Cooking Temps -- 225, 250, 275...

[mjr]

This ought to be a fun discussion...

Ok, if all goes well, I'm going to be smoking a brisket for the Super Bowl.

I don't want to have to start at midnight or 3 in the morning or anything.

The brisket is going to be about 9 pounds, and I'll be smoking it on my WSM, using the Texas Crutch with butcher paper.

I've heard that going from 225 to 250 can drastically reduce cook time. Is that true?

I've also heard that people like Aaron Franklin and Harry Soo smoke their briskets at 275.

How much time should I allow, at what temp should I wrap (I've heard anywhere from 150 to 170), and at what temp should I cook it?

I'm probably going to pull it at around 197-200 degrees, but I'm wondering what chamber temp I should use.

 

[Biloxidman]

I don’t think there’s much difference between 250 and 275. My last one was at 275, wrapped at 160, total time to get to 200 was 6 hours or so on Big Joe. Rested in the oven at 150 for another 2 hours. I liked the result.

 

[TXArmy]

Last few years I only cook at 275-300, beef and pork. Same if not better taste/results than 225-250 and cuts time by 1/4-1/3 of time. Also embrace the long hold, 6-12hrs, also better results and more sleep.

 

[smokeacholic]

Get that WSM up to 300f then put that brisket on for 1 hour, turn for 1 hour and if the color is good wrap with your juices. A little over 3 hours probe for tenderness, cooking at high temp isn’t great if you are using a sweet rub due to burning. Also keep sufficient liquid in that wrap. You will end up with a tender brisket.

 

[sandro]

Anything at or above 225 and at or below 300 is perfect and will produce fine results. Aim for 250-275+, there is really no need to spend a whole day babysitting 225

 

[mjr]

Ok. Thanks, everyone. I think I'm going to go with somewhere between 250 and 275. I'm gonna wrap at around 160, and let it ride until about 200.

 

[Mike Twangzer]

So ... where did you say that this was happening ? Don't want to be late !!!

 

[1MoreFord]

The last brisket I cooked was at 325°F and may have been the best I've ever cooked. No wrap, just put on and cook it.

Whatever you do, Do Not cook to temp! Cook till it probes tender all over. Cooking to temp works for steak, not brisket.

 

[Porcine Perfection]

My BB had a sweet spot of 275 so I just use that for everything. I have tried some lower temp cooks on my chimp but don't notice much difference.


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[cowboyupbbq]

I’m a fan of 275, unless on a drum or good stick burner, then I like 325.

 

[Swine Spectator]

I'm a 275⁰ - 300⁰ guy myself. That yields the best results for me.

 

[CivilTrojan]

This ought to be a fun discussion...

Ok, if all goes well, I'm going to be smoking a brisket for the Super Bowl.

I don't want to have to start at midnight or 3 in the morning or anything.

The brisket is going to be about 9 pounds, and I'll be smoking it on my WSM, using the Texas Crutch with butcher paper.

I've heard that going from 225 to 250 can drastically reduce cook time. Is that true?

I've also heard that people like Aaron Franklin and Harry Soo smoke their briskets at 275.

How much time should I allow, at what temp should I wrap (I've heard anywhere from 150 to 170), and at what temp should I cook it?

I'm probably going to pull it at around 197-200 degrees, but I'm wondering what chamber temp I should use.

Well… did you smoke a brisket? If so, what temp? How long did it take? And how was it?

 

[mjr]

Ok, I wanted to come back and post an update.

I put the brisket on the smoker around 4:30 AM, fat side up. It weighed in at roughly 9 pounds. For the rub, I used a mixture of fresh ground black pepper, kosher salt, and cayenne. It was basically 1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper per pound, and half that in salt. So 9 tablespoons of pepper, 4.5 tablespoons of kosher salt, and I threw in 1 tablespoon of cayenne for a little extra kick.

Anyway, I put it on, wrapped in butcher paper at 160, and pulled at 200.

When I pulled it, it was around 12:30 or so. For a 9 pound brisket cooking at 250, that seems like a surprisingly short amount of time. I expected another 2-3 hours of cook time.

It didn't develop the tough bark other briskets I'd cooked have. Which to me is good. I don't like the really tough barks.

Even after a rest period it wasn't quite as tender as I'd hoped. Especially the flat. I mean, it was tender, and it tasted good, but it wasn't quite as tender as I'd hoped. That could be me cutting it wrong, or too thick, as well.

But now at least I have a good baseline.