I really like to keep my seasonings simple. When I cook a brisket I only use kosher salt (Diamond Crystal is my preferred brand) and coarse ground black pepper (16 mesh if you can get it). There are dozens of different commercial beef rubs out there and I am sure many of them are very good but I like to keep my brisket true to central Texas style.
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Don’t be afraid to go heavy on the kosher salt and pepper. You will probably need anywhere from ¼ to ½ a cup of each depending on the size of your brisket. Don’t skimp on the seasoning either. You have a huge chunk of meat that can handle a lot of seasoning. If you are a weight person I recently did a 19 pound brisket with 1.5 ozs of kosher salt and used 1 oz on a 13 pounder. They both got about an ounce of coarse ground black pepper.
I try to dry brine my briskets as well. To dry brine you will put the salt on a day or two before cooking (after trimming of course) and let the brisket rest in the fridge on a rack in a sheet pan. This allows the salt to penetrate and season all the meat, not just the outside. You don’t need to dry brine but I think it improves the taste and texture of the final product.
I like using a lot of coarse ground black pepper on my briskets. The way the black pepper melds with the fat makes for an otherworldly bark. Costco sells some decent sized containers of coarse ground black pepper. Don’t bother grinding it by hand and I would stay away from a fine grind. Spiceology also sells some 16 mesh black pepper which is about the perfect grind size.
If you want you can also employ a slather on the brisket before seasoning. A slather is just something you rub onto the brisket to help the seasonings stick. You can use mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, or even just water. I like to use some Frank’s Red Hot on mine. I am not sure if it really adds much flavor or anything but it does help some of the black pepper stick a little better. I probably skip this step about a third of the time mostly because I just start sprinkling the pepper and forget. .
Seasoning is totally a preference issue. I like keeping it simple but others want a bit more flavor on their brisket. Meathead’s Big Bad Beef Rub is excellent on cuts like tri-tip and would go well on brisket. I have heard good things about Meat Church’s Holy Cow and Gospel rubs as well and there are dozens and dozens of rubs available on Amazon. My preference is just salt and pepper but if you want to try some other commercial rubs or add some garlic or onion or cayenne or something like that to the salt and pepper by all means have at it.
If I were you and were looking to do my first brisket I would keep it as simple as possible and just go with kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Once you see how good that is you might not want to try anything else. But if you do? Have at it! There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong (within reason of course) when it comes to seasoning a brisket but start simple and go from there.
When seasoning make sure every surface is evenly covered. You don’t want a lot of seasoning in one bite and only a little seasoning in another. I like just grabbing the salt and pepper with my hands and sprinkling that way but many people like a shaker. I find I can get everything a bit more even just grabbing some big pinches of the salt and pepper. If you do use a shaker try to find one with larger holes that won’t get clogged up as you are shaking it.
12 Commonly Asked Questions About Brisket
- What is a brisket?
- Where can I buy a brisket?
- What should I look for when buying a brisket?
- How big of a brisket should I buy?
- How should I trim a brisket?
- How should I season my brisket?
- What type of wood should I use when smoking brisket?
- What temperature should I cook my brisket at?
- How long should I cook a brisket?
- Should I wrap my brisket?
- How long should I rest my brisket?
- How should I slice my brisket?
