My First Ever Smoked Brisket (Kamado Joe Classic 3 Method)

Don’t get me wrong – this wasn’t a fat-capped US brisket with loads to slice off, but there was still work to do.

I had to cut away a fair bit where the meat was either too thin, or just looked like it’d dry out and disappoint. Especially those lean bits with no fat cap on top at all – they weren’t gonna survive the cook.

So I shaped it up nice and even, aiming for consistency in thickness across the whole brisket. Didn’t go nuts – just got it looking tidy and ready to cook evenly.

Bonus: All the trimmings? Straight into a freezer bag. Future me is gonna turn those into some banging homemade burgers. But for now – they're chilling, waiting for their moment.

Kept the rub simple and classic – just 2 parts coarse ground black pepper to 1 part Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Mixed it up and dropped the brisket into a hotel pan for clean, easy seasoning. Pressed the top (presentation side) straight into the rub first to get solid coverage, then flipped and coated the rest – bottom, sides, edges, the works.

At this stage, no Lawry’s yet. I kept it pure – just salt and pepper – to let it start forming that base bark.

Brisket went onto a wire rack over an oven tray, fat cap up, and straight into the fridge uncovered overnight. The airflow helps the surface dry out a bit, which really kicks up bark development during the cook.

Next day, about an hour before it was time to fire up, I took it out to come up to room temp – and this is when I added the finishing touch:

• Topped up any bald spots with a little extra pepper
• Gave the top surface a light all-over dusting of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

Just enough to add a bit of that signature flavour without overpowering the salt and pepper foundation.

Loaded the charcoal basket with Kamado Joe Big Block, and mixed in 3–4 oak wood chunks (spread them out so they didn’t all catch at once).
SlōRoller and heat deflectors went in, with a foil pan sitting on top of the deflectors to catch drips. Brisket would be going on the top rack of the Divide & Conquer system.

Lit just one or two small spots in the charcoal – not the whole basket. You want a slow burn, not a bonfire. Bottom vent cracked just a sliver, top vent set just enough to get that clean blue smoke going. I brought the dome temp up slowly to 65–80°C (150–175°F).

Brisket went on, fat cap up, directly above the foil drip pan. Let it ride. Only spritzed if the bark started looking dry, using a water + Worcestershire mix. Focus here was max smoke absorption – no rush.

Slowly brought the temp up to 107–121°C (225–250°F). Let it roll. Kept an eye on the bark, looked for signs of rendering fat. If I saw it pooling on top, I gently tipped the brisket to drain it off. Bark was getting dark, crusty, and looking the business.

Once internal temp hit about 170–180°F and bark was set, I built a foil boat.

Double layer of heavy-duty foil, shaped like a tray – snug around the brisket but top left exposed to protect the bark and let it breathe.

Poured over a couple tablespoons of shop-bought beef dripping, then back on the grill in the boat.

Let it roll until it hit 203–210°F, but more important than temp was the probe feel – I wanted it sliding in like warm butter. Especially where the flat meets the point – that’s the sweet spot.

Took the brisket off the grill, still in the foil boat, and let it sit on the worktop. Let the internal drop to around 190°F before wrapping it up. This stops it overcooking while resting.

Laid three slices of beef dripping onto fresh foil. Placed the brisket on top, then drizzled over some of the rendered fat from the original foil. Wrapped the whole thing up tightly in foil, then in a towel, and stuck it in a pre-warmed cooler. Let it rest for about 3 hours (but could’ve gone 6+ easy).

Pulled it out the cooler, unwrapped it  – oh yeah.

Sliced straight through the middle (where point meets flat) for the money shot.

Point sliced into 1cm thick chunks against the grain. Flat sliced slightly thinner.

Did the pull test, bend test... and let out a proper "yes lad!" moment.

So here it is — now that the cook's done, slices are served, and the chaos has calmed… how did my first ever brisket actually turn out?

Overall? I was well happy.
For a while I was worried it might just crumble when slicing, but it held together really well. The bark? Absolute crust king. Still firm and textured after the wrap — didn’t go mushy, which was a massive win. If I’m being picky, maybe went a bit heavy on the pepper... but that’s on me, and easy to dial in next time.

About 75% of the brisket came out lovely and juicy, but yeah — there were a few drier spots. I kind of expected that though, since a few parts had barely any fat on top when it arrived. Still, lesson learned for the next one. Might give those areas a bit of extra love, or look for a cut with more consistent fat coverage.

The burnt ends? Different league. Those point slices with more fat on top? Banging. Silky, rich and full of flavour.

All in, I was proper chuffed:

• Clean slices
• Good smoke ring
• Solid bark
• Mostly tender

Now, I would love to try a USDA Prime brisket next — just to see how that extra marbling compares. But for this British brisket? £73.95 for 5kg is a steal — and with my code SSW15, you can grab it for £62.86 at The Village Butchers.

Tastes good, gets the family fed, and gives you the chance to up your brisket game. Can’t argue with that.