How long does it take to smoke a brisket? This isn’t an easy question since many factors determine when a brisket will take to be ready. Everything from the size of the meat to your cooking temperature will affect how long the cooking process will take.
The short answer: smoking a brisket at 225°F takes about 1.5 to 2 hours per pound. At 250°F, it takes 1 to 1.5 hours per pound. At 300°F, it takes 30-45 minutes per pound. For example, if your brisket is 10 pounds, plan about 10 to 15 hours of cook time when smoking at 225°F. However, the beautiful thing about brisket is you can keep it hot, wrapped inside a cooler, for hours. This way, you don’t need to be precise, trying to finish when dinner is ready to be served.
How long will your brisket take to be ready for different temperatures? Can you overcook the brisket? Are 24 hours too long to smoke a brisket? Let’s dive into these questions, and more so you can gauge your time more precisely and plan a successful cook.
How Long Do You Smoke a Brisket Per Pound?
I recommend smoking a brisket at 225°F, which takes about 1 and a half to 2 hours per pound to cook. If smoking at 250°F, plan to smoke the meat for about 1.5 hours per pound. Smoking at 300°F should take anywhere from 30-45 minutes per pound to cook.
How Long Does Brisket Take to Smoke at 225?
Smoking a brisket at 225°F will have varying finish times, but it will take about 6 hours until the internal temperature is 160°F. At that time, wrap the brisket in butcher paper or foil and return it to the smoker. Smoke until the meat reaches an internal temperate of 200-205°F. The exact best temperature will vary depending on your brisket and other factors.
Is It Better to Smoke Brisket at 225 or 250?
According to some pitmasters and amateur cooks, you should set your pellet grill or keep your smoker temperature close to 250°F when smoking a brisket. Many believe even though smoking brisket at 250°F instead of 225°F will result in the meat cooking more quickly, the brisket will still come out juicy and tender.
How Long Do You Smoke a 7-Pound Brisket?
For a 7-pound brisket smoking at 250°F, plan on approximately 60 minutes plus additional time to rest the meat. The total cooking time varies, not only because of the size and thickness of the meat but also what temperature you’re smoking at, humidity levels, when you wrap, etc.
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Why Did My Brisket Turn Out Tough?
Usually, tough brisket occurs when undercooking the meat. To achieve great tenderness, the brisket must be cooked at a low temperature for many hours. If the brisket does turn out too tough, you may be able to salvage it by returning the meat to low heat for a few hours. Another cause of tough beef can come from the way you slice. Make sure to carve against the grain. Read more in our comprehensive brisket guide to properly cut brisket for best results.
Can You Overcook Brisket?
Yes! It is possible to overcook any meat, including brisket. The tricky thing with brisket is that it needs to reach a specific range of internal temperatures. It’s easy to serve overcooked, dry, or undercooked brisket that resembles eating a rubber tire. The best brisket will fall apart and melt in your mouth.
Why Is My Smoked Brisket Dry?
There are a few reasons why your brisket was dry. If you smoked at too high of a temperature, you didn’t give the fat time to render. If you cooked the brisket too long, so the internal temperature reached past 208°F, the meat dried out. Rest the brisket for at least 30 minutes before slicing, or the juices won’t redistribute and end up running out onto your cutting surface instead of remaining in the meat.
Can You Smoke a Brisket Too Slow?
Yes, I recommend you don’t smoke a brisket in a smoker set below 225°F. Taking too long to cook brisket by smoking at a low temperature can cause the outside of the meat to become hard while waiting for the middle to reach around 203°F. The inside will then lose all the juices, causing the meat to turn out tough and dry, which makes the brisket extremely difficult to chew and swallow.
It is optional to smoke a brisket at 200°F and still have great meat to serve. However, it will take longer to cook. Do not smoke a brisket below 200°F for the reasons given above.
Is 24 Hours Too Long to Smoke a Brisket?
Yes and no. If you are smoking your brisket at 225°F to 275°F, you shouldn’t be smoking even a larger cut of meat longer than about 20 hours. If it takes you 24 hours to reach an internal temperature of approximately 203°F, you may have your smoker’s temperature too low. I would expect a brisket to take anywhere from 12 to 20 hours to be ready to come off and rest.
If you don’t wrap the brisket, you’ll be stuck cooking for potentially hours longer than needed while being stuck in the stall. Wrapping your brisket will save time while keeping the bark from becoming too thick.
What Is the Longest You Can Rest a Brisket?
You mustn’t let the meat continue cooking after you remove it from the smoker. You’ll have carryover that can’t be avoided, which is okay and expected as long as you don’t overcook the meat leaving it dry and difficult to chew. We suggest letting the brisket rest for no longer than 4 hours. However, if you’re smoking the flat and point alone or separately, try to aim for a maximum resting time of 3 hours.
Learn more about resting in the complete guide to smoking a brisket STEP 15
How Many Minutes Per Pound for a Brisket at 225?
Smoking a brisket at 225°F will take about 1.5 to 2 hours per pound. A 10-pound brisket smoking at 225°F will take about 15 to 20 hours to finish. Other factors affect the time it takes to smoke a brisket, including thickness, humidity, not wrapping, etc. This is why there’s always a range of a few hours.
How Long Should I Smoke a 10 lb Brisket?
At 225°F, a brisket will smoke for about 1.5 to 2 hours for every pound. This means a 10 lb brisket will take between 15 and 20 hours to smoke. Increasing the cooking temperature to 250°F, a 10 lb brisket can take approximately 10 to 15 hours to cook. A 10 lb brisket smoking at 275°F will take about 7.5 to 10 hours until it’s ready to come off the heat.
Conclusion
Answering the question about how long it takes to smoke a brisket is more complicated but can be simplified by first deciding at what temperature you’ll smoke the meat. Smoking a brisket at 225°F takes about 1.5 to 2 hours per pound. Smoking a little warmer at 250°F will bring you down to 1 to 1.5 hours per pound, while smoking at a hot 300°F will take about 30-45 minutes per pound to cook a brisket.
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If you’re curious about smoking a brisket, CLICK BELOW TO READ ABOUT THE 12 MOST COMMON BASKET MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM.
Bon Appétit