Fall apart brisket in the oven with a dry rub is the best way to cook this large cut of beef for a high protein dinner. If you loved How to Cook Fall Apart Sirloin Tip Roast this is going to be a hit too.
How to bake melt in your mouth beef brisket with dry rub. Easy slow cooked perfectly that comes out fork tender with tons of flavor. Sliced thin for a high protein healthy dinner served as sliders or over a bed of mashed potatoes. Step by step instructions are below. (affiliate links present)
Brisket in the Oven
This beef brisket recipe is by far the best way to make this!! At first I bought a smaller piece and made Air Fryer Brisket which we loved because of the crispy texture on the outside. It didnโt fit much though and I thought the insides could be a bit more moist if cooked low and slow in the oven. So we kept going.
There was a lot of experimenting done to get this just right, fork tender and hard to slice as it just wanted to pull apart (perfect if you ask me). Before the only way to get it to this tenderness was to make Pressure Cooker Brisket but that didnโt give me the baked on dry rub I wanted like this.
This can be a very flavorful and tender cut of meat, typically beef, if it is slow-cooked or smoked. That way you can achieve that melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich flavor. It is a popular choice for barbecues, smoked meats, and traditional comfort food dishes. There are many Dry Rub Recipes for Meat out there but this works best for a sweet and savory mix.
Ingredients
When it comes to this cut of meat you want to read about flat cut brisket vs. point and which one you might prefer there is information about that here. I prefer flat cut brisket myself because you have a wider thicker area.
Brisket Dry Rub Recipe
- 1/4 c brown sugar to make it a bit sweet
- 1 tbsp salt of course, Kosher is best
- 1 tbsp onion powder and garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika used
- 1/2 tbsp pepper is optional
- 1 tsp dry mustard and thyme
When oven roasting, use a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Aluminum foil will need to surround the outside as well. We use a similar blend of seasonings to make our Smoked brisket too. A great method if you would like to cook your food outside and not heat up your whole house.
How to Cook Brisket in Oven
- Trim ONLY the fat that is thick and hard, but you do want to keep the squishy fat to provide moisture. Even if you are going to trim before serving, keep that in tact for best results.
- Lay 2 long sheets of foil down, one in either direction so it is large enough to wra the whole piece and not leak.
- Mix together dry rub ingredients listed below, use bottled, or you could use our Tri Tip Dry Rub which we love too.
- Spread half on each side so it has a pretty thick coating all over to add flavor to seep inside and a crust on the outside.
- Wrap tightly in foil, and then place on a baking sheet cooling and resting in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove 1 hour before cooking to room temperature. Put on a wire rack on a baking sheet with the wrapped brisket on top of that.
- Set inside your preheated oven at 275 with a meat thermometer positioned into the thickest part.
- After 7-8 hours in the oven, that cooking time should get the thicket part to 175 degrees.
- Then rip the foil off and brush bbq sauce or liquid smoke on top now.
- Return to oven and continue to cook about one hour longer.
At what temperature does brisket fall apart?
Super tender Oven Baked Brisket typically โfalls apartโ or becomes fork-tender when it reaches an internal temperature of 195โ205ยฐF (or 90โ96 degrees C.).
Remove from oven and add a tent of foil to the top. Let brisket stand for 30-60 minutes allowing liquid to soak back into the meat before slicing or shredding. Not all liquid will return to the meat but most of it will. Slice against the grain and serve as desired. THIS is How to Make melt in your mouth Brisket in the Oven!!
How to slice so itโs tender as possible
Allow it to rest for about 20-30 minutes. This resting period allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring it remains moist and tender. Use a sharp carving knife or slicing knife with a long, thin blade.
Before slicing, you may want to trim any excess fat from the surface. While some fat is desirable for flavor and moisture, removing excessive fat can make slicing more manageable.
Examine the meat to determine the direction of the grain (the muscle fibers). The grain runs in one direction across the meat. Slicing against the grain is crucial to break up connective tissue for tenderness, as it shortens the muscle fibers and makes each bite more tender.
Start at one end. If youโre slicing a whole one, you can choose to separate the lean flat from the fatty point before slicing. You may need to change the slicing direction as you move from the brisket flat to the point, as the grain can change direction in the point.
Aim to cut thin, uniform slices, approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Use a gentle sawing motion with your knife to ensure clean slices. Angle the knife slightly to create slices with a larger surface area. This exposes more of the flavorful crust or bark on the exterior.
Continue slicing along the entire length. If you encounter a section with a significant fat layer, you may choose to trim it further as you go. Once sliced arrange the slices on a serving platter or individual plates. Serve promptly while the meat is still warm.
How to serve
Slow-cooked in a flavorful broth with vegetables is a popular pot roast dish. It is typically sliced thinly across the grain to ensure tenderness and served with barbecue sauce, gravy, or au jus. Sides like coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, and pickles complement this many times when served.
If you do have some of your How to Make Fall-Apart Brisket in the Oven left you will want to store it correctly. Wait until it completely cools to room temperature. Then donโt slice it, wrap it whole in foil and put into a freezer bag zipped close. Keep in the fridge and use within 3 days. We love leftover Brisket Mac and Cheese the next day. You can make sandwiches with it too.
Brisket in the Oven
Equipment
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 Bowl
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 8-9 pound beef brisket
Brisket Dry Rub
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika, or use smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp pepper
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp thyme
Instructions
- Trim any fat that is thick and hard, keep the squishy fat attached to provide moisture. Place 2 large and long sheets of foil on a flat surface, creating a "plus" sign.
- Mix together brown sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, mustard and thyme. Spread half of the mixture on one side of the brisket and place the covered side down in the center of the foil. With remaining dry rub, spread on the top side of the brisket.
- Wrap tightly in foil, overlapping and securing. Place on a baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove from fridge 1 hour before cooking, letting it come to room temperature. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and place wrapped brisket on top of the wire rack. Preheat oven to 275 and place a meat thermometer into the thickest part.
- Bake for about 7-8 hours or until the temperature reaches 175 degrees F. When this temperature is reached, carefully rip the foil off the top (can brush bbq sauce on now if you like) and return to oven and continue to cook about one hour longer, until internal temperature reaches 195โ205ยฐF (or 90โ96 degrees C.) to reach fall apart texture
- Remove from oven and add a tent of foil to the top. Let brisket stand for 30-60 minutes allowing liquid to soak back into the meat. Not all liquid will return to the meat but most of it will. Slice against the grain and serve as desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very tasty brisket! Great specific instructions gave me success my first try. My grown son is on a lot w sodium diet so I cut the salt back but there is still lots of flavor in this with everything else. We have Wednesday family dinner every week. This is going in the rotation. Couldnโt be less stressful of a meal to make.
so glad
My first ever brisket, turned out great! So juicy and delicious. I loved it.
so glad
This was my first brisket, it turned out really great! I didnโt marinade it. Just used the dry rub. I added liquid smoke with juices in the middle and cooked it low & slow.
Thanks for the recipe!
so glad!
My brisket is still not quite falling some of the areas are but the temp is reading 205. I even checked the fattest part and itโs reading 208. Should I turn it off even if not all is falling apart?
Please Help-
Are the cook times still the same for a 3-3.5 lb brisket.
Thank you, canโt wait to eat it. In frig marinating right now
Larger and/or thicker will take longer that is why I include the info of; or until internal temperature is 195-200 degrees F.
If I donโt have time to marinate, can I still cook it today for dinner to this evening?
you can it just wonโt have as much flavor
A roaster should work..I would look up some recipes on the internet to see just how to cook a Brisket in a roaster..Good luck
Would this method work in an electric roaster (like a turkey roaster)?
Not sure, I dont have one of those
How long for a 3 lb brisket?
I would like tye brisket to be more sliceable ..like a smoked brisket โฆtgsn fall apart! Could I cook it for maybe two hours less? Also, when I make a corned beef brisket I boil it with pickling spices first until easily pierced by a fork and then remove it and drain it and put in an oven pan and bake for another hour or soโฆI usually coat it with apple jelly. Could I do the same with a fresh brisket?
Yes if you want to slice then you would cook it for an hour or so less.
If I cook a 4-5 pound brisket, how long do I cook it for? 8-9 lb is too big for our family.
May be 2 hours less, most important part is registering internal temp until it hits 200 degrees F which means it will be fork tender