Smoked Brisket Sandwich with Homemade Pickled Red Onions

This smoked brisket sandwich is SO GOOD! It’s a hearty sandwich using leftover brisket with homemade pickled red onions and other brisket sandwich toppings. This smoked meat sandwich is special enough for an impressive dinner. It pairs with all kinds of side dishes. So if you’re looking for the best BBQ brisket sandwich, read on to find out how to make this amazing treat!

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You can use leftover brisket to make this sandwich or else cook some with this smoked brisket sandwich recipe in mind. Then all you have to do is choose your favourite brisket sandwich toppings.

What is Brisket Exactly?

This cut of beef comes from the lower chest or breast of a cow. Because cattle don’t have collarbones, this meat is highly muscled, meaning it needs to be tenderized correctly. Perfectly cooked brisket should be falling apart tender.

How do you Cook Brisket?

Brisket is good for roasting, smoking or grilling. Flavouring it before cooking with a spice rub is very popular, as is smoking or grilling it to infuse it with wonderful smoky flavour.

It is perfect for a smoked brisket sandwich or to add to other dishes. If you have leftover brisket, and you might because it comes in large cuts, there are other recipes. It’s great for tacos, nachos, meaty mac ‘n cheese, or adding to pasta or rice-based dishes. I have a great recipe for Mesquite Smoked Dry Rub Brisket that I used for this recipe.

Smoking brisket is my favourite cooking method for this cut of meat, but it does take a while! Somewhere between 30 to 60 minutes per pound of brisket is a good rule of thumb. This means a 16-pound brisket will take around 11 hours at 275 degrees F, so start it early in the morning!

You need to cook the meat until it’s at least 195 degrees F in the center. If you accidentally overcook your brisket, it can still go in a stew, shepherd’s pie or chilli recipe. ‘Burnt ends’ are popular in Texas. In fact some people like those best. Burnt ends are the crispy brisket ends with plenty of BBQ sauce. So don’t throw them out or feed them to your dog.

What Else Goes in this Sandwich Using Leftover Brisket?

I like to make this smoked brisket sandwich with French bread rolls because they’re crusty and sturdy enough to hold together. You can use another kind if you prefer, such as hoagie rolls.

Add a couple of jalapenos or feel free to use less or more, depending how much you like spice. Homemade pickled red onions go beautifully with the brisket. Pickles and crispy French-fried onions make great brisket sandwich toppings. This is one of the best BBQ brisket sandwich recipes ever with those toppings.

Tasty Side dishes for this Smoked Brisket Sandwich

BBQ sauce and coleslaw pair beautifully with this smoked meat sandwich. I imagine it French fries, onion rings, a simple green salad, corn on the cob, or 3-bean salad would pair nicely too. Want some more ideas? Then how about mac ‘n cheese, roasted Brussels sprouts, green beans, or steamed veggies?

My fave is this Zesty Tex Mex Chicken Pasta Salad but I just omit the chicken for a side version of the salad.

How to Make Homemade Pickled Red Onions

All the brisket sandwich toppings in this recipe are just suggestions. So you can omit any you don’t want including the pickled onions. However, I think they go perfectly in this smoked meat sandwich and they’re easy to make.

Along with red onion, you will need peppercorns, garlic, and white vinegar. Thin slices of onion and garlic go into a jar with the peppercorns and vinegar. A mason jar is probably the handiest for making this. Refrigerate them for half an hour then serve. If you have leftovers, these pickled onions will keep for up to 3 weeks, although they taste freshest during the first few days of making them.

How to Assemble the Best BBQ Brisket Sandwich

If you have all the ingredients to hand, you can get started on making these. Cut the rolls in half because you’re going to toast the cut sides (this helps stop the juices from leaking through). At this point you can either butter the cut sides or spread some BBQ sauce over them. Else just omit both.

If you like this smoked brisket sandwich, you might also like Smoked Blackened Salmon Sliders with Wasabi Mayo and Pickled Red Onions, Smoked Beer Can Chicken with Mexican BBQ Sauce or Smoked Cheddar Bacon Stuffed Burgers

Smoked Brisket Sandwich with Homemade Pickled Red Onions Recipe

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Next add the sliced meat and then you can cook this sandwich using leftover brisket in the oven. Well you don’t need to ‘cook’ it so much as warming it through. Add whichever brisket sandwich toppings you want to use, such as pickles, red onions and jalapenos. Serve while they’re still warm, along with any sides.

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