Weber Kettle Brisket

Beginner’s Guide: Smoked Brisket on a Weber Kettle Grill

Exploring BBQ Staff
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Brisket may be the crown jewel of Texas BBQ, but you don’t need a thousand-gallon offset to cook one. With a simple Weber kettle grill, you can create a brisket that’s smoky, tender, and full of flavor. This recipe brings it back to backyard basics, perfect for beginners ready to try their first full brisket at home.
I remember when I first started BBQ, before offsets and pellet grills, the Weber kettle was my classroom. If that’s your setup today, this method proves you can still produce brisket that will make your family proud.
A Short History: The Weber kettle, introduced in the 1950s, became an icon of backyard grilling. While designed for hot-and-fast burgers and steaks, pitmasters across the country figured out how to transform it into a smoker using indirect heat. Today, the “snake method” is a proven way to cook brisket low and slow on this classic grill.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 hours
Rest Time 2 hours
Total Time 14 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 12 Servings
Course: Smoked Meats
Cuisine: Texas BBQ
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat
  • 1 whole packer brisket 12–14 lb (5.4–6.4 kg)
Seasoning or go with your own
  • 2 tbsp coarse kosher salt — 30 g
  • 2 tbsp coarse black pepper 16 mesh if available — 30 g
  • 2 tbsp seasoned salt or BBQ rub optional — 30 g
Optional
  • ¾ cup beef tallow — 180 ml for wrapping
  • beer broth, or apple cider vinegar (for spritzing or cooling surface)
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or yellow mustard — 30 m

Equipment

  • Weber kettle grill (22-inch recommended)
  • Charcoal chimney
  • Charcoal briquettes
  • Wood chunks (oak, pecan, apple, or cherry)
  • Disposable foil pans (for water trough)
  • Probe thermometer
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Butcher paper
  • Aluminum Foil

Method
 

Select and Trim Your Brisket
  1. Buy the best brisket you can afford. Prime grade is the sweet spot for beginners because of its marbling.
  2. Place brisket cold on a cutting board. Trim hard fat from the surface and edges, round sharp corners, and remove any thin parts of the flat that may dry out.
  3. Save trimmings: fat can be rendered into beef tallow; lean bits can be ground for burgers.
Season the Brisket
  1. Apply a light coat of binder (Worcestershire sauce, mustard, or none at all).
  2. Season generously and evenly:
  3. First layer: coarse black pepper.
  4. Second layer: kosher salt.
  5. Optional: light dusting of your favorite BBQ rub or seasoned salt for added depth.
  6. Let the brisket rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so the seasoning adheres.
Set Up the Grill
  1. Place foil pans with water in the center
  2. On one side of the Pans Arrange coals in a “snake” around the kettle, 2 wide and 2 high.
  3. Leave the other side for the brisket with no coals (this is same concept as offset cooking)
  4. Light 8–10 briquettes in a chimney and place at one end of the snake.
  5. Add Wood Chunks on top of the snake leaving room between each piece
  6. Place some chunks directly on lit coals (for initial smoke).
  7. Place others just off the coals (to smolder slowly).
Start Cooking
  1. Place brisket opposite the fire, mohawk (point) facing the heat.
  2. Close lid. Set vents: bottom ¼ open, top ½ open.
  3. Maintain 225–250°F.
Mid-Cook Management
  1. Rotate brisket halfway through so both sides face the fire.
  2. Add coals if needed (around the 4-hour mark).
  3. Spritz with beer, broth, or apple cider vinegar to prevent drying.
Push Through the Stall
  1. At ~175°F internal
  2. Tear two sheets of unwaxed butcher paper, overlap, and spritz lightly with water or apple cider vinegar.
  3. Wrap brisket tightly, tucking in edges like swaddling a baby. (Foil is an option if you want a faster cook, but paper keeps bark crisper.)
  4. Optional: add 2–3 tbsp of rendered beef tallow before sealing for extra richness.
Finish the Cook
  1. Allow temps to climb into 270–300°F to finish rendering fat.
  2. Target internal 195–200°F, but check tenderness with a probe.
  3. Brisket should feel like butter when probe slides in.
Rest Properly
  1. Remove brisket from the grill and let it cool on the counter for 30–60 minutes 165-175°F.
  2. Place wrapped brisket in a cooler, warming drawer, or oven set to as low as it can go (usually 170°F) for at least 2 hours.
Slice & Serve
  1. Separate the point from the flat along the fat seam.
  2. Slice the flat against the grain into pencil-thick slices.
  3. Cube the point for burnt ends or slice it into rich, fatty cuts.
  4. Serve with pickles, onions, white bread, and cold sweet tea or beer—Texas style.

Notes

Time & Yield

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 7–8 hours
  • Rest Time: 1–3 hours
  • Servings: 12–14

Description of the Finished Dish

The brisket should have a dark, mahogany bark, a smoke ring beneath the surface, and slices that bend without breaking. The flat is tender yet holds its shape, and the point is juicy, rich, and ideal for burnt ends. Each bite should deliver the balanced flavor of oak smoke, beef, salt, and pepper - the heart of Texas BBQ.

Pro Tips

  • Use briquettes for longer burns, lump for hotter fires.
  • Stick to post oak or fruit woods; mesquite can overpower in a small kettle.
  • A probe thermometer is your best friend for both internal and ambient temps.
  • If fuel runs low, don’t panic — finish wrapped brisket in the oven at 275°F.

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