Beef Brisket Recipe In The Oven
This beef brisket made in the oven is about as close as you can come to Texas-style smoked brisket without actually using a smoker. Juicy beef brisket is rubbed with an amazing dry rub and baked in the oven until tender. Learn how to make a great beef brisket right in your kitchen.
For this brisket and many other meats, I use my favorite Dry Rub recipe. Try making corned beef brisket in the oven as well, you won’t be disappointed. If you just love Beef Brisket in the oven, you must try my French Onion Beef Brisket.
What Is Beef Brisket?
Beef brisket comes from the lower chest area of the cow. It’s a very tough cut of meat because it comes from the area where there is a lot of muscle and tendons. Because it’s a tough cut of meat, brisket should be cooked at low temperature for a long period of time.
There are two basic parts of the whole beef brisket. The bottom part of the brisket is called a “flat” and it doesn’t usually contain much fat at all. Top part of the brisket is called a “point” and it is mostly fat with very little meat on it.
Ideally, the whole brisket is cooked at the same time because the fat juices from the top point part seeps into the flat. This makes brisket flat meat juicier. Unfortunately, many grocery stores don’t carry the whole brisket but only carry the flat. (For the whole brisket, check your butcher shops.)
Because flat is much more common, I normally work with that cut. Try to get beef brisket that has a little more fat on top, in the fat cap. (Flat brisket cut still had a small fat cap on top.)
Of course, for best results and for a true Texas-style brisket, it should be cooked in a smoker. Since not everyone has a availability and time to slow cook the brisket in the smoker, I want to share my recipe for making the beef brisket in the oven.
Cooking Instructions For Juicy Beef Brisket
Note: Be prepared to start the brisket a day before cooking it. Giving it time to soak up the flavors from the dry rub overnight will give you a much better result.
Before Cooking
Let’s start with making our favorite dry rub, that should take a whole 5 minutes to make.
Take brisket flat out of the package, lay it on a cutting board and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Spread a generous amount of dry rub on top, flip the brisket over and spread a generous amount of dry rub over that. Make sure there is a good amount of seasoning and rub it all over all the sides of the brisket. Massage the rub into every nook and cranny and make sure it’s nicely coated all over.
Wrap rubbed brisket in a couple of layers of foil, covering it tight. Place in a pan or a dish just in case some juices leak out, so that it doesn’t leak all over the refrigerator.
Refrigerate the brisket overnight or up to 12 hours. Take the brisket out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking it, unwrap and let it get to room temperature.
Cooking Brisket
Preheat oven to 300°F and place a rack inside the large roasting pan. Lay a couple of sheets of foil that are long enough to loosely cover the brisket, crisscross, on top of the rack. (You can layer the bottom of the roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch whatever drippings might leak through.)
Place the brisket, fat cap up, in the middle of aluminum foil prepared in the roasting pan. Bring the aluminum foil together and close it, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between the brisket and the foil.
Place in the oven and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes per pound, until the brisket reaches 185°F. Use a meat thermometer to measure the thickest part of the brisket.
Open the foil and bake brisket for another 45 minutes to an hour, until internal temperature reaches 200-202°F.
Take the brisket out onto the cutting board, tent it with a sheet of foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Make sure to cut the brisket against the grain.
Beef Brisket Serving Size
Wondering how much brisket to get? That’s the story of my life. Recommended serving size for brisket is 1/2 lb of uncooked meat per person.
It’s also very subjective because it highly depends on the sides that you’re servings with it. Lighter sides will not fill guests as much, so more brisket will be needed per person. Heartier sides, will be more filling.
To me, recommended servings never seems enough so I get an extra pound or two of meat. It’s better to have meat leftover than not have enough.
Storing Instructions
If you have leftover brisket, store it covered in the refrigerator, covered tightly.
Wrap cooled brisket in a sheet of parchment paper and then wrap it in some aluminum foil.
Keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Best Way To Reheat It
Brisket is nicely reheated in the oven.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice cold brisket and wrap the slices in foil.
Reheat the foil packets in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are and how many slices there are in the foil. You can place foil wrapped brisket directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet.
Note: the little fat layer on top won’t have the crunch once it’s been reheated.
Some More Beef Recipes To Try
Making Corned Beef Brisket In The Oven
Tips for Grilling The Perfect Steak
Beef Brisket with Balsamic Sauce
Bacon Wrapped Mustard Beef Brisket
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Beef Brisket Recipe In The Oven
Instructions
- NOTE: Be prepared to start the brisket a day before cooking it. Giving it time to soak up the flavors and tenderize from the dry rub overnight will give you a much better result.
Meat rub and refrigerating:
- Mix dry rub ingredients. (This recipe for dry rub will cover a 6 lb brisket.)
- Take brisket flat out of the package, lay it on a cutting board and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Spread a generous amount of dry rub on top, flip the brisket over and spread a generous amount of dry rub over that side. Make sure there is a good amount of seasoning and rub it all over all the sides of the brisket. Massage the rub into every nook and cranny and make sure it’s nicely coated all over.
- Wrap rubbed brisket in a couple of layers of foil, covering it tight. Place wrapped brisket in a pan or a dish just in case some juices leak out, so that it doesn’t leak all over the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate the brisket overnight or up to 12 hours. Take the brisket out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking it, unwrap and let it get to room temperature.
Baking the brisket:
- Preheat oven to 300°F and place a rack inside the large roasting pan. Lay a couple of sheets of foil that are long enough to loosely cover the brisket, criss-cross, on top of the rack. (You can layer the bottom of the roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch whatever drippings might leak through.)
- Place the brisket, fat cap up, in the middle of aluminum foil prepared in the roasting pan. Bring the aluminum foil together and close it, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between the brisket and the foil.
- UPDATE: Place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound, until the brisket reaches about 180°F. Use a meat thermometer to measure the thickest part of the brisket. (My 4.5 lb. brisket takes about 5 1/2 hours but there are many factors that can affect exact time. Meat itself will take different time and brisket can also stall at a certain temperature in the oven much like a smoker. Use a leave-in meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of your brisket and that way you won't have to keep opening the oven .)
- Open the foil and place it back in the oven. Bake brisket for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Let it rest:
- Take the brisket out onto the cutting board, tent it with a sheet of foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Make sure to cut the brisket against the grain.
Video
Notes
- Plan ahead for best results: For the most flavorful and tender beef brisket, apply the dry rub and refrigerate overnight. This extra time allows the seasoning to penetrate the meat and helps tenderize it.
- Brisket cut matters: This recipe is written for a flat cut of beef brisket. Choose one with a visible fat cap for juicier results. Cooking time may vary depending on thickness and fat content.
- Cook low and slow: Oven temperature and time are key. Brisket should be cooked slowly until it reaches the proper internal temperature, don’t rush it, or it may turn out tough.
- Use a meat thermometer: Brisket is done when it’s tender and reaches the correct internal temperature, not just by time alone. Every brisket cooks a little differently.
- Rest before slicing: Let the brisket rest after baking so the juices redistribute. Skipping this step can cause the meat to dry out.
- Slice against the grain: Always slice beef brisket against the grain for the most tender texture.
- Foil alternatives: Parchment paper can be used instead of aluminum foil if preferred.
- Adjust seasoning to taste: If you’re sensitive to spice, reduce the heat in the dry rub to suit your preference.
- Leftovers & reheating: Brisket reheats best in the oven, wrapped, to maintain moisture and tenderness.
Nutrition
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Categories:
4th Of July Recipes, Beef Recipes, Christmas Dinner Recipes, Father's Day Recipe Ideas, How To Techniques, Most Popular Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Finds my mine very dry as well ..sad
Is that 300 degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius?
Hi Kathy, all of my recipes will be in Fahrenheit. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe is perfect. I had a brisket 3.38 pounds covered it with dry rub, wrapped it with foil and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator . Cooked it 1 hour 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. This is one of the best briskets I’ve cooked.. it was so tender. Thank you so much.
You are so welcome! I am so glad you liked the recipe.
Hello Lyubab. Just wondering if you could post your recipe for your dry rub. I have read your recipe/instructions on how to cook a brisket but there is no recipe for the rub that you suggest we use. First time cooking a brisket and it is about 25 lbs. and would love to be able to cook it in the oven with your recipe. Would like just a simple rub as not too sure how it will turn out . Thanking you in advance for you help.
Hi Sue, I have the recipe for the dry rub linked at the top of the page. Here is the link to the recipe as well https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/the-ultimate-dry-rub/
same!
Next time you can click print recipe and it will pull the recipe up ad free.
Melt in your mouth delicious! I added garlic powder and cayenne. This will be my go to recipe from now on!
That sounds good! I am so glad you liked it!
I have 2 questions and need answers asap, please. Even as we speak, my brisket is rubbed and wrapped and sitting in the fridge until tomorrow.
Question #1 – why can’t I reuse the same tin foil? I assume it will be full of liquid in the morning, couldn’t I just dump out the liquid and wrap the meat up again instead of using a lot more tin foil?
Question #2 – I got a point cut, not a flat. It’s thicker than a flat. Should I alter the temp/time in any way? It is 6 lbs.
Thanks for any help.
Hi Jean, I am so sorry I am just now seeing this next time you need a response asap send me a message on Facebook or Instagram. How did it go?
Absolutely fantastic!!! Wish I could comment the video of cutting the brisket and how juicy it was. We only cooked uncovered for about 40 minutes because I got nervous about overcooking and the pieces under the fat were immaculate. The end, leaner pieces were a touch dry but we’ll chop and eat with bbq sauce on sandwiches. We couldn’t believe it was oven baked. So easy. Only thing I would change is to use a throw away roasting pan, but Dawn soak overnight got all the grime up easily. Thank you!!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! It sounds like the brisket turned out beautifully, and those juicy pieces under the fat must have been amazing! Great idea to use BBQ sauce for the leaner pieces—it’s always a delicious way to add moisture. Thanks for the tip about the roasting pan; I’m sure others will find that helpful too. Happy cooking, and I hope you make it again soon!
My family loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I am so happy they liked it, Sean!
Thank you for letting me know! I’m thrilled to hear that your family loved the recipe!
Forgot to rate!
I made it. I love it. Thank you! I’ve cooked brisket in the oven before but needed a refresher.
I am so glad you loved it! 🙂
Hi Lyubab,
If the brisket is 17 lbs, how long do you think it will take to cook? I’ve tried your recipe before on smaller cuts and liked it, but I need a large brisket for a party. Suggestions?
Hi Sheila,
I am so sorry I somehow missed your comment. You will need to bake it for about an hour and 15 minutes per pound or until the brisket reaches 185°. Use a meat thermometer to measure the thickest part of the brisket.
I make mine the old fashioned way. Beef broth in bottom of pan sliced 3 onions then salt pepper garlic on brisket. Fat side up. 1 pkg onion soup. More sliced onions. Some ketchup and rest of beef broth. Cover tightly with foil and bake. 4 hours at 325. Let rest covered for 1/2 hour.
I am trying your method now. On the last hour or so. Seems okay so far.
I hope it turned out well for you! 🙂
Can you marinate for longer than 12 hours…say 18?
You say bring to room temp. Is that ok and safe?
Hi Lyubab,
I want to cook a whole 16 lbs. beef brisket in the oven do I follow the above recipe? Any suggestions?
Do we unwrap it when removing it from the fridge, and then rewrap it in the cross cross foil?
Yes, that is correct. Place the brisket, fat cap up, in the middle of aluminum foil prepared in the roasting pan. Bring the aluminum foil together and close it, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between it and the foil.
I am not understanding the foil wrapping instructions. What do you mean by crisscrossing the foil?
Hi Deborah,
I mean to lay it long ways on the foil an wrap it and then lay a piece going sideways and wrap it, does that make sense?
What’s the difference in wrapping it crisscross or just wrapping it twice?
It is just to cover all of it on all sides, mine was to big to cover the sides so I crisscrossed it.