Texas Style Brisket is BBQ in its purest form—no sauce, no sugar, just salt, pepper, smoke, and time. This simple method made famous by pitmasters like Aaron Franklin relies on technique and quality ingredients to create an incredibly flavorful, tender brisket that’s all about the meat. With a perfect bark and juicy interior, this is the brisket you serve when you want to impress a crowd.

Texas Style Brisket

After bingeing the Masterclass by Aaron Franklin, I knew I had to try his brisket method myself. No injections, no sugary rubs, just post oak smoke, coarse pepper, and kosher salt. It’s clean, it’s rustic, and it’s deeply satisfying.

If you’re used to cooking competition-style briskets with complex flavor layers, this back-to-basics approach might surprise you. But for feeding a big group or showing off classic BBQ skills, this is the brisket I’d choose every time.

How to Make Texas Style Brisket

Preparation

Preheat your smoker to 265°F. While it’s coming up to temp, trim your brisket. Leave about ¼ inch of fat on the flat for moisture and don’t trim too much from the point—fat here helps support the meat during the cook. Remove any silver skin or brown edge bits and shape it to be aerodynamic for even airflow in the smoker.

Season It

Rub the entire brisket with mustard—this acts as a binder for the rub and won’t impact flavor after a long smoke. Then apply an even coat of Motley Que Beef Fixx or a 50/50 mix of kosher salt and 16 mesh black pepper (Franklin-style).

Let the brisket sit at room temp with the rub for about 30 minutes to let the seasoning absorb.

Smoke It

Place the brisket on the smoker with the point toward the heat source and the flat away. Close the lid and don’t touch it for at least 3 hours. This is when the bark starts to form and smoke flavor builds.

After 3 hours, open the lid and spritz any dry or crusty parts with apple cider vinegar. Repeat this every 45–60 minutes until the brisket reaches an internal temp of 165°F.

Wrap in Paper

Once the brisket hits 165°F, wrap it tightly in butcher paper—at least 4 layers, with 2 extra folds underneath to catch rendered fat. If you’re short on paper, get creative and double up or overlap where needed.

Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker.

Tenderize

Turn up the smoker temp to 280°F. Keep smoking the wrapped brisket until the internal temp reaches 200°F, then begin probing for tenderness. A thermometer or skewer should slide in like butter. If it doesn’t, keep cooking and checking every 20–30 minutes.

Aaron Franklin tip: Use a toothpick. If it pushes through cleanly without breaking, the brisket is ready.

Resting

Remove the brisket and let it rest on the counter, wrapped, covered with a towel, for at least 40 minutes. This carryover cooking allows the juices to redistribute and helps with clean slicing.

Slicing

Slice the flat against the grain into pencil-thick slices. For the point, cut it in half perpendicular to the flat slices, then slice into thick, juicy cuts. You can turn the point into burnt ends or serve as-is—either way, you’ll be the hero of the cookout.

Best Beer To Pair With Texas Style Brisket

Pilsner

Crisp and clean, it refreshes the palate and lets the beef take center stage.

American Brown Ale

Toasty and smooth, it pairs perfectly with the brisket’s bark and smoke.

West Coast IPA

The bitterness cuts through the fat and elevates the natural beefy flavor.