Brisket 225F or 250F

[smokin fool]

To loosely quote my wife: "Dinner better be on time!"
I smoke em hot n fast for self preservation....

[BarbecueBob]

Thank you ecowper. I will be cooking my very first brisket this weekend despite having grilled for many years.

My son is allergic to beef and I have been sticking to pork butts so far for my long cooks. With all y’all’s write ups of briskets and juicy pictures I finally pulled the trigger on brisket. To keep the son happy, I am making him pork butt the day before and then brisket after. Can’t wait 🤤

[Dadof3Illinois]

My 2 cents and what has worked for me is starting low @225 for the first 2-3 hours then slowly raise my cooking temp up to 275-300 for the remainder of the cook. I do spritz 2-3 times during the low phase of the cook....i've experimented with this and for me I see a difference in the bark...not so much added flavor but a nice crispy exterior...I'm sure it's just me but why change it if it's working right??
So as you can see there's a million ways to skin this cat...keep experimenting and find what works for you and only make small changes each time until you find that "perfect" way you like brisket.
Good luck and happy grilling!!

[mrteddyprincess]

To loosely quote Myron Mixon, "I ain't got no nineteen hours to cook no damn piece of meat."

[Bogy]

225 or 250, I don't think it matters much. I think what temp the meat starts at makes a bigger difference. If I see someone start out saying, let the brisket or butt or whatever come to room temp, I stop reading. I start my meat at about 30 F. That effects my time more then the temp of the cooker. The meat stays in the zone where it's picking up smoke a lot longer. Cold, moist meat likes smoke. Meat at 160 stops taking on smoke. So, do you want to start your meat and 70, and have it take on smoke from 70 to 160, or 90 degrees, or from 30 to 160, or 130 degrees worth of cooking time. You can open the cooker and spritz, and that will cool the meat down and make it take longer, but I like my way better.

[Planner47]

Davidnorcross
Agree and keep the smoke clean.

[DavidNorcross]

Please do not take this as a smart remark. But just cook it. You may fall into 225, 250, 300 or above. Where ever it settles in and you are able to maintain is the place you need to be. As others have said temp is a small portion of this. My sincere advice is dont over think it. My best briskets were the ones where I thought they were going to be the worst.

[Mudkat]

Sounds long to me if you power through the stall after good bark formation and wrap it. Maybe You could plan 18 hours and faux cambro for a few hours if it comes in at 16 hours. I’ve never had a 21 hour cook. But I’m no Aaron Franklin. Once the bark is formed you could speed it up with higher temps if needed,

[ecowper]

To reinforce what Uncle Bob said ….. there are a bunch of things that go into cooking a good brisket. Pit temperature is just one of many elements that are important. In some ways, it is probably the least important. Consistency of method is probably the most important.

[Mudkat]

I shoot for ranges. I love a long slow cook between 225 and two 250 with the dialed in range at 235 - 245 with water bowl for both bark and moisture. Cold meat and low starting heat for smoke ring. Just a thought, not a sermon.

[MauleGuy]

Ok, sounds like 225 or 250 is the choice for pellet grills. I can do 225F until I wrap it in pink butcher paper then go 250F or so.

Anyone have a WAG on time per lb for each of those tmps. I heard Franklin say 1.5 hrs at his 250F which translates into 21 hrs on a 14 lb packer. Sound right to everyone?

[Attjack]

Hotter and faster imo.

[JeffJ]

I typically run in the 240-290 range. Over time my experience has been that cuts of meat like brisket are pretty forgiving when it comes to temperature fluctuation and they cook pretty consistently within the low/slow range.

[Uncle Bob]

Troutman, it's strictly for medicinal purposes.......really.

[Troutman]

Thanks professor !!!

Now put down that bottle of whiskey before you hurt yourself !!!