1st time brisket questions

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vintage

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 3, 2012
19
10
mesa AZ
I've done enough pork butts that I feel comfortable with them. This will be my first brisket and am curious about cooking times. I read that with foiling my time will reduce from 1.5 hrs to 1hr per pound. So foiling a 14 lb brisket I'm giving myself a 15 hr cook time plus 3 hrs of rest . Have I given myself enough time
 
Hi Vintage,

You should always plan on about 2 hours per pound unless you are cranking the temperature up to 275 - 300.  That being said, you can smoke a 14 pound brisket at 225 and it will take about 28 hours.  What foiling does for you is that it helps the brisket get through the stall more quickly and thus MAY reduce your cook time but there are no guarantees.

Here is the key....plan on the long side (2 hrs per pound) but cook the brisket to an internal temperature and don't worry about the time.  You want somewhere close to 200 degrees IT.  Also, never forget the tenderness test using a temperature probe or a toothpick.  If it slides in and out like through warm butter then that baby is ready!

Good luck and be sure to post plenty of Q-View.

Bill 
 
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That's kinda what I figured. Into the smoker it goes, hopefully its done by 5 pm tomorrow
 
This is my rule when foiling:

Smoking Brisket

Marinate overnight, 220 degrees to 175 IT, foil, increase smoker temp to 250 and return till 190 IT, bag and tag for an minimum of hour, (2 is better). Tip: Toothpick

But each person marches to their own drummer.

Remember to enjoy the smoke.
 
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Okay so its 3am and temp gauge says my brisket is at 201? It has the "spongy" feel to it when I touch it but there's still some resistance with the skewer. Should I take it out and wrap it or let it go a little longer till there's no resistance. Seems a little odd it finished so early
 
Okay so I put it in the oven at 170 will see how it is after the rest. I wanna crisp the bark up a little, would putting it back in the smoker an hr or two before we eat work or would that dry it out
 
If you don't need the oven today, you can wrap the Brisket up in foil and set the oven for 150°F and leave it there until an hour before you are ready to carve. You can then take it out and set the Bark on the Grill or in a 500°F oven with a rest of a min of 15 minutes on the counter just tented loosely with foil. Otherwise you have to cool it down, refrigerate and reheat at 300°F in a pan covered to an IT of 165°F. You are essentially cooking it twice which could dry it out. You had a 14lb Brisket done in under 12 hours? Either you smoked really hot, 300°F+/- or you need to check your thermometer. That would be very unusual to go under 1 hour per pound at 225-250°F...JJ
 
Here it is, in all its glory!
I added some brown sugar to the natural juices and put it back in the brisket. Everything tastes pretty good. I trimmed it before I cooked so im guessing that and foiling us what helped the cooking time. Temps were checked by two digital thermometers. The smoke temp was 200-225 and after foiling in the 240s
 
No, I foiled at about 150-155. It was tender and delicious but because I foiled in a pan, tasted like a pot roast. I got some really good iinfo from a member (kc5tpy) about good texas brisket that will be my next try, cooked unfoiled the whole time.

From what I've read there's three styles to brisket cooking
1. Unofoiled the whole smoke
2.foiled in a pan after initial smoke
3.wrap tightly in foil only avoiding air pockets after initial smoke

I honestly think I'm going to enjoy uncovered most but wanna try just foil as well. I'm going to be cooking for about 100 people in November and was just going to do pork butts but brisket was demanded. Now I'm rushing to find "my brisket"

Oh yah, 4. Hot and fast
 
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