Brisket - cook time?

I usually give myself 12hrs at 250° using a kettle or pbc and the Texas crutch. Might be different with a pellet smoker. Go on YouTube and type in the cooker you are using along with the word “brisket” and I’m sure you’ll find hella info

I give 1.25 hours per LB to cook but don’t forget rest time after it’s done cooking.

If you are doing it on a pellet grill do yourself a favor and stretch the cook longer at lower temps. I do a 14# pre-trimmed brisket for 17 hours and no need to wrap it on a pellet grill. I go 10 hours @ 180 (extreme smoke) and then the final 7 hours between 225 and 275* depending on when I want it done. I know myself and Robb (rwalters) have done long brisket cooks and pellet grills (I'm sure others have too) so you can look up those threads.

Brisket is not cooked by time/temp. It's done when it's done. Knowing when it's done is the magic - toothpick probe tender. Anything else is hit or miss.

Cook it at low for about two hours. Crank it up to 325. Wrap or boat. Spray it. Leave in oven for min an hour. Serve. Long the rest the better.

slider2021 said:

and what would be the sweet spot when it comes to finished temp?

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Since it is your first brisket, let use some general starting points. Try cooking at 275-300 fat side down. Probe brisket in the flat after three hours. You are looking for a temp of 160- 65 in the middle of the flat, not the point. Wrap in 18" heavy duty aluminum foil (don't be afraid to use plenty of foil) at 165, fat side with about a cup of beef broth and put foil wrapped brisket into a full size aluminum pan then back on the smoker. After a couple of hours in the foil, probe again in the middle of the flat. Once the brisket reaches 195 you are getting close to done. Lots of folks suggest the brisket is done when the probe goes into the flat with the resistance of room temperature butter. That is a feel that usually only come with experience. I can tell you from experience, that some briskets never reach that "probes like butter" feeling. Since it is your first brisket I wouldn't take it past 203-205. Remove from smoker and open the foil and let it vent on the counter for 15 minutes, then wrap back up. Wrap in a couple of towels and place in a cooler for at least an hour. Could use the oven if you have a low setting of 170 degrees. but cooler should work for several hours.



How long will it take? Hard to say. I guessing 7-8 hours. Could be more, could be less. I'd allow at lest 10-12 hours just to be safe. If you have to hold it that is a good thing, just use more towels for insulation.


Good luck,


Robert

Not sure if your Traeger pellet grill has the same sloping metal diffuser/grease diverter that most of my pellet grills have had, but I’ve found when cooking over 250* and using the bottom shelf most close to it, I get radiant heat that has scorched the bottom of the food I cook. There are parts that are only an inch or two away, so I either cook on the top shelf further away from the diffuser plate, or I cook below 250*….or both. Something to keep in mind if you follow any of the suggestions to use a higher cook temp. On a pellet grill, my preference is to cook at a lower temp for a longer amount of time for better smoke production, and since it pretty much runs itself, usually I can adjust the start time to accommodate the longer cook time.

You can hold it for a good long time wrapped in whatever you wrapped it in to get past stall, then a bath towel, then in cooler. And you definitely want to hold it for probably an hour minimum. If you want to serve at 6:30 you can probably try to time finish at 4:30, with some wiggle if it doesn't finish until 5:30, and then wrap and hold til serving time.

All advice above is sound, you just have to figure out the best approach for you with that particular smoker. A few things I would add is to be mindful of how much time the brisket spends between internal temps of 170 - 200. It takes time for the soft tissues to render. Each animal is different and there are certainly multiple grades of beef. I would also suggest starting a journal for all of your brisket cooks on your smoker as well as a thermometer, preferably one with probe to avoid opening lid to take measurements. Suggest taking and recording temp readings every 15 min once meat reaches 170 until it's done (or buying a thermometer that logs temps for you). IMO, done is not only desired internal temp, but also probe tender. After about 5-6 brisket cooks you should have a great "feel" for your smoker and won't need to take as many temp readings. Lastly, as you develop your own procedure to achieve the results you want on that smoker, try not to change too many variables at any one time.

oldgfbbq said:

All advice above is sound, you just have to figure out the best approach for you with that particular smoker. A few things I would add is to be mindful of how much time the brisket spends between internal temps of 170 - 200. It takes time for the soft tissues to render. Each animal is different and there are certainly multiple grades of beef. I would also suggest starting a journal for all of your brisket cooks on your smoker as well as a thermometer, preferably one with probe to avoid opening lid to take measurements. Suggest taking and recording temp readings every 15 min once meat reaches 170 until it's done (or buying a thermometer that logs temps for you). IMO, done is not only desired internal temp, but also probe tender. After about 5-6 brisket cooks you should have a great "feel" for your smoker and won't need to take as many temp readings. Lastly, as you develop your own procedure to achieve the results you want on that smoker, try not to change too many variables at any one time.

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^This above, especially the part I put in bold. But all of G-man's list is very, very good advice and will help you on your journey to cooking good to great briskets. The journal idea is a great tool for all of your cooks. Used to do it myself, but quit for some unknown reason. Probably should start back, but apathy sets in.

Be careful if using a rule of thumb like "1.5 hours per-pound" as it really only applies to full packers.

The last 4.5 pound brisket I did took 10 hours @250.

hedonsmbot said:

Be careful if using a rule of thumb like "1.5 hours per-pound" as it really only applies to full packers.

The last 4.5 pound brisket I did took 10 hours @250.

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This rule doesn't really work on whole packers either since every brisket is different and every cooker cooks differently. That is why so many say "it's done when it's done". Probe tender in the thickest part of the flat is a decent way to know that.

I don't think people have mentioned this yet so I'll add that the temperature window of "done" will vary depending on the cooking temperature. If cooking at a low temp like 225F, the "done" window tends to be significantly lower like a range of 190-200F. When cooking at higher temps like 300F, the "done" window may be as high as 205-215F, but once again every brisket is different. Don't panic if you are seeing internal temps over 200F and it is not probe tender yet.

I don't think rest has been touched on enough here either. If you can figure out a way to hold the brisket at 145ish F for a very long time after cooking, it will turn out better. I've known this for years, but the community is recently waking up to the benefits of an extended rest time for brisket. As long as 10 hours or more seems to be the most effective. Just make sure to let the brisket cool down (keep it from continuing to cook) by venting the foil or paper out on the countertop till the internal temp drops down before putting it in your warm holding device of choice.

Briskets cannot tell time. They are done when they are done. The whole trick of briskets is knowing when to takethe off the smoker.
Tjat being said, 11 hours amd probing ar 203 at the point where the flat and point overlap will get you close.
Also, all at least an hour for resting.
I have had briskets done at 197-211. Each one is different

Good luck

Put it on at 6 am cook may take 8 to 12 hours due to a stall. Hopefully it will be done in 8 and can rest for 3-4 hours. The rest is as important as the cook, IMO.

Best of luck

One thing I may have missed, was this 12 lbs before trimming, or after. Might be a 9.5 lber after you trim. All the cooking advice, from the other posters will apply, though the time to reach optimal internal temps will be shorter.