Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

Steps

1. Soak the corned beef

   Place the corned beef brisket into a large bowl or container and cover with water. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to help remove some of the salt. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

   

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2. Fire up the smoker

   Preheat smoker to 250°F. Most pellet grills don’t need it, but you can add a pan of water in the corner of the smoker to keep moisture inside.

3. Season the corned beef

   Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the entire surface of the corned beef brisket.

4. Start smoking the corned beef brisket

   Place the corned beef brisket on the smoker fat side up and smoke at 250°F until it hits an internal temperature of around 175°F in the thickest part of the meat, approximately 3 hours depending on the size brisket. I recommend using a good leave-in meat thermometer (see ingredients section) so you don't have to constantly check the smoked brisket.

5. Wrap the corned beef brisket

   When the smoked corned beef brisket hits our target temperature of at least 175°F, remove it from the smoker, lay it in the center of 2 pieces of partially overlapped butcher paper (lengthwise), and wrap tightly around the brisket. If you don't have butcher paper, you can use heavy duty aluminum foil instead. Just note, the consistency of the finished meat will be a little different as it's not permeable like butcher paper and will partially steam it.

6. Continue smoking the corned beef

   Return the corned beef brisket to the smoker and continue cooking until it's probe tender, approximately 2-3 more hours. The smoked brisket is done when the internal temperature is around 200°F and the meat thermometer slides in and out like a knife slicing through room temperature butter (barely any resistance). Remember to take the temperature in a few places as the corned beef brisket tends to cook slower in larger areas.

7. Rest the smoked corned beef brisket

   Remove the smoked corned beef from smoker and keep wrapped while it rests for a minimum of 1 hour. If you need to keep the meat warmer even longer, place it inside of a good cooler for up to 4 hours and then let it rest on the counter (if needed) until the temperature drops down to the 140°F-145°F range. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and provide a much juicier end result.

8. Served the smoked corned beef brisket

   Slice the delicious smoked corned beef brisket, and serve with cabbage and mashed potatoes for an authentic Irish meal!