How long should you smoke a beef brisket?

Bottom line: plan for anywhere from 12-18 hours to fully cook your brisket (this includes the initial smoke to 165 degrees and the wrapped smoke to get your meat up to 202 degrees Fahrenheit).

How long do you smoke a brisket at 225?

How Long to Smoke Brisket at 225 Degrees Fahrenheit. When your smoker is set to 225 degrees, you can expect the brisket to cook at a rate of about 1-1/2 to 2 hours per pound. Therefore, if you buy a whole packer brisket that weighs 12 pounds after trimming, you should plan on an 18-hour cooking session.

How long do you smoke a 5 lb beef brisket?

Smoked Brisket (5-10 lbs)

1. Smoker Temperature: 225°F.
2. Smoking Time: 5-7 hrs.
3. Finished Temperature: 200°F.

How long do you smoke a 2 lb beef brisket?

How Long to Smoke a 2 lb Brisket. A 2-pound brisket operates under similar rules. After all, it’s only fractionally larger than a 1.5-pounder. Plan on a cooking time of 3 to 3.5 hours, or slightly longer if you want a really tender brisket.

Why was my smoked brisket tough?

Brisket contains a lot of connective tissue, which can make it tough. The type of connective tissue in brisket is called collagen. Cook the meat quickly and you get tough, dry meat. Cook a brisket slowly, with some liquid, and the collagen turns into gelatin.

Why did my brisket cook so fast?

When large cuts of meat reach an internal temperature of around 150 degrees, they’ll usually stay there for several hours. Pitmasters call this phenomenon the stall, and it sometimes causes newbies to panic and crank up the temperature on the smoker. One side effect of this is the brisket cooking too fast in the end.

What temp is smoked beef brisket done?

Test for doneness. The ideal temperature of a properly smoked brisket is 195°F, but keep in mind that the internal temp of the brisket can increase by 10 degrees even after it’s been removed from the grill. The last thing you want is to overcook your brisket, which results in dry, chewy meat.

Is it better to smoke brisket at 225 or 250?

According to some pitmasters, you should always aim for a smoker temperature of 250 degrees when making smoked brisket. At this temperature, the meat will cook more quickly than it would at 225 degrees, but it will still have the time it needs to achieve a nice tender texture.

How long do you smoke brisket at 250?

I like to plan 90 minutes for every pound of smoked brisket, including the rest or hold temperature, when cooking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The total cook can be anywhere from 8 hours to 16 depending on the size of the cut. It is normal that every brisket you cook will vary in time.

How do you keep a brisket moist when smoking?

Keeping a water pan in the smoker is the best way to retain moisture. After the first 2-3 hours start spritzing your brisket with water, apple juice, hot sauce or apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes to an hour. This helps keep it moist and stops it from burning.

How many minutes per pound do you smoke a brisket?

Our general rule of thumb is to plan on between 30 and 60 minutes per pound. For example, a 16-pound brisket cooked at 275 degrees Fahrenheit will take between 10 and 12 hours. The entire process from trimming, injection, seasoning, and cooking will take between 18 and 20 hours.

Do you smoke a brisket fat side up or down?

If you are in a hurry and want just a quick and simple answer to your question, here it is: cook your brisket with the fat side down. For most smokers, the heat comes from the bottom of the cooker, so cooking brisket with the fat side down will protect the meat from exposure to direct heat.