Welcome to the next level of our foil boat brisket recipe! Using the sliced brisket meat that we developed with that recipe, we’re making a simple but freakin’ delicious brisket melt. There are lots of different variations for this sandwich, but this jalapeños, red onions and BBQ sauce version is my favorite.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love BBQ Brisket Melt
- For More Brisket
- BBQ Brisket Melt Ingredients
- Burger Sauce
- How to Make BBQ Brisket Melt
- Smoking the Brisket
- Bringing out the Foil Boat
- Slicing the Brisket
- Making the BBQ Brisket Melt
- What to Serve with BBQ Brisket Melt
- Leftovers and Reheating
- FAQs
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- BBQ Brisket Melt Recipe
Why You’ll Love BBQ Brisket Melt
Foil boat brisket has been making the rounds on TikTok and other social media sites. This method involves making an aluminum foil “boat” to hold the brisket as it finishes smoking. Because the top stays open, the brisket bark gets nice and crunchy, and the rest of the brisket is tender and juicy from cooking in its own juices.
Foil boat brisket embraces the low and slow appeal of brisket, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to smoke this cut of beef. A whole packer brisket makes a ton of food, so this BBQ brisket melt recipe is a great way to use those mouthwatering leftovers!
However, this recipes isn’t specific to the foil boat brisket! Any brisket will do. If you want to try a different method on cooking brisket, check out some of my other brisket recipes below! I also have a great smoked brisket recipe/article that dives into all the details on how to pick and smoke the perfect brisket!
For More Brisket
BBQ Brisket Melt Ingredients
- Brisket: We’ll smoke a whole brisket, which weighs in at a whopping 12-15 pounds, and flavor it with Mesquite Peppercorn Lager Rub and Imperial Coffee Stout Rub.
- Melt: Slices of American cheese, bacon strips, sliced red onions, sliced jalapeños, HNY FYR BBQ Sauce and Texas toast round out this incredible sandwich.
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Burger Sauce
If you want to try something besides BBQ sauce in this recipe, burger sauce is a great option! There are tons of recipes out there, but my favorite is the one I use on my animal-style smashburger. Mix up 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of ketchup, 2.5 tablespoons of relish, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of white sugar in a bowl — and then that’s it! If you’d like to add more flavor, you could also drop in a half teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika.
How to Make BBQ Brisket Melt
First up, we’ve got to prepare this beautiful cut of beef. Keeping your brisket cold, place the brisket on your meat board, fat cap side down. Next, trim the outside of the flat of any silver skin or fat pockets. Remove the larger pocket of fat near where the flat and point meet. Square off all sides of your brisket, then cut one of the corners on the point to show you how to cut against the grain later.
Flip the brisket over, and begin carefully removing fat from the fat cap. Make sure the fat cap side is about 1/4 inch thick, since any more than that will be too much. Finally, remove most of the fat “flap” at the top of the brisket.
Once you’ve completely trimmed the brisket, season the meat thoroughly with 2 cups of my Mesquite Peppercorn Lager Rub and 1.5 cups of my Imperial Coffee Stout Rub (or your favorite beef rub). Place your brisket into the fridge to dry brine overnight.
Smoking the Brisket
Preheat your smoker to 225-250 degrees Fahrenheit, with some added wood chunks or wood chips for extra smoke flavor. Then, place the brisket on the smoker with fat side up. Cook the brisket until the internal temperature reaches about 165-170 degrees at the thickest and fattiest part, about 7-8 hours. Once the internal temperature has hit 165, get ready for the foil boat.
Bringing out the Foil Boat
Lay out 1-2 pieces of foil and add 1 cup of warmed beef tallow to the foil. Place the brisket fat side up on top of the beef tallow, then form the foil around the brisket to make your beef boat.
With the smoker at 250 degrees F, place the foil boat brisket back on the smoker. Cook until the meat hits 201 degrees internal temperature or is probe tender, about 5-6 more hours.
Once the brisket is done, pull the meat off the smoker, wrap it in butcher paper and let it rest at room temperature for at least two hours, but ideally overnight in a warming tray.
Slicing the Brisket
Once your brisket has rested and it’s ready to slice, unwrap it and place the butcher paper to the side (you can save it for serving or for BBQ Brisket burnt ends, or if you’re interested in a different style of burnt ends, then check out some of my best burnt ends recipes!). Begin slicing the brisket right where you made your “against the grain” cut during prep.
Make your slices about the width of a No. 2 pencil. If you’re slicing the point, rotate the point 90 degrees, and then slice in order to go against the grain.
Making the BBQ Brisket Melt
Heat your grill to high heat (around 400 degrees F) for direct cooking. Place a cast iron skillet or plancha over the flames to heat it up, then add 6-8 slices of bacon to the skillet. Cook the bacon until it’s crispy, then remove the slices from the skillet.
Once the bacon’s done, add 2 cups of thinly sliced red onions and 1 cup sliced jalapeños to sauté until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Once they’re done, remove the skillet from the grill.
Build your brisket melt with a slice of Texas toast, slices of cheese, BBQ sauce, sliced brisket, cheese, more brisket, cheese, onions and jalapeños, more BBQ sauce, bacon and more Texas toast. Add the melts to the skillet and toast the slices of bread. Once golden brown, serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with BBQ Brisket Melt
These sandwiches are like a meal unto themselves! So, all you really need to round out this meal is a cold beer or lemonade and a simple slaw or green salad. Some crunchy potato chips could be really great too!
Leftovers and Reheating
A whole packer brisket is a huge cut of meat, so you’ll definitely have leftovers for this one. Plus, brisket tastes even better a day or two after you cook it! Store any leftover brisket in foil wrap or butcher paper and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. The next time a brisket craving hits, warm the meat in an oven with some tallow in a foil boat.
Some of my favorite recipes to make with leftover brisket include a Chopped Brisket Sandwich and BBQ Brisket Nachos! They’re both easy to throw together and turn the brisket into a whole new meal!
Alternatively, you could add it into your breakfast with this Leftover Brisket Breakfast Skillet recipe! I’ve also turned leftover brisket into fun appetizers like this Smoked Brisket Queso, or stuffed chopped brisket bits into a jalapeño for some Texas Twinkies! All are delicious ways to continue enjoying your brisket.
For the BBQ brisket melt, store the cooked veggies and bacon in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3-5 days, then reheat the bacon in the oven and the veggies on the stovetop. Keep the rest of the ingredients on hand and you’ll be ready to make this sandwich over and over again.
FAQs
There are a lot of reasons for the long cook time. First off, a brisket is a massive cut of meat. The larger the cut, the longer it needs to cook! This cut also has a lot of fat marbling and connective tissues. Those need a long time to break down and give us the mouthwatering flavor and texture we want.
I get so stoked just thinking about the possibilities here. You could go classic, with dill pickle, spicy mustard and Swiss cheese. Or, top it with a tangy slaw and loads of BBQ sauce. Or, Italian style, with provolone cheese, banana peppers and a sun dried tomato pesto. Hold on, I’ll be right back…
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BBQ Brisket Melt
Ingredients
Brisket:
- 1 Whole Packer Brisket 12-15 lbs
- 2 cups Mesquite Peppercorn Lager Rub
- 1.5 cups Imperial Coffee Stout Rub
- 1 cup Beef Tallow warmed up
Melt:
- 6-8 American Cheese sliced
- 6-8 Bacon Strips
- 2 cups Sliced Red Onions
- 1 cup Sliced Jalapeños
- HNY FYR BBQ Sauce
- Texas Toast sliced
Instructions
Brisket:
- Keeping your brisket cold, place the brisket on your cutting board fat cap side down. Next, trim the outside of the flat of any silver skin or pockets of fat. Remove the larger pocket of fat near where the flat and point meet.
- Square off all sides of your brisket then cut one of the corners on the point to show you how to cut against the grain later.
- Flip the brisket over and begin carefully removing fat from the fat cap. Make sure the fat cap side is about ¼ inch thick as anymore will be too much. Finally, remove most of the fat “flap” at the top of the brisket.
- Once completely trimmed, season thoroughly with my Mesquite Peppercorn Lager Rub and Imperial Coffee Stout Rub (or your favorite beef rub). Place your brisket into the fridge to dry brine overnight.
- Preheat your smoker for 225-250F with some added wood chunks or chips for extra smoke flavor.
- Add the brisket on to the smoker fat side up. Cook the brisket until it reaches about 165-170F at the thickest and fattiest part (about 7-8 hours).
- Once it has hit 165, get ready for the foil boat. Lay out 1-2 pieces of foil and add beef tallow to the foil.
- Place the brisket (fat side up) on top of the beef tallow then form the foil around the brisket to make a “boat”.
- Place the brisket back onto the smoker at 250F. Cook until the meat hits 201F internal or is probe tender (about 5-6 more hours).
- Once it is done, pull the meat off and let it rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight in a warming tray.
- When it is ready to slice, unwrap and place the butcher paper to the side (save for serving or for burnt ends). Begin slicing the brisket right where you made your “against the grain” cut when prepping. Make your slices about the width of a #2 Pencil.
- If slicing the point: Rotate the point 90 degrees and then slice in order to go against the grain.
Melt:
- Heat your grill at high heat (around 400F) for direct cooking.
- Add a cast iron skillet or plancha over the flames to heat and add some sliced bacon to the cold skillet. Cook the bacon until crispy, then pull off.
- Once done, add your red onions and jalapeños to saute for 6-8 minutes until softened.
- Build your brisket melt with Texas toast, slice of cheese, BBQ sauce, sliced brisket, cheese, more brisket, cheese, onions & jalapenos, more BBQ sauce, bacon and more Texas toast.
- Add the melts to the skillet and toast the buns. Once golden brown, serve and enjoy!
