Using Beef Tallow: Smoking a Brisket

The Secret to Perfect Brisket Smoking

Using Beef Tallow: Smoking a Brisket

Should You Smoke Your Brisket with Beef Tallow?

Tallow seems to be all the hype these days, with countless grilling blogs and YouTubers experimenting with tallow when smoking a brisket. If you’re not familiar with tallow, it is a rendered form of beef fat. Smoking with tallow isn’t hard at all and will take the same amount of time as a regular smoke. If you’re like us, curious about how tallow could improve your brisket, keep reading as we’ll break down the ins and outs of smoking with tallow.

Beef tallow is a rendered form of beef fat, often considered liquid gold in the culinary world.

How to use tallow when you smoke a brisket:

  1. Smoke your brisket like normal, using whatever temperature settings you prefer
  2. A couple of hours before your brisket is done cooking, remove it from the smoker
  3. On butcher’s paper or foil, add a generous scoop of tallow and place your brisket on top
  4. Cook for the remainder of time until brisket is tender
  5. Allow the brisket to cool and rest in the butcher’s paper or foil for 2 hours
  6. Pour melted tallow or rendered fat from brisket trimmings on top of the brisket wrapped in butcher’s paper
  7. Let that sit for a few minutes, then unwrap and enjoy!

Does Tallow Make a Difference?

This is something that everyone will have their own opinions about. And the quality of the brisket will also depend on many other factors other than smoking with or without tallow. But there’s a general consensus that using tallow will dramatically increase the wetness of the brisket, making it moist and juicy. Using tallow will give your brisket a rich flavor profile as well. One thing to note is adding the tallow can sometimes dilute the flavor of the brisket and whatever rub you used. So, there is a bit of a trade-off when it comes to using tallow.

While beef tallow may not be a common household good, its fairly easy to find. Tallow can be purchased at stores like Walmart, Whole Foods, and most grocery stores.

Why do People Use Beef Tallow in Brisket?

1. Flavor Amplification

Beef tallow is essentially the essence of beef fat. When used to cook your brisket, it infuses the meat with an intense, beefy flavor that complements the natural taste of the brisket. This results in a more robust and savory end product that will have your taste buds dancing with delight.
2. Moisture Retention
One of the common challenges with brisket is keeping it moist throughout the long smoking process. Beef tallow can help with this. As it melts, it creates a moist cooking environment, preventing the brisket from drying out. This moisture retention ensures that your brisket remains juicy and tender, even after hours of smoking.
3. Improved Bark Formation
The bark is the flavorful, caramelized crust that forms on the exterior of a well-smoked brisket. Beef tallow can enhance bark formation by helping to conduct heat evenly and by providing a medium for the rub to adhere to. This results in a beautifully crusted, mouthwatering exterior that's both flavorful and visually appealing.
If you’ve never done a brisket smoke with tallow, we think you should definitely give it a try! Maybe it’ll be your new go-to showstopper for family gatherings, maybe it won’t hit the mark for you, but it’ll sure be a lot of fun trying out a new recipe. There’s certainly nothing wrong with keeping your brisket old-school and simple, but we also love to try out new smoking methods whenever possible.

About Char-Griller

At Char-Griller®, we pride ourselves in making quality grills, smokers, and accessories, that are affordable for the hardworking families that buy them. We care about our customers and their families as much as we care about making quality products. We know that a grill produces not only great-tasting food, but also lifelong memories. So browse our site, find your grill, and become a part of the Char-Griller family. We can’t wait to start grillin’ with you!

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