After testing many recipes and getting to know our Traeger Jr. smoker well, I’ve finally gathered enough confidence to take on the beef brisket. Not just any brisket, but a Japanese A5 wagyu brisket. Ever since we got the Traeger smoker, we have tried cooking all types of meats with it. Chicken (Shio Koji Chicken is amazing when smoked), pork shoulder, turkey, and of course, baby back ribs. All the smoking frenzy over the past year is the result of me eating at Franklin’s BBQ in Austin, and being inspired by their brisket. And perfecting this Smoked Wagyu Brisket makes me feel like a grill extraordinaire. You sure can do it too!

The Brisket at Franklin BBQ

I talked about Franklin’s BBQ at-length in the baby back ribs post so I’ll just briefly mention it here. Having waited for over two hours on a Thursday afternoon for a brisket sandwich, I was completely taken by each and every bite. It wasn’t an exaggeration when I said it was one of the best-smoked meats I’ve ever eaten. Franklin’s Barbecue truly lives up to the hype! I’ve had briskets from other Austin BBQ restaurants and they just don’t compare. What’s incredible is Aaron Franklin openly shares his brisket recipe and smoking methods on YouTube, MasterClass, and his cookbooks. Disclosure: we will receive a small commission if you sign up for Masterclass through our link. And you know what, there isn’t much of a secret. It’s just good quality meat, salt, pepper, and a lot of patience. I’ve shared his recipe videos at the bottom of this post (so you don’t have to search for them).

What is a Brisket

Before we get to the recipe, it might be helpful to know exactly what’s beef brisket. Simply put, it’s the breast muscle of the cattle. It’s a tough cut of meat because of all the connective tissues and the workout the muscle gets. If the brisket is cooked hot and fast, it’ll be dry and tough. It requires cooking at a slow and low heat to break down the tissues into a tender and juicy slab of heavenly meat.

When you purchase a whole brisket it’s called a packer cut. The smallest whole brisket is usually at least 12 pounds but goes all way up to 20 plus pounds. The brisket is made up of several muscles and fat and the two main parts called the flat and the point. The flat actually runs across the entire brisket while the point muscle is only the thicker side. It is separated from the flat muscle by a fat layer. When you smoke the brisket over a long time, all the fat and connective tissues melt together and become super tender. At Franklin’s BBQ, they make the customers’ sandwich from both the flat and point muscle of the brisket. The point is the fatty juicy part of the brisket while the flat is leaner.

Why Wagyu Brisket

First, let’s clarify what wagyu (和牛) means. It simply translates to Japanese cow (wa 和 is Japanese and gyu 牛 is a cow). You might have seen the terms Australian Wagyu or American Wagyu but they actually don’t make much sense and generally used for marketing purposes. Because there are no rules on what’s called a wagyu outside of Japan, the American Wagyu is rarely 100% Japanese cattle gene, but usually a hybrid of Japanese cattle and domestic cattle. The truth is most of the time you don’t know what you’re getting when you buy Australian Wagyu or American Wagyu. The brisket we used for this recipe is from Kagoshima in Japan and certified A5 grade.

Challenges with a Packer Cut Brisket

So why did we splurge on a wagyu brisket instead of purchasing one from our local grocery store? There are several challenges with making a whole packer cut brisket:

Way too much meat for a family to enjoy. The smallest packer cut is 12 pounds and that’s enough to feed 20-24 adults. Long cooking time. Our friend Brian who loves smoking briskets starts at 3 am. Briskets require trimming (We purchased no-trim Wagyu from Crowdcow.com, save $25 on your order using the link). A standard brisket requires trimming of the fat cap to a ¼ inch thickness. You might start with a 16 lb brisket, and after removing the excess fat it could be down to 12-13 lbs so plan accordingly.

Yes, the wagyu brisket was quite pricey but luckily we purchased it on sale for 40% off from Crowd Cow. You might wonder if you can cut up brisket to cook it faster, the answer is no. Prior to making this smoked wagyu brisket, I tried experimenting with brisket strips to see if I can speed things up but it failed miserably. The meat dried up too quickly being individual pieces and the results were not desirable. Lastly, keep in mind wagyu brisket contains more fats and it’s heavier than regular brisket. Our family of four (2 adults and 2 kids) consumed this 5 pounds brisket over 4 meals.

What is a Traeger Smoker

The traditional way of making the brisket is with a regular smoker but we used our reliable Traeger. Traeger smoker is what it called a pellet smoker. It automatically feeds the wood pellets into the smoker to maintain a somewhat consistent temperature. You don’t have to monitor the temperature as closely compared to a traditional smoker.

As I’ve gotten used to the smoker (we got our Traeger Jr. from Costco), I noticed the temperature is not as consistent as I would like so I make sure to check from time to time while smoking.

Tips for Smoking Wagyu Brisket

Most Texas-style brisket recipes are very similar. Season the brisket, smoke it until 165-170 ºF, and then take it out from the smoker. Wrap in butcher paper and put it back in the smoker until 203 ºF. As the golden rule says, ‘low and slow’ as you smoke. The wagyu brisket needs a few different treatments from standard briskets because it’s so marbled it’ll melt at a lower temperature.

Season the brisket the night before (8-12 hours) – Wagyu has a higher fat content than standard brisket so it needs more time to be seasoned or else it might taste a bit bland. Wrap and smoke until 185 ºF – Do not smoke until 203 ºF as too much good fat will melt away. I took it out at 185 ºF to rest.

How Did the Smoked Wagyu Brisket Turn Out

I served the smoked brisket with Franklin BBQ’s Sauce from his very own Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto cookbook. Honestly, it’s truly the best BBQ sauce recipe out there. The family has become big fans of Smoked Wagyu Brisket! The meat was so tender, well balanced, and juicy. The lightly charred crust and smoked flavors made everything irresistible. To get the brisket shots done in time, we didn’t get to rest it long enough which would have improved the results even more. There’s always next time, just need to wait patiently for another sale. Enjoy and cheers to the gloriest days of backyard cooking!

Aaron Franklin Videos

Can’t get wagyu beef? How about a standard smoked brisket recipe? I only have one recommendation and that is to watch Franklin’s videos. It’s available for free on YouTube! He did a shorter version with PBS and in the following video, he tests and explains the differences for briskets wrapping in foil, no-wrap, and butcher paper.

Side Dishes to Go with the Smoked Brisket

Japanese Potato Salad Japanese Macaroni Salad Grilled Corn with Miso Butter

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