Chipotle's smoked brisket might be the best meat on its menu.
I Ordered Chipotle’s Smoked Brisket—Here’s My Honest Review
Published on Oct. 17, 2024
Chipotle is one of the best choices for fast-casual food that fits special diets like keto and paleo, thanks to its plentiful meat options. But I don’t give a hoot about protein, macros or any of that nonsense. I eat and review food for a living, and all I want is food that tastes good.
I’m well versed in the art of ordering Chipotle. My regular order is a burrito bowl with fajita vegetables and as many tortillas on the side as they’ll let me have. (The tortillas freeze beautifully!) I enjoy the meat options, like pork carnitas and barbacoa, but when I’m ordering a bowl with everything on it, the meat tends to get lost in the fray.
But barbecued brisket is by nature bold with an abundance of flavor, which makes the Chipotle brisket enticing. And so, I went down to Chipotle and changed things up, adding a heaping pile of this very special meat to my bowl. Here’s what I thought.
What is the Chipotle brisket?
Brisket is a cut of beef meant for cooking low and slow until it’s so tender it falls apart. To make its brisket, Chipotle starts with a spice rub that includes smoked serrano and chipotle peppers before smoking it to slow-cooked perfection. It’s then sliced and seared on a plancha, hand-chopped into bite-sized pieces and finished in a savory, smoky sauce.
Is the Chipotle brisket good?
The Chiptole brisket is downright delicious! Even under a blanket of cheese and generous amounts of all that signature salsa, the brisket’s beefy, savory flavor was the star. In a burrito bowl, there’s already sweetness from fajita vegetables, heat from the salsa, a touch of acidity from the cilantro-lime rice and plenty of richness from cheese, but nowhere in the equation is there smoke. This brisket has a triple-hit of smoky notes from the cooking method, chili pepper rub and smoked chili sauce, which give it a palpable presence in a crowded field.
On its own, Chipotle’s smoked brisket is fantastic. Already tender from the slow-cooked barbecue process, quick-searing slices on the plancha adds an additional touch of char that makes the meat pop. While it’s certainly not as good as homemade smoked brisket, it’s certainly the best I’ve ever had at a fast-food restaurant.
How long is the brisket at Chipotle?
According to a Chipotle spokesperson, smoked brisket will be on the menu until at least the end of 2024. It’s one of the chain’s more popular limited-time-only specials, though, so we expect to see smoked brisket return to the menu again in the future.
Next Up: Skip the line with our Chipotle copycat recipes.
