Best air fryer brisket with a dry rub that comes out fork tender and juicy every time recipe is here! If you loved our pressure cooker brisket, this goes a step further with a crispy exterior for added YUM.
If you’ve ditched your oven for the summertime, you’ll love air fryer brisket. No need to heat up your entire house to get this popular cut of beef to tender and delicious. Using our brisket dry rub and a little broth will create the best meal ever. Just one of many air fryer recipes for beginners you’ll love.
If you have only made Fall-Apart Brisket in the Oven you’re in for a treat. In this small enclosed hot air basket you will be surprised to see just how fast you can break down those connective tissues. Once that is done a knife will slide right thru so it’s fork tender just like you want it. Just a few hours is all you need for perfection.
Ninja Air Fryer Brisket
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Ingredient Notes
You are going to want a 3-4 lb. beef brisket with a nice fat cap if possible. This is not for air fryer corned beef brisket that has been marinated for St. Patricks day, that is different
You’ll also need some stock or beef broth is better than water to add more flavor and keep it moist as it cooks.
Brisket Dry Rub
I have used our tri tip dry rub on this, or the blend below. If you have your own favorite combo for beef or would rather used a bottled combo then by all means use that. Leave on for a good 20 minutes before you cook the beef in a preheated air fryer to further enhances the flavors.
Chili powder just a bit will give it a bit of heat, below is mild to medium but could add more for a spicy flavor. Red pepper flakes would be a good substitute.
As for seasonings you will start with about 1 tsp salt is a given, I prefer Kosher larger granules for this.
Garlic powder is a nice touch, onion powder would be a substitute, or use both for bolder flavors.
And brown sugar will add some sweetness which we love, I imagine a sugar-free alternative would work too.
Should you cook brisket with fat side up or down?
This is a great question. You always want to cook meat with a fat cup with the fat side up. The reason why this is important is that fat = flavor and moisture. As it heats up it will begin to “melt” and drizzle down on the piece of meat coating it and making it that much better, with the ideal texture.
How Long to Cook Brisket in Air Fryer
Ok so you are going to need a while, just like any other method you’ve tried. Reason being is this cut has a lot of connective tissue which needs to be broken down to become tender. For tender brisket in air fryer needs about 2.5-3 hours to get this done. I have a quick step by step here but you can print the recipe card at the bottom too.
We want the seasonings to really bake on with the crust. This “searing” will lock in the juices before wrapping in aluminum foil and getting nice and tender. There really isn’t a worry of it sticking in your air fryer basket but you could lightly spray before adding your protein inside. Many times we will pair this with air fryer cabbage.
The Ideal Internal Temperature
When air frying, you do not want to overcook this or it will be dry. Remember that once you remove meat from the heat source it will continue to rise about 10 degrees as it rests. Therefore if you want it at the ideal air fryer brisket temperature it is 195 – 200 degrees F. You’ll want to remove it when it reaches about 190 F.
How do you know when it is done?
The real test is how tender it is. When you insert a probe, thermometer, or even a toothpick into the thickest part it should slide in with almost no resistance. The meat should also feel very flexible and jiggle slightly when handled, and the fat should be well rendered. If it still feels tight or tough it needs more time, even if the temperature looks right.
FAQ
This cut of beef needs to rest for a good 10-15 minutes (in foil to stay warm) before slicing to maintain it’s juiciness. Then you’ll be ready to cut it which you will want to do against the grain. Slicing in the correct direction is important to further break down those connective tissues so it is not chewy in any way.
You always want it to cool completely before saving food. Once it is at room temperature store it in a freezer bag and suck out ALL the air. Keep in the fridge and enjoy again within 3 days.
It is important to reheat it with some liquid. The best way to do this is in a pan with a bit of beef broth, with a lid on it, over medium heat. Allow to steam just until warmed to the center and then slice against the grain. If you have a bit of gravy serve on top to add even more moisture back in.
If you do have leftovers choose one of our leftover brisket recipes so you get two meals out of one! Like our brisket mac and cheese you might find a new favorite meal using meat that wasn’t eaten the first go around.
Air Fryer Brisket Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 4 lb beef brisket
- 3/4 cup beef broth
Dry Rub
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 large bay leaf, crushed
Instructions
- Mix together spices and brown sugar and rub on brisket. Place brisket in preheated air fryer, fat cap side up, and cook at 350° for 30 minutes.
- Lift out meat at this time. Place brisket in foil, fat cap side up. The best way to wrap the brisket is to place two pieces of foil that cross over each other. Pour in broth. Fold up the sides so that the beef stock / broth will not leak out.
- Place again in air fryer and cook at 300° for 2 hours or until thickest part of brisket temp registers 195°. (timing will vary depending on size and thickness of meat)
- Remove, allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain and serving with broth over the top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am cooking a 3-4 lb. beef brisket, following the recipe exactly, but am a bit confused. With the aluminum foil, do I use it like a bowl with the broth or do I put th broth in, then the beef, and wrap it up (foil packet), I used the foil as a bowl….
2ndly, my Ninja duo only goes to 1 hour on air fry. So I did air fry as stated and am using the bake/roast setting for the 2 hours. It smells awesome and i hope i have done it correctly, because a you said it’s a very expensive cut of meat!
Thank you for testing this recipe, I used my own rub but for the rest followed your recipe and the result was better that expected, juicy, tender brisket with a really good gravy from the stock and meat juices.
OH good, glad it was a hit
I just am trying a corned beef version that is smaller seasoned with Montreal Steak Spice I got from Costo. I have it wrapped in foil and because it is smaller will try the airfryer part for 10 mins each side to get it crispy then re wrap in the foil and at the lowest temperature for an hour. Now at Costco they get the prime cuts and will be interested in trying this on a bigger cut of meat.