sure, let it cook some more.

Set your smoker at 225.

Be sure to pull the membrane off the back of the ribs. If you don't know how to
do this, there are countless videos on YouTube showing you how.

Rub the ribs down generously with the dry rub then knock off as much as you can get to fall off by tapping the rack of ribs on the counter.

Put them in the smoker for 2 1/2 hours then take them out and wrap them in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put them back in for another 3 hours.

Once they are done, leave them in foil and put them directly in the refrigerator. Let the ribs cool and slice them cold.

When you’re ready to serve, heat them in the microwave. Don't put them in the
oven because that will dry them out.

This dry rub works best with a sweet type BBQ sauce if you like sauce. They are delicious without sauce.

Set your smoker temperature to 225.  

If you intend to slice the butt then use an internal meat thermometer and smoke it until the internal
temperature reaches 155. If you want pulled pork or very tender “fall apart”meat, follow the instructions below:

Rub your pork butt down with as much dry rub as it will hold. Stick it in the smoker with the fat side down. Let it smoke for about 6-8 hours then take it out and wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put it back in and let it smoke for about 6-8 more hours.

Take it out and put it in the refrigerator immediately with the foil still on it. Wait for it to cool then it’s ready to pull.

At the bottom of your smoker is a collection pan. As soon as you take your butt out of the smoker take all of that juice out of the collection pan and save it in the refrigerator.

After you slice or pull your pork, whichever you prefer, heat up that juice and pour it all over your pork butt.

These instructions are for a full sized butt. Don’t worry about over cooking the butt. It will just get even more tender if you leave it in a bit longer. After about 16 hours the bone will begin to get soft.