Preparation

9-10 hour cook time for a 10 lbs prime packer brisket (includes the rest time). Plan for 1 hour cook time per pound of brisket.

1. Trim your brisket. Make sure to remove any hard fat as that won’t render down during the cook. Leave a ¼-½ inch of the soft fat on the fat cap of the brisket.
2. Make your rub. For a 10 lb brisket, we use a half cup of rub made up of equal parts coarse ground black pepper and kosher salt.
3. Apply a thin layer of mustard to the brisket. This will act as a binder to help the rub stick to the brisket.
4. Apply rub evenly across the entire brisket including all sides and edges.
5. Fill the hopper up with Cuisinart’s Maple Bourbon pellets and pre-heat the pellet grill to 250F.
6. Place the brisket in the center of the grill with the fat cap up. Insert the built-in temp probe into the thickest part of the brisket.
7. Place a foil tray filled with water next to the brisket to maintain moisture in the cooking chamber.
8. After three hours start lightly misting the brisket with apple cider vinegar every half hour.
9. When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of ~170F, remove it from the grill and wrap it in butcher paper. Return the wrapped brisket to the grill.
10. Remove the brisket from the grill when you reach an internal temp of 205F. Let the brisket rest for ~1.5 hours before unwrapping - ideally resting in a cooler.
11. Unwrap the brisket and separate the flat from the point with your carving knife. Then carve ¼ inch slices cutting against the grain and serve with your favorite BBQ sauce.