How long to smoke small Brisket..taking forever

[JONNYROTTEN]

We have an 1 1/2" thick 3.2# brisket(kinda looks like a london broil) going at 235 deg for 5 hours and were only at 162 deg internal meat temp....How long is this thing going to take,,,Getting late and hungry

 

[jtratcliff]

I do my full sized packers cut briskets (10-12lb) high and fast instead of low and slow on a Weber kettle grill with indirect heat and it takes me 5ish+ hours. The real low & slowers with smokers can take 12-18 hrs for the bigger briskets.

The temperature does seem to plateau for a while and then start creeping up again...I pull it at 170F, wrap in foil, then back on until tender (maybe 200F)


http://virtualweberbullet.com/brisket4.html

 

[Brickman]

Wrap it in aluminum foil and push the cooker temp up to 275. You can even go as high as 300. Cook to an internal temperature of 200 to 203. You can tell when it is done as a thermometer will slide in with little resistance. I cook almost all of my briskets now between 250 and 300. If the meat is choice grade or better you can cook it hotter. Prime briskets can even go up to 300. Above 300 and the sugar starts to burn.

Mark

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Thanks guys...I'm feeling a pizza night coming on. We didn't think a 1 1/2" brisket low and slow would take 8 hours.

 

[Genuine]

Wait till you do beef short ribs. And thought those lil hunks or meat would take 3 hours. 7 hours later they were finally done

 

[Brewski_59]

Thanks guys...I'm feeling a pizza night coming on. We didn't think a 1 1/2" brisket low and slow would take 8 hours.

That happened to me as well. Took 10 hours to finish. (I didn't want to use a crutch). We ended up going out for BBQ that night. Had the Brisket for thanksgiving lunch.

 

[yeahfairly]

I do my briskets (8 to 12 pounds.... depending on what's available) for 10 to 12 hours at 200..... Spritz it as it cooks with a beer and apple cider vinegar mixture to keep it moist...

 

[BrewerE]

We have an 1 1/2" thick 3.2# brisket(kinda looks like a london broil) going at 235 deg for 5 hours and were only at 162 deg internal meat temp....How long is this thing going to take,,,Getting late and hungry

Read this: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html

paying special attention to three things:

"the stall" (where you were at when you posted this)
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/the_stall.html

"the crutch" (how to get past the stall quicker)
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/texas_crutch.html

and "when is it done" (200* +/- 5*)

 

[Cyclman]

I used to think the barbecue took way too long. Now, after 4 to 5 hours of smoking – I finish it in the oven. Never noticed a major flavor or other difference. Still wonderful barbecue.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I smoked my first brisket yesterday. I thought I was doing pretty good getting it on the grill by 11:30 AM. Boy was I wrong. By the time 8:00 PM rolled around everyone was getting kind of hungry, so I started bumping the temperature up to get it to finish and pulled it off with an IT of 190. In the end it was very delicious, but not as tender as I would have liked. It needed to get up to 200 before I pulled it off probably. The next time I take a shot at it I'll start early in the morning.

 

[Brewsncrabs]

Brisket stalls around 160 degrees as the fibers start to break down. It can take a couple hours until temps ramp up. Low and slow will take all day.

 

[azdavid]

I usually figure 1.5 hrs per pound at 225 -250 no matter the size. Wrap at 160 and back on the smoker until tender usually around 200
If it looks like it is going to be done earlier than expected pull a bit sooner maybe around 195 wrap with towels and it will hold for hours in a cooler.

 

[Brentk14]

Most of my briskets take 10-12 hours. I cook them at 235, spritz them with a beer, chicken stock and hot sauce blend, until it gets between 168-172. Then I wrap it in butcher paper, and bump the heat to 255-265 to finish it. I pull it at 195-198 and wrap it in a towel and let it rest for at least an hour. Usually ends up with perfect texture, and a passes the "pull test". That being said, the last one I did, on Tuesday night, was put on at 11pm and I didn't pull it until 4:30. What is that, 17.5 hours? It was delicious, but a little too smokey. Just goes to show you, it's a natural product, so each one is on a different time table.

 

[NSMikeD]

been doing brisket with the equivalent often reverse sear method. It's solid when you need to serve at a specific time. Basically, start early and set the smoker for 185. Then let go to sleep and and forget about it. Eventually the brisket with get through the stall and reach 185 low enough so it wont dry out but the fibers will continue to break down. About an hour before serve time, crank the smoker up and pull it off when it's tender. You can hold in a foil tent. `

 

[Dcpcooks]

Brisket needs time to break down and get tender, about 12 hours for a 7-10 pounder. I'm a fan of putting it on the night before and letting the fire die. At work I use a $10k combi oven but at home it's a big green egg.

Low and slow works really well

 

[Transamguy77]

The last few briskets I've done have gone 18-26 hours. And have ranged in weight 8-16 lbs.

Low and slow is how I do them 200-225 and wrap in foil and let rest for at least an hour.

I also enjoy and overnight but I can't say I've had the fire go out intentionally, I get my heat where I want it and pile up a bunch of charcoal and it will be close to 200 in the morning. I'm using a UDS which holds the heat very well.

 

[bfish]

Hot and Fast (300) using Bludawg's K.I.S.S. method works great for me. If it finishes early, just rest it in a cooler with towels/newspaper to take up dead space (stays warm for at least 5 hours).

Although I have gotten away from cooking brisket (used to be $1.99 now it is $7.99 for just the flat). I do clod or chuck roast the same way and it is very good too (some like it better).

 

[Transamguy77]

I have done chuck also but i find I like it better in my Dutch oven at 225. I either put it in at night or in the morning before work. My wife will sometimes then put it on the stove and reduce all the liquid and then it's fantastic on a roll with some cheese.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I smoked a 6.5 lb brisket yesterday at 225 with a juice pan under it. This was my first one on the BGE. It cooked for 14 hours and only reached 174 degrees. I could have waited longer for it to reach 190 but everybody was hungry and it was getting late at night. That seems like a long time to me. I was told about 1.5 hours per pound. This went way over that and was still not done enough for me. Any suggestions? If I would have left it on to reach 190 it may have taken 16 hours. Does that seem a little long?

Brisket is done when it's done... And 174 degrees (also 190 degrees) is probably not done. You need to cook it until tender, which often is that 200-205 range (but may vary based on cooking temp/etc).

Generally brisket keeps well for at least 4 hours, wrapped in aluminum foil, then wrapped in towels, in a cooler. So if you're cooking brisket, you want to err on the side of giving it MORE time than you think.

One of the biggest things that is tough about brisket is "the stall". It's a point where the meat just literally sits at about 160-165 degrees (typically) for hours. This is well-described by the Amazing Ribs folks, and refers to the point where the meat is basically "sweating" out its moisture in evaporative cooling. If you want to speed up a brisket cook, there are two main ways:

1. Wrap the brisket in either foil or butcher paper when you get to the stall. This will trap the moisture so you don't get evaporative cooling. Some people don't like foil as it can REALLY soften the bark and give you almost a "pot roast" type result, but I've never had complaints. Butcher paper is a little bit more permeable and can help with that. Butcher paper is commonly used by Texas pitmasters.
2. Increase the temp. Most competition cooks are running 275 for brisket instead of 225. A hotter temp will power through the stall faster, as well as get the entire cook done faster. Aaron Franklin doesn't recommend this to home smokers if they have a smoker where there isn't much separation from the heat and the meat, but I've found with my Kamado Joe that a 1/2" thick ceramic heat deflector, and the very small fire inside a kamado to maintain 275, works JUST fine.

Honestly I'd consider running it hotter. Not really hotter than 275-300 max. You can get away with pork butt hotter, but brisket I wouldn't chance it.