How to Throw a Smoked Brisket BBQ Party

Pre’s new 38 oz brisket is the perfect size for home BBQ smoking, small enough for a home cook to handle but large enough to please a crowd. You can buy our pasture-raised grass-fed and finished Brisket online! Brisket comes from the breast or lower chest of beef, and when slowly cooked or smoked, the meat becomes incredibly tender and soft. This blog will guide you on how to smoke our pasture-raised, grass-fed perfectly, and finished Brisket!

Firstly, choose your smoking vessel

If you don’t already own a smoker, the internet offers myriad options for inexpensive DIY models. We chose the very reasonably priced Cameron Stove Top Smoker with great success. It can be used with virtually any heat source and worked wonderfully on our gas grill. If you do not want to purchase a smoker, with just a few household items, you can actually make your own smoker! Click here to learn how to make your own smoker. 

Secondly, choose your wood chip types for your BBQ

There are so many wood chip options to give your Brisket a deliciously smokey taste! For our starter recipe, we went with Hickory. If you want a more mild smoky flavor—oak wood chips will work for beginners because they can burn for a long time. Hickory wood chips have a more bacon-like and nutty taste which we think makes this brisket recipe the absolute best. Mesquite wood chips are also a good option with a lot of flavor, but be careful as they burn quickly!

Preparation Timeline

Here is our timeline for getting ready for the party; you’ll want to prepare three days in advance for the best experience, but don’t let that timing scare you!

EQUIPMENT & PLANNING — 3 Days Ahead

• Procure smoking equipment and wood chips
• Chose menu sides, sauces, and beverages
• Make a shopping list
• Gather serving pieces, platters, bowls, plates, utensils, glassware

SHOPPING & SAUCE PREP — 2 days ahead

Head to the grocery store and pick up everything you might want for your BBQ party! You should also start preparing your barbeque sauce. You can always buy the sauce at the store but making your own barbecue sauce is fun and economical. There are so many different barbecue sauces that would compliment Pre’s Brisket. Here are a few different barbeque sauces you can make yourself or buy at the store!

• Kansas City BBQ Sauce
• Kansas City BBQ sauce is sweeter and heavier than a traditional barbecue sauce because the base of it is ketchup. 
• Alabama White BBQ Sauce
• This BBQ sauce is entirely different from others as it uses mayonnaise as its base, making it a lighter option. Although hot sauce is called for in this recipe, so it does have a slight kick. 
• Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
• The Carolina gold BBQ sauce’s base is yellow mustard, so it has a wonderful tang.
• Piedmont BBQ Sauce
• This BBQ sauce has a lighter and more liquid consistency than the others, as most of the ingredients are liquid-based.
• Memphis Style BBQ Sauce
• Memphis Style BBQ Sauce is tangy and sweet. It’s the perfect barbeque sauce for any occasion.
• St Louis Style BBQ Sauce
• This barbecue sauce is sweet and a little acidic; it has a slightly sticky texture. 
• Texas Style BBQ Sauce
• One of our favorite BBQ sauces, this sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy notes.

Any of these barbecue sauces would compliment Pre’s Brisket really well, so choose whichever one sounds the best to you! You can also make a few different sauces to have options for your Brisket. 

SIDE DISHES — 1 day ahead

• Prepare pickled red onions and jalapeños
• Pickled jalapenos are a condiment All-Star; we think these addictive pickled jalapeños compliment just about any savory dish with a dash of spicy brightness. Use the same recipe for delicious pickled red onions! Fast and easy to make, they’ll keep in the refrigerator for about a month.
• Prepare potato salad and sweet potato salad.
• This healthy sweet potato salad gets extra crunch from lots of celery, and the mildly tangy dressing with fresh sage makes for a great combo to balance our smoky BBQ brisket. Seasoning the cooking water helps boost the flavor of our favorite party potato salad. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of salt for the cooking water, but most of it will be drained. It’s best to make a day ahead, so plan accordingly!
• Prep brisket with rub
• Prepare the baked beans

Day of Smoking the Brisket

• Prepare Cole slaw
• Crunchy and cooling, add this slaw recipe to your BBQ repertoire. It’s a quick and easy crowd-pleaser, we usually use a mix of shredded cabbage and carrot, but broccoli slaw works nicely too. 
• Soak wood chips
• Soaking your wood chips for at least 30 minutes before smoking will help the chips smoke for longer. After soaking your wood chips, drain out the water but do not rinse them! 
• Prepare grill and smoking box.
• Start cooking Brisket at least 5 hours before serving.
• The longer you smoke your Brisket, the more tender and juicy it will become but keep your eye on it as you do not want to overcook your meat!
• Stage serving area while brisket cooks
• While the Brisket rests, plate all sides, prepare the carving area and set out sauces. 

Brisket can be hard to make because the meat is tougher, but when cooked for a long time, the meat softens and becomes incredibly tender and delicious. Smoking your Brisket will lead to the most delicious results and will surely satisfy you and your guests! Throwing a bbq party can be stressful, but with this guide, hopefully, your next BBQ will be one to remember.