I always shoot for 250-275 to start the cooking process. After wrapping I may increase the temp to get it done a little faster if I am pressed for time, I always want a brisket to rest at least two hours. Also, it seems any brisket will take longer than you figure at the beginning.
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I haven’t done ANYTHING at 225° in years. I shoot for 250°, and anything from 240° to 260° is fine, if the cooker settles there I leave it alone.
225° I get impatient, 275° I get worried. But really both will work. Anywhere in that range is fine. Habits and methods are hard to break, though.Comment
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I could have written that â˜ï¸ That’s exactly how I feel also. -
If I am smoking overnight, I set the alarm on my Smoke to 200F for the low, and 300F for the high, and I really don't care if the cooking temp rides anywhere between, since like you I am usually shooting for 250F, and don't want to be waked up unless it gets really out of wack...
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225 to me is a myth. Because if anything goes wrong in your pit and you go below 225, it means more time and frustration. I shoot for 250-265...That way if there is a problem, I can fix it before it goes to 200. I mainly try to keep it under 300 so as not to cook the connective tissues and create a toughness.
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Since you're intrigued by both methods, perhaps you might want to choose one and follow it exactly for this cook, and choose the other method for the next brisket cook. Take good notes on times, temperatures, and the results, so your comparison will be more meaningful. Here's a link to the cooking log/ diary that Meathead recommends.
KathrynComment
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Check out Chud's BBQ channel on YouTube. He has a bunch of brisket how to videos, including some specifically on how to do a brisket on a Weber kettle.Comment
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I just cooked an 11 lb Prime brisket yesterday on the Silverbac. It's been a long time since I have done one, so I read thru the Meathead recipe just to get my head back into it. Started at 0400 with the smoker at 260F, the meat went on right out of the fridge where it had been dry brining, and went back to sleep with a temp alarm and a regular alarm (for the dog) set for 0700. At 0700, it was already at 152F so I bumped the heat down to 230F for the rest of the cook. At 170F I double wrapped it in foil so it wouldn't dry out too much, and ran it to 203F. Into the cooler with towels for 4 hours. The whole cook took just over 12 hours from start-up to table. Sorry, no pictures! It was delicious! Very tender and moist, and the flavor from Meathead's bottled Red Meat rub was great, it's the first time I've used it.Comment
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I've done briskets at all those temps and think it really depends on the quality of your brisket and your smoker. Try at several temps and see what you like best. I'm currently on a 22 WSM and find that 250 is best with the beef I can get here.Comment
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Get to know your smoker. 225 can be a difficult temp to hold in some smokers. Many smokers settle in around 250. I'd rather sit there than chase temps all day in an effort to maintain 225.
My usual range is 225-275. Depending on external variables.Comment
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Taste. Not temperature. If you're pleasing the people you're cooking the brisket for, temperature, time does not matter. There are so many different ways to cook brisket and whether it's done at 225 or 325 F the deciding factor should be taste and tenderness. Also, there are SO many different types of cookers we're using here that it really comes down to mastering your own cooker! There are no short-cuts around cooking a LOT of briskets and getting good at it :-)Comment
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I think Panhead John has a microwave tutorial...Comment
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I believe this is scottranda ‘s area of obsession.Last edited by STEbbq; July 5, 2022, 04:07 PM.
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The cooker is integral to your cook temp. I have a kamado and they are too efficient to get good smoke at 225. I like 270-290 anywhere in there. Actually, I don't sweat the temp much bc with a kamado it's gonna find it's temp based on the vents which I don't fiddle with - knowing roughly where they need to be. Once the temp finds it's resting spot, on a kamado anyway, it'll stick there for a good 6-8 hours.
I don't have a kettle but my advice is to not freak out about the temp. Keep it steady and take notes so you have a basis for your attack on the second brisket. You just have to cook a bunch and you'll absolutely figure it out. Have fun!Comment
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I am probably different than most on this one. I set the cooker at 200 and cook the brisket until it reaches 175, Then tightly wrap in butcher paper until done. Works well for me especially on a pellet cooker.Comment
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Franklin vs. Meathead: If you're not sure, pick one, and follow it. They both produce great results. They've both worked for lots of people, and they both have been tested extensively.
There are a lot of ways to cook the brisket from competition cooks, to chefs, to backyard gurus, to random people on the internet.Comment
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