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Grilling 24x7 » Recipes » Smoking a Corned Beef Brisket (Pellet Grill)

Smoking a Corned Beef Brisket (Pellet Grill)

by Frank Campanella 11 Comments

Print Recipe Jump to Recipe

If you love corned beef then you need to try Smoked Corned Beef It has all of the flavors you love amplified by the flavor of wood smoking combined with an outer crust similar to pastrami.

smoked corned beef recipe
Quick Jumps
  • What Makes This Recipe Special
  • Why Smoked Corned Beef?
  • Ingredients
  • Best Corned Beef Cut
  • How to Smoke Corned Beef Brisket
  • How to Slice
  • Tips for Smoking a Corned Beef Brisket
  • What to Serve with Smoked Corned Beef Brisket
  • Smoked Corned Beef Brisket FAQs
  • More Recipes You'll Love

What Makes This Recipe Special

Using a pellet grill to smoke Corned Beef is the best way to guarantee perfectly cooked corned beef every single time.

Made with only 3 ingredients; beef brisket, black pepper, and light beer, this recipe is full of flavor, can be prepared quickly, and tossed on the smoker.

After Trying this method I promise you will never boil corned beef again.

After making this corned beef you'll want to serve it with some killer sides like Roasted Potatoes. Everything Cabbage! or White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

smoked corned beef with braised butter cabbage and cast iron roasted potatoes

Smoking a Traditional Brisket? Checkout this 15 lb Smoked Brisket Recipe from fellow creator NinjaQue

Smoked corned beef sliced on wooden cutting board

Why Smoked Corned Beef?

If you’re like me then you would agree everything tastes better with a kiss of smoke and corn beef is no different. Smoked corned beef has all the familiar flavors of traditional corned beef but with a little extra flavor that only comes from using a pellet grill or smoker.

Using a pellet grill to make smoked corned beef is so easy because you can prep it, toss it in the smoker, put it in a temperature probe, and go about your day. Don't worry about adding logs to the fire or constantly opening the smoker to check temps; this is not that kind of recipe.

smoked corned beef with braised butter cabbage and cast iron roasted potatoes

Ingredients

  • Corned Beef: If you want to make thin slices look for a brisket flat section, if you like fatty shredded corned beef look for a brisket point section or fat side with a generous layer of fat.
  • Coarse Black Pepper: I always season my brisket with 16 mesh black pepper because it's a perfect size and that's what Arron Franklin (James Beard Award for Best Chef winner and member of the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame) uses.
  • Beer: Depending on my mood and the time of year I will use a variety of different beers. Stouts have more body and flavor but any beer will do just fine. Here, I recommend picking your favorite, especially to start.
Smoked corned beef with spicy mustard

Best Corned Beef Cut

Most people prefer a corned beef brisket that is fairly lean and slices into uniform cuts. At most grocery stores you will find 3-6 pound brisket portions that have been trimmed down from a much larger piece.

This makes it a lot easier to cook because it requires almost zero trimming ahead of time. The only trimming I recommend is if you see any oddly shaped pieces hanging off or a hunk of fat that wasn’t removed.

There are 2 parts of a brisket, the flat which is leaner, and the point which has more fat and tends to be moister and more flavorful. Both are fantastic so pick whichever you prefer. The flat is probably best for slicing sandwiches and the point is best cut thicker and served on its own.

picking up a slice of corned beef

How to Smoke Corned Beef Brisket

  1. Preheat. Set your Pellet Grill to 275 Degrees F.
  2. Drain excess liquid. Cut open the packaging of corned beef and drain off excess liquid. When draining be sure to grab the spice packet included with the brisket. Gently rinse off corned beef and then pat dry with a paper towel.
  3. Season the beef. Open the spice packet included with your corned beef and sprinkle contents over the brisket. Once you have done that, sprinkle a light dusting of black pepper. Note: you can use as little or as much black pepper as you like.
  4. Insert temperature probe. Once the Pellet grill has reached temperature insert probes into corned beef brisket pieces. If you only have a single probe place that probe in the center of the smallest piece because it will cook the fastest.
  5. Cook/Smoke. Smoke for 3-4 hrs until corned beef reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Next transfer briskets to an aluminum pan and pour just enough beer in to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil leaving one corner open to let out steam.

6. Continue cooking. Continue cooking for another 2-3 hours until internal temperature reaches about 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant-read thermometer and poke different parts of the brisket checking for tenderness. If the probe goes into the meat with very little tension then it is done. If not continue cooking until tender.

7. Let meat rest. Once the meat is tender and fully cooked remove the pan from the pellet grill and let the corned beef rest for about 30 minutes still covered with one corner open to prevent overcooking.

8. Slice and enjoy. Slice corned beef into ⅛ inch slices cutting against the grains of the brisket. If brisket crumbles make slices a little thicker, on the flip side of that, if the meat seems tough then cut thinner slices.

Smoked corned beef sliced on wooden cutting board

How to Slice

When using small sections of a whole brisket it can be a little tricky on what direction to slice the corned beef. You want to slice across the grains of the beef others you will have stringy slices of meat.

The best way is to turn the corned beef upside down on the lean side to see which direction the grains are heading on the brisket. Then flip it back over and make ⅛ inch-thick slices.

Feel free to cut them thicker if you feel the brisket crumbling or thinner if you feel like the smoked corned beef isn’t as tender as you would like.

Make sure to have a sharp knife and always let the brisket rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

pouring saint archer gold low carb beer into a pan with smoked corned beef

raw corned beef being place on rec tec 700 pellet grill
smoked corned beef in rec tec 700 pellet grill

Tips for Smoking a Corned Beef Brisket

  • Once the smoked corned beef has reached about 170 degrees F you may hit a stall. The beef temperature seems to get stuck and stays the same temperature for a while.
  • This is the temperature where the connective fibers in the meat start breaking down. To help push through this phase
  • I place the corned beef into aluminum pans and pour about ½ a beer...The rest you’ll have to dispose of on your own...wink wink!
  • Cover the aluminum pan with foil but it doesn’t need to be sealed tightly. This will help the meat push through the stall and finish cooking.
knife slicing corned beef

What to Serve with Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

Cabbage is the first thing people think of to serve along with corned beef. I have a great recipe for butter-roasted Everything but the Bagel cabbage wedges are one of my favorite cabbage recipes.

Potatoes are not your friend if you’re keto but you can always substitute my Cauliflower Colcannon.

I would also recommend my Jameson Mustard Glaze I serve it over pork chops normally but is a fantastic sweet contrast to the smoky salty corned beef.

smoked corned beef brisket

Smoked Corned Beef Brisket FAQs

Is Pastrami just Smoked Corned Beef Brisket?

Corned beef is traditionally boiled whereas Pastrami is normally encrusted with black pepper and coriander then smoked and then steamed. Both start off as cured beef and have similar flavors.

How long to smoke corned beef at 225?

Plan on smoking the corned beef for about 1 hour to 90 minutes at 225 degrees F. per pound. This will vary but it's a good frame of reference to start with.

Why is my smoked corned beef not tender?

Most likely your corned beef hasn't cooked long enough if it's not tender and you just need to continue smoking until it is tender. check the temperature and use the probe to feel for tenderness.

Does corned beef get tougher the longer you cook it?

Just the opposite. Corned beef will get more tender the longer it cooks. Brisket is a tough cut that requires a long period of cooking to become tender.

Is corned beef just brisket?

Yes, corned beef is just a brisket that has been brined with curing salt and spices for days to change its color and flavor.

What is the internal temp of corned beef?

A fully cooked, tender corned beef brisket will have an internal temperature between 203-207 on average.

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Smoked corned beef sliced on wooden cutting board
Print Pin
4.20 from 5 votes

Smoking Corned Beef

This St. Patrick’s day step up your game with this smoked Corned Beef Brisket recipe. Follow these steps for perfect corned beef every time.
Course Main Course
Cuisine BBQ, Irish, Low Carb, smoked
Keyword Corned Beef, Smoked
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 6 hours hours
Servings 10
Calories 410kcal

Equipment

  • Pellet Grill/Smoker

Ingredients

  • 6 lb Corned Beef Brisket Raw
  • 2 tbsp Black Pepper
  • 8 oz Light Beer

Instructions

  • Set your Pellet Grill to 275 Degrees F.
  • Cut open packaging of corned beef and drain off liquid. be sure to grab the spice packet included with the brisket. gently rinse off corned beef and then pat dry with a paper towel.
  • Open the spice packet included with your corned beef and sprinkle contents over the brisket. then sprinkle a light dusting of black pepper. you can use as little or as much black pepper as you like.
  • Once Pellet grill has reached temperature insert probes into corned beef brisket pieces. if you only have a single probe place that probe in the center of the smallest piece because it will cook the fastest.
  • Smoke for 3-4 hrs until corned beef reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees f. Next transfer briskets to a aluminum pan and pour just enough beer in to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil leaving one corner open to let out steam.
  • continue cooking for another 2-3 hours until internal temperature reaches about 205 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer and poke different parts of the brisket checking for tenderness. If probe goes into the meat with vwry little tension than it is done. If not continue cooking until tender.
  • Once meat is tender and fully cooked remove pan from pellet grill and let the corned beef rest for about 30 minutes still covered with one corner open to prevent overcooking.
  • Slice corned beef into ⅛ inch slices cutting against the grains of the brisket. if brisket crumbles make slices a little thicker. if meat seems tough then cut thinner slices.

Nutrition

Serving: 7oz | Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 3313mg | Potassium: 829mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition Facts
Smoking Corned Beef
Amount Per Serving (7 oz)
Calories 410 Calories from Fat 369
% Daily Value*
Fat 41g63%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 147mg49%
Sodium 3313mg144%
Potassium 829mg24%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 40g80%
Vitamin A 7IU0%
Vitamin C 73mg88%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Smoked Corned Beef sliced with cabbage and potatoes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christopher

    February 16, 2022 at 11:58 pm

    5 stars
    Are there certain pellets you think work best with corned beef? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      February 18, 2022 at 2:31 pm

      I like to use hickory or oak for corned beef. I also use the kingsford signature blend and find it works with just about everything

      Reply
  2. weed89

    April 24, 2022 at 10:04 pm

    4 stars
    Cooking as we speak ! so far so good...times OFF BUT..im cooking a 8# corned beef .
    so...6:25 min @ 275 degrees..to get to tent stage....now tic toc to hit 205 degrees.....i did add about 1 btl. of trader joes DARK lager....as all i had on hand was Budweiser 🙂

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      April 29, 2022 at 9:45 pm

      Awesome!!! I know it will be tasty. make sure it is probe tender and you let it rest before slicing.

      Reply
  3. CindyPearson

    August 24, 2022 at 2:38 am

    2 stars
    My corn beef was so darn tough, disappointed 😞

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      August 29, 2022 at 11:43 am

      Did you use the probe thermometer to check tenderness? what internal temp did you cook the brisket to?

      Reply
  4. Dan

    November 05, 2022 at 12:01 am

    5 stars
    Always had it in boiled dinner. This was excellent. Wife even said she preferred it grilled. Still had steamed cabbage, carrots and rutabaga with gravy made out of drippings. Great stuff!

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      November 09, 2022 at 1:56 pm

      Awesome, I will never boil or even crock pot a corned beef brisket again!!

      Reply
  5. Dan

    March 12, 2023 at 3:19 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is the BOMB! Highly recommend trying this, followed recipe exactly and came out juicy, flavorful and the best I ever had.

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      March 19, 2023 at 10:08 pm

      Fantastic!!! makes my day to hear!!

      Reply
  6. Robert M Geiger

    September 21, 2023 at 10:25 pm

    I've been enjoying corned beef for as long as I can remember, but I recently tried something that took this classic dish to a whole new level - smoked corned beef. In my 52 years of life, it never occurred to me to smoke this savory delight, and I must say, it was nothing short of amazing.

    For this culinary adventure, I used Guinness Draught beer to infuse a rich, robust flavor into the beef. The secret to success, of course, was ensuring it was probe-tender, and when I sliced into it, the results were heavenly.

    What made this experience even more enjoyable was seeing the smiles on the faces of my six kids and my wife as they savored every bite. It's safe to say that smoked corned beef has become a new favorite in our household. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot. You won't be disappointed

    Reply

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