Barbacoa Brisket Tacos - Best Tacos I've Ever Had

beef brisket

🥗Healthier: leaner cuts of beef

💰Cheaper: pork shoulder

Pork shoulder is often less expensive and still flavorful.

chipotle peppers

🥗Healthier: smoked paprika

💰Cheaper: canned jalapeños

Smoked paprika adds flavor without the heat; canned jalapeños are often cheaper.

Welcome back to my channel, I'm Joe with Smoking Joe's Pet BBQ. Today we're making barbacoa with an entire prime brisket.

Start with a 17-pound prime brisket. Show the brisket and discuss its quality.

Prepare a spice paste using a mortar and pestle: smash 6-7 cloves of garlic, then add 1/8 cup kosher salt and grind together.

Add 1/8 cup black pepper, 1/8 cup onion powder, 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, 1/8 cup Spanish paprika, 1/8 cup cumin, 1/8 cup light chili powder, and 1 tablespoon oregano to the garlic and salt mixture.

Mix in enough olive oil to create a thick paste.

Trim the brisket by removing the large deco fat and some oxidized fat, but leave the fat cap mostly intact.

Cut the brisket into three pieces for faster cooking.

Lather the spice paste all over the brisket pieces, ensuring good coverage. Cover and refrigerate overnight to let the spices penetrate the meat.

The next morning, preheat the smoker to 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the brisket pieces fat cap down in the smoker and cook for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, flip the brisket pieces to cook the other side for another hour.

After 2 hours total, place the brisket on a bed of onions in a pan and add 7-12 bay leaves and 1 quart of vegetable broth.

Cover the pan with foil and cook for 4 hours in the smoker.

After 4 hours, check the brisket for tenderness. If needed, flip the brisket and cover again, cooking for an additional 2 hours.

After a total of 7.5 hours, remove the brisket from the smoker and let it rest for 45 minutes before shredding.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: