12-Hour Wagyu Brisket
Recipe

12-Hour Wagyu Brisket

Wagyu BrisketBeef
  • Total Time 12 hrs
  • Difficulty Advanced
  • Serves Serves 10
  • The Cut Wagyu Brisket

Salt, pepper, smoke. The holy trinity of brisket. This recipe strips away everything unnecessary and lets the Wagyu marbling do the rest. Plan for a full day at the smoker and a proper rest at the end — both are non-negotiable.

View Wagyu Brisket

Ingredients

  • 1 whole packer-cut Wagyu brisket (12–14 lbs, point and flat attached)
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup coarse black pepper (16 mesh)
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder (optional)
  • Yellow mustard or hot sauce, as a binder
  • Post oak, hickory or pecan wood for smoking
  • Unwaxed pink butcher paper (for the wrap)

Method

  1. 1

    Trim the fat cap down to a uniform 1/4 inch across the whole brisket. Remove the hard fat between the point and the flat, and square off any silverskin or thin edges that would burn.

    With Wagyu, trim conservatively — the intramuscular fat does the work. You want the fat cap thin, not gone.

  2. 2

    Combine salt, pepper and (optional) garlic powder in a shaker. Brush the brisket lightly with mustard or hot sauce as a binder, then coat every surface evenly with the rub. Let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes while the smoker comes up.

    The binder does not add flavour. It only helps the rub stick.

  3. 3

    Set your smoker to a steady 225°F (107°C) using post oak, hickory or pecan. Place the brisket fat-side up and smoke undisturbed until the bark is set and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) — usually 6 to 8 hours.

    Do not open the smoker to peek. Every open door costs you 15 minutes.

  4. 4

    Once the bark is dark, firm and no longer tacky, wrap the brisket tightly in two layers of unwaxed pink butcher paper. Return it to the smoker fat-side up.

    Paper (not foil) keeps the bark intact while still pushing you through the stall.

  5. 5

    Continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches 203°F (95°C) AND the probe slides into the thickest part of the flat with no resistance — like room-temperature butter. This is usually another 3 to 5 hours.

    Temperature is a guideline. Probe feel is the truth. If it isn't tender at 203°F, keep going.

  6. 6

    Vent the brisket for 10 minutes on the counter to release steam, then re-wrap and rest in a dry, empty cooler for a minimum of 1 hour — 2 to 4 is better.

    The rest is not optional. This is where a good brisket becomes a great one.

  7. 7

    Unwrap and slice the flat against the grain in pencil-thick slices. Rotate 90 degrees and slice the point across its own grain into thicker slices or cubes for burnt ends. Serve immediately.

    The grain of the point runs perpendicular to the flat. Find it before you slice.

Need the cut?

Aged, trimmed and shipped overnight. The exact cut this recipe was built around.

View All Cuts