Beef Brisket made in the oven is a mouth-watering and fall-apart tender dish that is sure to become a favorite! No need to have a smoker to make amazing brisket. This Beef Brisket is incredible and perfect for any special occasion!
This tough cut of meat is made ultra tender by cooking it low and slow in the oven. Thinly slice it and serve it with a side of Easy Twice Baked Potatoes and my Goes with Everything Side Salad for a meal no one will forget.
Beef Brisket
My mom used to make this quite often when I was a kid because my siblings and I requested it for our birthdays. Now, my husband requests it for his birthday dinner… but I had to make him wait to eat it this time until after I snapped some photos.
Ingredients for Barbecue Beef Brisket:
- Beef Brisket Flat– This is from the breast of a cow. It’s a tough cut of meat so it requires long, slow cooking to become tender.
- Garlic Salt– Using garlic salt instead of fresh garlic allows it to cover more surface area and penetrate the meat.
- Celery Salt– This adds flavor to rubs and marinades. Don’t have it on hand? Use ground celery seeds and table salt.
- Onion Powder– Made from dehydrated onions. Adding this to rubs and marinades is a great way to add flavor.
- Coriander– This versatile, mellow, sweet spice comes from the seeds of cilantro flowers. It has somewhat of a citrusy lemon and sage flavor. It is often used in Indian, Mexican, Southeast Asian, and Mediterranean cooking.
- Worcestershire Sauce– This uniquely flavored sauce is often used in marinades. It is made up of vinegar, molasses, anchovies, garlic, tamarind, chili pepper, sugar, and salt.
- Liquid Smoke– For that classic smoky Texas BBQ taste. This add a lot of flavor without having to use a smoker.
- Open Pit Barbecue Sauce– This is a strong BBQ sauce. It’s bold and spicy and creates the yummiest sauce when combined with the other sauce ingredients. Check your local grocery store or order online at Amazon or Target.com.
- Water– This helps the sugar dissolve. It will evaporate as the sauce simmers, thickening the sauce up again.
- Brown Sugar– This adds sweetness and a depth of flavor. Light or dark will work.
- Ketchup– Use good quality ketchup- Heinz. Using ketchup instead of tomato paste and seasonings is just a shortcut for making the barbecue sauce.
How to Cook Brisket in the Oven:
Time needed: 1 day and 6 hours.
- Marinate
Pour the liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce over the top. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 18-24 hours. Flip the brisket over so it is top side down before going to bed and then flip back over in the morning a few hours before cooking.
- Bake
Make sure brisket is fat side down. Cover tightly with foil and place into a cold oven. Set the temperature to 275 degrees F for 5-6 hours or until fork tender. Baste with juices a couple times while cooking.
- Slice
When fork tender, remove from oven and let cool while you make the sauce. Cut the large section of fat off the bottom and then slice thin (against the grain) on a cutting board when cool enough to handle.
- Make the Sauce
Combine sauce ingredients in a medium size sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes.
- Reheat
Pour sauce over beef, cover with foil, and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warm (about 20 minutes).
FAQs
Brisket comes from the lower breast (pectoral muscles) of a cow. Since this muscle is heavily used, it is tough and contains a lot of connective tissue. For this reason, brisket is best when cooked low and slow.
There are two parts to a brisket- the flat and the point. The flat is leaner and slices nicely. The point is fattier and doesn’t slice well so it’s better for shedding for sandwiches and tacos. Most grocery stores only carry the flat.
Yes! Since the brisket goes into the oven a second time anyway, you can actually postpone that to a day or two later. After cooking the brisket for 5 hours, allow to cool down and rest on the counter for 30 minutes before storing covered in the fridge. The next day, slice the meat while cold, place in a 9×13 pan (or larger if needed), pour on the sauce, and reheat at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
The sauce can also be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Like any meat, brisket should be cut against the grain. Look for the parallel muscle fiber lines and slice perpendicular to them. Slice it as thin as possible (about the thickness of a pencil).
The meat is very tender so use a sharp knife so that it cuts through instead of shredding it apart. It is also easier to cut when it has cooled.
Not before cooking! The butcher already trims the fat cap to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. This should be left on when cooking because the fat helps give flavor and moisture to the meat.
Most people don’t like eating a big chunk of fat so I recommend removing the large section of fat when slicing the meat (before adding the sauce). It’s easiest to remove the fat when it is still warm.
Choose a flat with uniform thickness, is flexible, and has an even layer of fat. The fat cap shouldn’t be any thicker than 1/2 inch. Select a grade Prime (best) or Choice brisket.
Plan for about 1/2 pounds raw brisket for one serving. When cooked, it shrinks quite a bit. (see photos above)
If your store only sells huge 16 pound briskets, ask the butcher to cut it in half.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS BRISKET RECIPE:
- 9×13 inch Casserole Dish– This is my go-to casserole dish. It’s perfect for casseroles, cakes, brownies, and more. I love that this one has a lid for easy storage in the fridge.
- Roasting Pan– A large roasting pan is necessary for cooking large cuts of meat like this brisket.
- Knife Set– I got this set over 10 years ago. I use them multiple times a day and they’re still going strong!
LOOKING FOR MORE BEEF? CHECK OUT THESE:
- How to Cook Filet Mignon
- Instant Pot Beef Tips & Gravy
- Beef Tenderloin
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Beef Barbacoa
Beef Brisket
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 5-7 pound beef brisket flat
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 2/3 cup (5 ounces) Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup (3 ounces) liquid smoke, (Hickory)
For the Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1 cup Open Pit Barbecue Sauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rub the top of the brisket with the 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon celery salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon coriander. Place in a braising pan fat side down (or any large rimmed baking dish that can accommodate the size of your brisket).
- Pour 2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup liquid smoke a over the top. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 18-24 hours. Flip the brisket over so it is top side down before going to bed and then flip back over in the morning.
- Make sure brisket is fat side down. Cover tightly with foil and place into cold oven. Set temperature to 275 degrees for 5-6 hours or until fork tender. Baste with juice a couple times while cooking.
- When fork tender, remove from oven and let cool while you make the sauce. Cut the large section of fat off the bottom and then slice thin (against the grain) on a cutting board when cool enough to handle.
For the Sauce:
- In a medium size sauce pan, combine 1 1/2 cups ketchup, 1 cup Open Pit Barbecue Sauce, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Pour sauce over beef, cover with foil, and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warm (about 20 minutes).
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