Smoking a Corned Beef Brisket (Pellet Grill)

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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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 FAQs

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