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If you don’t have the days it takes to make homemade pastrami, this corned beef brisket recipe is what you need to make corned beef on the grill or smoker.

corn beef brisket on grill with charcoal to the side.

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What Corned Beef Brisket

Corned beef brisket is a cut of meat from the chest region of the cow that is cured in a salt and sugar wet brine with pickling spices.

It can be roasted in the oven, cooked in a pot on the stove or in a slow cooker or instant pot. Once you introduce smoke during the cooking process, the corned beef brisket actually becomes pastrami.

Corned beef and pastrami are super popular around St. Patrick’s Day.


Ingredients

Package of corned beef brisket flat and point.

Corned Beef Brisket: At your grocery store, look for brisket that says corned beef on its packaging. It will either be the flat cut or the point cut. If you find the point, choose that. It will be way more tender and flavorful because it has more marbling. You can see the difference in the calories and fat content for each cut below.

Pastrami Seasoning: The brisket should include a package of pastrami seasoning that you can use as the rub. The seasoning usually includes mustard seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper and other spices. If yours doesn’t include the packet, you can make my Homemade Pastrami Rub.

pickling spice packet.

Water or Beer: Place this in a spray bottle to spritz the brisket as it cooks.

PRO TIP: While this recipe is great if you're short on time. Making homemade pastrami is going to taste better because you can control the quality and grade of the brisket. It's unclear what grade of brisket the pre-brined meat is. I tried to call Kroger and they weren't sure either. My guess based on the lack of marbling is it's probably select grade.

See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.


How to smoke corned beef brisket

The key is to cook the meat over indirect heat at a temperature of 275F degrees.

If you’re using a charcoal grill or charcoal smoker, push the coals to one side of the grill and cook over the side without coals.

For a pellet grill or electric smoker, just set the temp, and make sure your diffuser plate is inside.

If you’re using a gas grill, turn on one or two burners and leave the other half off. To add smoky flavor to a gas grill, put the hickory wood chips in a foil pouch or smoke box.

For this recipe, I like to add a bowl of water or beer to the grill. This helps provide extra moisture during cooking.

  1. STEP ONE: Remove the corned beef from the package. Rinse it under cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. If you want to remove even more of the salt cure, try soaking the meat in cold water for 15 minutes.
raw corned beef with spice packets.
  1. STEP TWO: Season the meat with the provided seasoning package or use my Homemade Pastrami Rub. Plan on 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons per pound of meat.
corned beef brisket with seasoning.
  1. STEP THREE: Place brisket on the grill over the indirect heat with the fat side down. Smoke it for several hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 160-170F degrees. As it cooks, spritz it every 30 minutes with water or beer.
corned beef flat in the foreground and point in the background on grill.
  1. STEP FOUR: Remove the brisket from the grill. Place it on two large sheets of butcher paper or aluminum foil. Spritz it again with water or beer. Then, wrap it tightly and place it back on the smoker.
wrapped corned beef brisket flat and point on smoker.
  1. STEP FIVE: Cook until the internal temperature reaches 205F degrees if you’re cooking a flat cut, or 210F degrees if you’re cooking a point cut.
PRO TIP: Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Place the probe through the side into the thickest part of the meat. 
  1. STEP SIX: Remove the brisket from the smoker. Keep it wrapped and wrap it in a towel. Place it in a cooler without ice for 30 minutes to an hour.
  1. STEP SEVEN: After you let the corned beef rest, slice it with a sharp knife on a cutting board. If you have the flat cut, be sure to slice it against the grain into thin slices. If you have a point cut, it’s great sliced against the grain or shredded.
carved corned beef brisket point and flat.

Storage

According to the USDA, you can save cooked corned beef brisket AKA pastrami in the refrigerator for up to 40 days because it has been cured. However, I usually freeze it if I have leftovers that will last more than a week. You can freeze it in an airtight container for up to six months.

You can use leftovers to make tacos, savory hand pies or loaded baked potatoes.


GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips

  • Rinse the packaged brisket to remove excess salt
  • Season with the provided packet
  • Smoke over indirect heat
  • Wrap the brisket, using the Texas Crutch
  • Smoke to an internal temp of 205-210F degrees
  • Don’t forget to let it rest before slicing against the grain

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a corned beef brisket point cut vs flat cut?

Beef brisket comes from the pectoral region of the cow and is made up of two muscles, the flat and the point. The main difference between the two muscles is that the beef brisket flat is a leaner muscle that is commonly used to make brisket slices.

The point contains more fat and is used to make burnt ends. If you have the choice, try smoking a brisket point. It will be more tender and flavorful.

What pickling spice should I use for corned beef?

Packaged corned beef brisket usually comes with a spice packet that includes mustard seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns and other spices. You can also make Homemade Pastrami Spice Rub.

There is no need to use extra salt in the rub, because the meat has been cured in a salt brine.

What’s the difference between corned beef brisket and brisket?

Corned beef brisket has been cured in a salty brine solution with pickling spices for several days. Brisket by itself is a raw piece of unseasoned meat.

Both can be cooked a variety of ways. Once corned beef brisket is smoked, it’s called pastrami.

Where can I find packaged corned beef brisket?

The time of year when most grocery stores carry corned beef brisket is around March, because it’s a popular dish for St. Patrick’s Day. If you enjoy corned beef year-round, stock up and freeze the packages for up to a year.

Or be adventurous and Learn to Make Homemade Pastrami from scratch.


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4.42 from 104 votes

Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

With this recipe, smoked corned beef brisket is almost as easy as opening the package and pouring yourself a beer.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 

  • 3 lb corned beef brisket
  • 3 cups water or beer

Instructions 

  • Heat Smoker: Light your coals until they are amber and start to ash. Add hickory wood chips and adjust your grill to reach 275F. Add a pan of water or beer off to the side of the coals.
  • Season: Remove the corned beef from the package. Rinse. Pat dry. Rub with provided seasoning pouch.
  • Smoke: Place on the grill over indirect heat. (Coals should not be directly under the meat). Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160-170F degrees. Spritz occasionally with water or beer. This will take around 3 hours.
  • Wrap: Place the brisket on two sheets of butcher paper or aluminum foil. Spritz with more water or beer and wrap tightly.
  • Finish Cooking: Return the wrapped brisket to grill. Cook until it reaches 205F degrees for a flat cut or 210F degrees for a point cut. This will take another 2-3 hours.
  • Rest: Wrap the brisket in a towel and place it in a cooler without ice. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes to an hour with the lid closed.
  • Slice: Slice the meat against the grain. If you smoked a point cut, you can also shred the meat.

Notes

If your packaged brisket didn’t come with a seasoning packet, you can use my Homemade Pastrami Rub.
Packaged corned beef briskets come in both flat cut and point cut. The point meat has more fat and flavor. The flat is leaner. 

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcalProtein: 24gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 2070mgPotassium: 505mgVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 2.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to rate it, leave a comment and save it so you can make it again. Show off your awesome results on social by tagging @girlscangrill
christie vanover standing against wood wall.

Hey BBQ Family

I’m Christie, the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill. I have won multiple grand championships and top 10 category finishes. I’m an expert grill reviewer for BBQ Guys, and I have appeared on the Food Network and Ninja Woodfire Grill infomercials. I established this website in 2015 to share my BBQ tips and recipes.

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Recipe Rating




21 Comments

  1. Love it! super easy and turned out great! my only complaint was that the big ‘ol roast was about half the size when done (not your fault, the water content! LOL!)

  2. I will be smoking this on my ninja woodfire grill. Should I follow the instructions given for a regular brisket on the ninja woodfire? Setting the temperature to 225 and spritzing and adding a water pan when the brisket reaches 165 internal? Using the no wrap system because of the convection fan feature of the grill? I would wrap the pastrami for an hour after it is probe tender. Also would cherry smoke pellets work for this recipe?

    1. Mostly. You shouldn’t need to add the water pan. I would smoke, spritz, don’t wrap during the cook and then wrap when it’s time to rest, just like you described.