Smoking time for 9lb brisket

[cornfedkiller]

Planning on making a brisket for a family gathering this weekend, and I think I have pretty much everything figured out (thanks to everyone here!) other than the time.

Its a 9lb brisket, so I'm wondering how long you guys think it will take on my Green Mountain grill at 225 degrees.  I'm planning on putting it in a pan for the smoke (not sure if that makes any difference?). 

The meal is at noon, and I would like for it to be done around 9-10am or so, so that I can foil it and put it in a cooler for a couple hours.  What time do you think I should start it the night before? Will it take 12 hours? Longer? Shorter?  

I was planning on starting it around 7pm, but I also don't want it to be done at 5am. 

Thanks again for the help!

 

[jcbigler]

Hello, 

For a 9lb packer, on my smoker, I would expect it to be done in about 8 or 9 hours at most. But I also smoker at higher temps than 225, more like 250-275. Still, 9lbs is pretty small, and it's probably fairly thin, so I would expect it to be done in 9 hours tops. I'd say put it on about 1am. That still gives you a couple more hours if it is cooking slow. 

For reference, I did a 12.87 lbs brisket last week, trimmed about 1 1/2 lbs off, and it was done in  9 hours flat. 

 

[SmokinAl]

I would start it the night before. You should figure 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound. If it gets done early, you can double wrap it in foil then towels or a blanket & into a dry cooler. It will stay hot for 5 or 6 hours.

Al

 

[cornfedkiller]

 
I would start it the night before. You should figure 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound. If it gets done early, you can double wrap it in foil then towels or a blanket & into a dry cooler. It will stay hot for 5 or 6 hours.

Al

I'm planning on starting it the night before, but I'm just unsure if I should start it at 5pm or midnight. 

I just wasn't sure if it was only going to take like 8 hours, because if that's the case, I certainly don't want to start it at 7pm.  

And if I get up at 7am and check the temp and its not even close yet, I can crank the temp up to 300-350 right? 

 

[SmokinAl]

I wouldn't crank the temp up like that, brisket is a very tough piece of meat & needs time to break down the connective tissue so it will be tender. Instead of cranking the temp., you can cover the pan with foil and it will cook faster. Maybe start it around 9 pm. It will get to 165-170 rather quickly, then it may stay in that range for hours. If it does foiling will get it going again. If it goes right thru the 165-170 zone then you can always back the smoker temp down to 210-215 and it will slow down the cook time. The exact time frame for cooking brisket is almost impossible to predict. I wish you luck, I know you wanted a better answer than this, but like I said it's very hard to predict the exact finish time.

Al