Chipotle Smoked Brisket

Chipotle Smoked Brisket is slow-smoked for hours to develop the perfect bark and beyond tender meat. Warmed in a pan and tossed with a spicy sauce, it will bring your burritos, tacos, and rice bowls to the next level of yum!

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Why should you try this recipe?

Smoked Brisket may be a limited-time offer at Chipotle, but you can make it anytime at home with this copycat recipe! The combination of incredibly tender meat and a spicy sauce is addictively delicious.

But is Chipotle Smoked Brisket spicy? While the sauce brings a bit of heat, the brisket itself is not spicy at all. So, if someone has a sensitive stomach, leave off the sauce, and it will still be terrific!

Why you’ll love this recipe 

The flavors of the cumin-forward rub and the spicy barbecue sauce come together beautifully. This recipe makes a lot of food, and thankfully, it stores well in the fridge and freezer.

And you don’t even have to stick with using this brisket for Southwest-style meals. You can slice and serve it with sides or as a filling for a sandwich.

Easy, versatile, and delicious. What more could you want?

Chipotle Smoked Brisket ingredients

For the brisket, you’ll need:

• 12 to 14 pounds whole packer beef brisket

Whole packer brisket contains both the point and the flat. Packer brisket will give you the best ratio of fat to meat for this recipe. 

For the brisket rub, you’ll need:

• Kosher salt
• Coarse ground black pepper
• Ground cumin

For the brisket sauce, you’ll need:

• BBQ sauce 
• Water 
• Tomato sauce 
• Chili powder 
• Powdered cumin 
• Powdered coriander 
• Tabasco Chipotle sauce 

You can use your favorite BBQ sauce in this recipe; however, Kraft Original BBQ Sauce will give you a flavor similar to that of the smoked brisket Chipotle serves.

How to make Chipotle Smoked Brisket

To prepare the brisket dry rub:

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the kosher salt, coarse ground black pepper, and powdered cumin. 

To prep the brisket:

1. Trim the hard fat from the fat cap, but leave a good bit on the meat to provide flavor and keep the brisket from drying out. A quarter inch of fat is ideal. 
2. Cover all sides of the brisket with the brisket rub and massage it into the meat. 
3. You can start smoking the meat immediately or wrap it lightly in plastic and put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours for more flavor penetration. 

To smoke the brisket:

1. Preheat your pellet smoker to 225°F. 
2. Load the pellet hopper with your choice of wood pellets. Oak pellets are a good choice for a more balanced flavor. Still, some people prefer the intense smokiness that hickory pellets provide. 
3. Place a thermometer into the meat at the thickest part and place the brisket fat-side down on the grate of the smoker.
4. Some people like to wrap the brisket tightly in butcher paper or aluminum foil once the internal temperature reaches 165°F, but you can skip this step if you want. If you are planning to wrap your brisket, it is a good idea to use a wireless meat probe for an accurate smoking time.  
5. Continue to smoke the meat until the internal temperature reaches 200°F. 
6. Remove the brisket from the smoker and place it in an insulated cooler, or wrap it in a towel for at least an hour before using or storing it. 

To make the brisket sauce:

1. Add all the brisket sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan.
2. Stir the ingredients over medium heat until warmed through.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it to keep the sauce warm. 

To finish the smoked brisket Chipotle style:

1. Cut the rested brisket against the grain into quarter-inch slices. 
2. Cook the slices for a minute on each side, 
3. Chop the heated slices into quarter-inch chunks.
4. Toss the meat with a small amount of the warm sauce and serve. 

What to serve with smoked brisket

While you could certainly stick with Southwest-style sides like Black Beans, Frijoles a la Charra, or Cilantro Lime Rice for this dish, why not get a little more creative? Here are three sides that you definitely won’t find in a Chipotle:

Potato Pancakes. There are lots of ways to serve potatoes, but these onion and potato pancakes are extra crispy and have a mild flavor that allows the smoked brisket to take center stage. 

Coleslaw. The cold crunch of coleslaw is the ultimate counterbalance to slices of tender, warm brisket and does a good job tempering the spicy brisket sauce. This recipe for Brookville Hotel Coleslaw uses heavy cream, so it’s extra creamy. 

Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad. Light and bright, Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad cuts through the richness of the smoked brisket and is an extremely refreshing choice.

How to store any leftovers 

Smoked Chipotle beef brisket makes a ton of food. The good news is that you can freeze the leftovers, so you won’t waste any! But, if you can finish the brisket within a few days, it is much better to keep it in the refrigerator. Allow the meat to come up to room temperature and finish as in the main recipe. 

To keep the meat fresh, once it cools entirely, wrap it in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped meat on a rimmed baking tray to catch any drips, and put it in the fridge.

For longer storage, slice the brisket and portion into individual servings. Wrap the sliced brisket portions with aluminum foil and place them in a freezer bag. Let the meat thaw in the fridge before reheating it in the pan as above. 

Transfer the extra sauce to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. 

How long do they last?

In the fridge, the smoked brisket will keep for up to five days. Frozen smoked brisket can stay good for a month or more. Try to use up the sauce in three or four days. 

More Chipotle copycat recipes

• Barbacoa
• Corn Salsa
• Guacamole
• Margarita
• Queso Blanco
• Steak Bowl

Favorite smoker recipes

• Smoked Beer Can Chicken
• Smoked Chicken Legs
• Smoked Meatloaf
• Smoked Pork Belly
• Smoked Steak
• Smoked Turkey Legs
• Smoked Whole Chicken

Check out more of my easy smoker recipes and the best copycat fast food recipes on CopyKat!