07/04/2025
Smoking a brisket often seems daring but once you get it done, it’s no harder than smoking a pork butt.
This prime brisket started out at 11.5lbs and after trimming it was down to 9lbs. It weighed 6lbs after smoking. This is typical when making brisket, I usually anticipate and factor in a 50% loss between trimming and water loss during smoking. Whatever your untrimmed brisket weighs, half it, and that’s typically (as a general rule of thumb) your final yield weight. This is good to know if you’re smoking for an event, friends, or even just yourself.
I trim, bind with Worcestershire sauce or water, season with my Brisket Blend and let chill unwrapped overnight in the fridge. If I’m in a bind, I’ll let it sit for 30 minutes. I prefer putting meat on cold, right from the fridge, and I also recently have been experimenting with putting the meat on and THEN firing up the smoker and letting it get to temperature. I’ve found it makes things extra Smokey as for the first 45 minutes or so, my larger cuts of meat are essentially cold smoking. Do you have to do this? No, of course not. I just like the outcome better. And yes, it could very well be a placebo — but hey, what works, works!
Once my brisket is on, I typically smoke fat-side up at 275F to avoid any stalls. Since smoking at this temperature and making the switch about a year ago, I’ve had ZERO stalls. When I’m not in a rush or don’t mind it taking longer, I smoke at 225-250F. But this is a rarity for me. I’ve found it needs more spritzing at a lower temperature and it of course takes longer. I’ve found no difference in the end product when smoking at 225F vs 275F.
I smoke for temperature not time. I don’t believe in the “I let it smoke for 5 hours then I do XYZ” as a universally accepted metric for smoking because no two briskets are the same. Even if they’re the same weight they will cook differently. I prefer consistency and I smoke each brisket until the bark is set and does not rub off on your finger. This typically happens around 170-185F.
Once there, I foil boat my brisket and let it ride to 202F. I either rest it wrapped in foil on my counter until 150F
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