Cooking Brisket and had questions!

Donwon9999 · December 2013

So I am cooking a 10 lb brisket for tomorrow evening. It has been marinading overnight and should be good with a rub!

I have two questions 1) I have seen a rule of about 1.5 hours / lb for cooking at 225. What happens if I raise the temperature a bit to try and cook within 8-10 hours? 2) Sorry but a basic brisket question, the part that is good to chop up and cut into pieces for further cooking is the tip .. I assume this is the flat portion of the brisket or is it the bigger thicker end.

Sorry for the silly questions but just need to be prepared for cooking!

Jeremiah · December 2013

While I'm noooo expert but I would guess that raising the temp would sacrifice on tenderness. And yes you're correct on the flat/ point. I found these on google:
Hope that helps.

Nature Boy · December 2013

Howdy Donwon.

FIrst of all, the hours per pound thing is not really a good way to judge time. It is more of a curved graph than a straight line. If you want to do a 10 pounder in 8 -10 hours, you might try cooking at 275 for 5 or 6 hours. After that, once you build up a nice bark and smoke flavor, wrap it tightly in foil and return to cooker. Approx 2 hours later, when your internal temp hits 200 or 205 even, pull it off, cover with towels and rest at least an hour.

The point is the part that gets chopped up. It is a fatty muscle that is attached to one end of the flat. The flat, the long flat muscle with the grain running longwise, is generally sliced.

Good luck!

Chris

henapple · December 2013

Mine finished in 16 hours. .13.5 lbs @ 220. Hard to judge.

SmokingInMO · December 2013

Agree with Henapple I plan on 18 hours, 16 to smoke and 2 wrapped in a coller. If it gets done sooner it's a bonus

Nature Boy · December 2013

That's good info, and that's what works for y'all, but the gentleman asked how to do it in 8-10 hours.It can be done…and surprisingly well.

Happy brisketeering!

Chris

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2013

You guys are all correct and there are many ways to do them, but Chris (natureboy) knows how to do championship briskets in 8-10 hours. he does them all the time in competitions.....and brings home the hardware. If I were going to do one fast, I would listen to him

Donwon9999 · December 2013

Thanks for all of the info and yes looking for a temperature to cook for 8-10 hours.

Thanks!

Nature Boy · December 2013

Thanks Centex…There are a lot of roads to a good brisket, and I sure have cooked a bunch of them. Actually, we do ours (12-15 pounds) in about 12 hours. Over the years I have settled in at a cooking temp of 240. The 8-10 hour version is very common among other competitors, especially those cooking on offsets. Many winning teams put their briskets on at 4-5am for a 1:30 turn-in. I've done quite a few 10 hour jobs…and it is quite doable. The bark washes out a little in the foil, but the product is tender and moist.

Funny, when we started competing in 2002, we put our briskets on at 3:30pm for a 1:30 turn in the next day. Rode the whole thing through at 215-220 without foiling. Yep, 22 hours….and it was pretty good actually.

No one way to do it that's for sure.

Cheers!

Chris

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2013

I never wrap but I don't ever have to. I can do them reliably in an hour or so per at around 260-270. I go a little lower most of the time though, just because.

There are as many ways to cook briskets as there are brisket cooks I guess.

Cooking Brisket and had questions!

Comments

Categories