Mexican Chopped Brisket

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This Mexican chopped brisket recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd the best brisket tacos, loaded brisket burritos, or brisket nachos. A whole brisket gets seasoned with Mexican seasonings, smoked on the pellet grill, then chopped up and mixed with a homemade chile-based sauce for a fantastic Mexican offering for your next fiesta!

Brisket is one of the most beloved meats among bbq enthusiasts. It’s smoky, tender, juicy and so delicious. And while most people probably just think of brisket in the traditional barbecue sense, it’s also a versatile meat that’s perfect for a wide variety of dishes.

Including your Mexican favorites!

With just the right amount of Mexican flavor, this smoked chopped brisket is smoky, saucy, and delicious! Pile it high on tacos, load it onto nachos, roll it into burritos, or stuff it into quesadillas for the ultimate fiesta!

*Be sure to check out our other favorite smoked Mexican meats – our smoked Mexican whole chicken and this smoked Chile Colorado with chuck roast!

Mexican Chopped Brisket on the Smoker

This recipe merges two of my favorites – smoking brisket with Mexican cooking. And every time that we’ve made it, it’s been a hit!

Since brisket needs to be cooked low and slow, it’s absolutely perfect for the smoker. The slow cook time breaks down the tough connective tissue and creates tender, flavorful and delicious smoked chopped brisket. 

The smoker also forms a dark and flavorful bark from the rub and rendered fat. The bark contains concentrated flavor and helps lock in the moisture so you’ll have plenty of juicy beef. Smoking creates a nice caramelized crust on the outside and incredible flavor and texture on the inside. 

Chopped brisket that is cooked on the smoker is great for gatherings since it makes a lot and can be used for a variety of dishes. Leftover chopped brisket also reheats well to use for multiple meals throughout the week, and it’s incredibly versatile. You can add it to slider buns, make game day nachos, or simply use it to make tacos. 

Choosing the Best Brisket

When selecting which brisket to use for this Mexican brisket recipe, or any smoked brisket recipe, keep in mind that fat is flavor. Choose one with plenty of marbling. You also want one that has relatively even thickness. Try not to choose one that is super thin on the flat end. 

When picking out your brisket, choose the highest grade that your budget allows. I always recommend a Prime brisket, because the excess marbling gives you a much better quality finished product. However, since this brisket gets chopped and mixed with a Mexican-style sauce, you can get away with a Choice grade if needed.

Ingredients You Need

You just need a handful of ingredients to make moist and delicious smoked Mexican brisket! A full list of ingredients and measurements are included in the recipe card below. 

• Beef brisket: Use the tips above to choose the best brisket. I used a whole packer brisket for this recipe.
• Hot sauce: Use your favorite hot sauce. This acts as the binder. Don’t worry, the finished Mexican meat won’t be too spicy, even after you slather your whole brisket in hot sauce.
• Mexican seasoning: You can use your favorite Mexican seasoning blend or fajita seasoning. Our own Fiesta That All-Purpose Mexican Seasoning is perfect for this recipe!
• Guajillo peppers: These are the perfect base for Mexican sauces, with mild to medium heat. I use them to make a simple sauce to coat the chopped brisket.
• Chipotle peppers in adobo: You will just need 1 of the canned peppers for the sauce. 

Equipment You Need

• pellet grill or smoker – I cooked this brisket on a Lone Star Grillz Pellet Smoker, but any pellet grill, smoker, or even a charcoal grill set up for low and slow cooking will work.
• butcher paper – To wrap the brisket.
• blender – To make the sauce after rehydrating the peppers.

How to Make Mexican Chopped Brisket

This chopped brisket recipe is easy to make, with very little prep work involved. Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to about 250°F with your favorite wood or pellets. While the grill is heating up, you can work on prepping the beef brisket.

Step 1: Trim the beef. 

Use a sharp knife to trim the excess fat from the brisket and shape it so that it’s aerodynamic and the smoke adheres well.

*BONUS STEP – Place the trimmed fat pieces in an aluminum foil pan to make smoked beef tallow on the grill while your brisket cooks.

TIP: I don’t trim it as much as I would for a normal sliced brisket. Since this brisket is chopped there is no need to cut off as much of the excess fat. However, you can do it however you like.

Step 2: Season the beef.

Rub the hot sauce all over the brisket on both sides. Season liberally all over with fajita seasoning or a Mexican seasoning blend.

The hot sauce acts as the binder without adding too much spicy heat. You can use your favorite kind of hot sauce. 

Step 3: Smoke the beef.

Now we’re ready to smoke the beef! Insert a meat thermometer probe into the middle of the brisket. Place the brisket on the top rack of the smoker and place the pan with the fat pieces (if making smoked tallow) on the bottom grate. 

Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 180°F – for me this took about 8 hours, but the cook times can vary drastically based on the size of your brisket and what smoker you have.

Remove the beef from the smoker and pour the melted smoked tallow over the top of the brisket (you don’t have to strain it). 

Then wrap the brisket in butcher paper, insert the meat thermometer again, and return the wrapped brisket to the smoker. Cook until the internal temperature reaches about 200 to 205°F. You should have a nice color on the crust at this point.

*TIP – I prefer to wrap my smoked briskets with butcher paper during the last 20 to 25 degrees of cooking. I find that this helps lock in the moisture and flavor and prevents the meat from drying out. 

Remove the beef from the smoker and let it rest in the paper until the internal temperature reduces to about 150°F. 

Step 4: Make the sauce. (You can do this while the brisket is resting.)

Remove the seeds from the dried guajillo peppers. Add the peppers to a pan of water set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the peppers sit in the hot water for about 15 to 20 minutes to rehydrate. 

Remove the peppers from the water and add them to a blender with the chipotle pepper and 3 tablespoons of water. Blend until the mixture is smooth. 

OPTIONAL: You can season the sauce at this point, if desired, but it already packs a ton of flavor so I don’t find extra seasoning necessary. If you want to “beef up” the sauce a bit, you can do something similar to the sauce that we made for our Chile Colorado here – it uses the same dried peppers plus a few additional spices.

Step 5: Finish the brisket.

Once it’s cooled down, remove the brisket from the paper. Chop the cooked meat and add it to a large bowl or pan. Pour the sauce over the top, and toss to coat the meat all over. Add additional seasoning to taste, if desired. 

Once you have the Mexican chopped brisket, you can use it however you want. Serving suggestions are below!

Don’t Skip These Tips

• Let the brisket rest: This is an absolute must! Resting helps lock in the juice and flavors. Letting it rest in the butcher paper will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Ideally, you want to let the meat rest until the internal temperature reduces to 150°F.
• Always use a meat thermometer: A thermometer is your best gauge for doneness. You want to avoid undercooking or overcooking the meat. Brisket is best cooked to an internal temperature of 198-204°F, in most cases, depending on your resting method and time. I use a wireless meat probe to ensure the best results, and be sure that your smoked brisket is probe-tender.
• Don’t overcomplicate the seasoning: The smoked brisket already has a ton of flavor thanks to the earthy smoky notes and that nice bark. Hot sauce and your favorite Mexican seasoning are all you need for insanely flavorful and delicious chopped beef brisket. 
• Slice against the grain: When chopping the brisket, you want to first slice against the grain into ¾ to 1 inch pieces. Once you have your sliced pieces, you can chop into bite-sized pieces or shreds. 

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Store leftover Mexican chopped brisket in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftover meat in a freezer-safe zip top bag for up to 3 months.

To reheat, add the leftovers to a baking pan with a small amount of water (to keep it moist) and heat at 350°F in the oven, until warmed through. You can cover it with foil to help prevent it from drying out. 

How to Serve:

Mexican Chopped Brisket is a versatile dish that you can use for many meals. 

• Brisket Tacos: Load them up with hot sauce, sour cream guacamole, or any of your favorite taco toppings.
• Enchiladas: Make traditional enchiladas but use the chopped brisket. You can also substitute brisket in our leftover turkey enchiladas recipe.
• Burritos: Just like tacos, you can load up burritos with the smoked brisket and your favorite burrito fillings.
• Bowls: Serve the chopped brisket over a burrito bowl or salad. 
• Nachos: Pile all of your favorite nacho toppings over tortilla chips and smoked brisket. 
• Brisket-Stuffed Smoked Peppers: This leftover chopped brisket would be perfect for our smoked brisket-stuffed poblanos recipe!
• Make Texas Twinkies: The classic smoked appetizer is made with leftover brisket. Get our favorite smoked Texas Twinkies recipe here!
• Sandwiches: Use buns or Texas toast and pile the smoke brisket on top with some guacamole, pickled jalapenos and cotija cheese. 
• Low Carb: Serve the Mexican brisket over a salad or with low carb tortillas or taco shells.

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