The Best Brisket Recipe [Oven + Instant Pot]

This is the best brisket recipe to make tender and flavorful beef brisket that rivals the low and slow pit BBQ we all love, but without the full day of smoking over wood.

»You might also like this Instant Pot Pork Roast and this Simple Corned Beef Brisket.

Despite what I used to think, you don’t need a low and slow BBQ pit to make amazing brisket at home. In fact, all you need is a 4 hours in the oven on a low temperature, or just over an hour in the Instant Pot.

You can make this recipe in the oven or the Instant Pot with the instructions given in the recipe card below. However, I usually opt for the Instant Pot. It’s an incredible tool for making dishes that usually take a long time. In the pressure cooker, you can drastically cut down the cooking time for dishes like this tender beef brisket.

Why Use An Instant Pot

The best thing about beef brisket is that it can be used for so many dishes. I always make a large amount and use it throughout the week for lunches and dinner. It makes amazing brisket sandwiches!

What is Beef Brisket

Beef brisket is a cut of beef that comes from the front of the cow, specifically the breast or lower chest. It is a tough, flavorful cut of meat that benefits from slow cooking or smoking.

Brisket is typically sold either flat or point cut, with the flat being leaner and the point being fattier and more tender. It is a popular cut for large gatherings or special occasions because it can feed a lot of people and is usually served sliced thin.

How to Buy Brisket

Which Cut to Buy

There are two different cuts of brisket you can buy. If you’re lucky enough to have a choice, you can pick the flat cut or the point cut. The flat cut is much leaner, and is often trimmed of fat. The point cut has a nice layer of fat or fat cap on it.

My preferred cut is the point cut because I’m a firm believer that all that fat leads to incredible flavor. The more fat on the meat, the juicier and scrumptious the meat will be.

The bulk of the fat on a brisket is in a thick layer on top. As you cook it, that fat renders and some sinks into the meat. You can then choose to leave the rest on, or trim it off before you serve it.

The choice is up to you. If you don’t like cooking all that fat, stick with a piece that is more trimmed.

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I’m super impressed with the quality of the meat from ButcherBox and won’t go back to purchasing meat at the grocery. Plus, it’s way easier to have it delivered to your door.

What Size to Buy

Brisket can be cut from small to very large pieces. For 2-4 people, a 2 pound brisket is just right. It won’t leave a lot of left overs though, so we always go for a 3-pound brisket for 2 people. Then we can make more meals from it.

You won’t be limited by size in the oven, so if you want to cook a really large slab of brisket, you’ll want to go with the oven cooking method. In the Instant Pot, you’re limited by the amount of space in the inner pot. It’s possible to cook up to a 4-pound brisket in a 6-qt Instant Pot. Any larger than that and it doesn’t fit well in the pot. You could go larger if you have an 8-quart IP.

» Wondering what side dish to serve? Check out What to Serve With Brisket.

What You’ll Need

• Beef brisket – Brisket can be cut from small to very large pieces. For 2-4 people, a 2 pound brisket is just right. It won’t leave a lot of left overs though, so we always go for a 3-pound brisket for 2 people.
• Beef broth (Instant Pot Only) – You can use a boxed beef broth, or mix water with a cube of beef bouillon. The beef broth helps loosen up the browned bits left there during the sauté mode and also helps pressurize the Instant Pot.
• BBQ sauce – You your favorite BBQ sauce.
• Onion – Sliced

How To Cook The Best Brisket Recipe Indoors

Brisket is often cooked low and slow on a fire pit, but not all of us have that option. I’ve been living in an apartment for many years. I can’t even remember the last time we were able to cook on a grill outside. Such a bummer.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t cook brisket if you don’t have a pit bbq or a smoker. This recipe is foolproof when cooked in the oven or the Instant Pot, so don’t shy away from making a brisket indoors.

Apply a Wet Rub

I am a firm believer in dry rub for meat. I put it on almost all the meats I make. If you’ve tried our super popular oven-baked baby back ribs, you’ve already tried our homemade dry rub. It’s one of our most popular recipes. The rub in the recipe card below is the same, but a smaller amount.

You’ll need the following ingredients and spices for the rub:

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder

Combine this dry rub with olive oil to make a wet rub. The wet rub allows the seasoning to infiltrate all of the nooks and it helps with the browning.

Generously slather on the wet rub to coat the brisket. Then let is sit for about 15 minutes.

Sear the Brisket

Start by searing the brisket on all sides. This will give the meat a nice browned and flavorful crust.

You can sear the meat on a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. I sear the brisket directly in the Instant Pot on saute mode. Once it’s browned, about 4 minutes per side, remove it from the pan. If using an Instant Pot, remove it from the inner pot and turn off the machine.

Be aware that the rub will begin to burn on the bottom if you take too long with this step. It should just take about 8 minutes. If the rub is starting to burn on the bottom, remove the brisket and add more oil to the pan/pot.

Cook the Brisket

In the Oven

Preheat oven to 300° F. Place the brisket in a large piece of tin foil and seal up the edges. Place the packet in an oven safe dish or roasting pan. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound of meat. The brisket should reach a temperature of 180° F.

The best way to monitor its progress is to use a leave-in meat thermometer that you can set and will tell you when the meat is done. If you only have an instant read thermometer, start checking it after the total time has finished. It’s okay if you go a little over with the temperature, but you don’t want to go too far over or the meat will be dry.

In the Instant Pot

There will be some browned bits on the bottom of the pot from searing the brisket. Adding liquid in the form of beef broth to the pot will help you loosen that. Don’t do this while saute mode is still on. It’s very hot and the liquid will steam up immediately and can burn your arm if you’re not careful.

Add the broth and scrape the bits up with a spatula. This adds great flavor to the meat as it cooks.

Add the BBQ sauce (I use this homemade bourbon BBQ sauce) and the diced onions to the pot. Then set the brisket back into the pot, nestling it in among the sauce.

Close the Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook (or manual, depending on which version you have). It will take 70 minutes.

After the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally. This will take about 10 minutes.

When you open up the pot, you’ll be greeted with a heavenly piece of meat that is fall apart tender and ready to be devoured.

Complete the Dish

Take the brisket carefully out of the dish or inner pot so that it doesn’t fall apart. Slice it against the grain into 1/2″ thick slices to serve.

You can also use the sauce from the pot as a gravy. Just be aware that the sauce is likely to be quite fatty, especially if your piece of brisket had a fat cap.

You’ll want to strain off the fat from the sauce before thickening it. I usually find that once I skim the fat, it takes about 5 minutes on sauté mode to thicken the sauce into a nice gravy.

The Best Method to Reheat Brisket

Ultimately, when reheating brisket, you want to retain its juiciness. You want to avoid drying it out as much as possible because it defeats the purpose of slow-cooking the brisket to make it soft and tender.

The perfect method to achieve that soft and juicy reheated brisket is in the air fryer or the oven. It’ll evenly spread the heat so no parts of the meat are overexposed—minimizing the chances of dehydrating your brisket.

You do have a few options if you don’t have an oven. Whatever method you choose to do, stay away from the microwave! This is one surefire way to dry up your brisket in a hurry.

Frequently Asked Questions

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