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How long will brisket take on smoke

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Jjcolo

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How long will meat take on smoke? I've been working on brisket, cooking at 250 and I've heard that it won't take on additional smoke after 140 degrees, which (on average) is about 2 hours into the smoke. Can some of the professionals out there comment on your experience?
 
That is what I have heard as well. When I T gets to 140, don't bother putting smoke wood in anymore. I believe it is pretty accurate.
 
I am not sure why this in in this competetion forum, but if you want a serious answer, the 140 threshold is when the smoke ring stops forming. A brisket will take on smoke to a diminishing degree well beyond that point

If you want smack, my brisket can take on smoke longer than your brisket can.:wink:
 
HeSmellsLikeSmoke said:
I am not sure why this in in this competetion forum, but if you want a serious answer, the 140 threshold is when the smoke ring stops forming. A brisket will take on smoke to a diminishing degree well beyond that point

If you want smack, my brisket can take on smoke longer than your brisket can.:wink:
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I'm with you. Any meat will take on smoke as long as it is exposed to it, that is why you want a small clean fire. If you want proof, take 1/2 of your brisket after it is past 140 and smoke it with a big choked down fire (white smoke) and see if you don't taste the difference.

Also, when I worked for a BBQ restaurant, if we were late getting the meat out of the freezer, it went into the pit semi frozen. When we did this we had a more prominent smoke ring because it took longer to get up to 140. Smoke ring is a chemical reaction, not smoke absorption.
 
You will hear arguments both ways. My opinion is that it will take on smoke to some degree as long as you are adding it. However, after a certain point the flavor may get too strong. I like a bit more smoke flavor but some folks don't care for it.
 
How long @ 250?

That depends. Are you cooking a whole brisket? Is it 12 Lbs or 18? Are you gonna wrap it? Inject it?

Its done when its done - when your temp probe goes into it like it was soft butter. Approx 205-215 degrees. YMMV
 
I speak from experience in saying meat will always take on smoke.

I cooked a pork shoulder once exclusively with wood chunks after I ran out of charcoal which was beyond the stall point, and it was so smoky it was almost inedible for my palate.
 
I usually add smoke right up til 165 when I wrap. But that's on my CTO. If I'm using an offset, I switch exclusively to coal at about 150 as I've found the smoke gets too heavy, especially if I don't wrap through the stall.
 
When my Stickburning fire is perfect, the smoke is nearly invisible at the stack. I could throw anything in there, until it's done, and it won't be oversmoked.
 
42BBQ said:
When my Stickburning fire is perfect, the smoke is nearly invisible at the stack. I could throw anything in there, until it's done, and it won't be oversmoked.
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Yup ... as opposed to some smoker where adding chunks produces billowing smoke like I was trying to send signals or something. :-o
 
I've been a BGE user, but since I got my OK Joes offset, I can taste the difference. I think the "over smoked" meat off many smokers is because of the incomplete combustion you get when you are controlling the fire with airflow. I think I'm done with smoking on the egg, there is just no way to keep the smoke sweet clear blue, it's not burning clean.

And I do agree, the meat will take smoke as long as there is smoke in there. The butcher paper method is a great way to have meat stop taking the smoke, if needed.
 
If you preheat the chunks it's a non issue.

When you add a bunch of cold wood into a hot fire, you're gonna billow out white smoke until those chunks start burning clean. Voila, no more "oversmoking."
 
In the general sense, what one does in a WSM or BGE or whatever is you decide how many chunks you want, and you place them through your charcoal in the ring. Then you light it up Minion style, and the charcoal, as it's heating, preheats the chunks, and when it comes up to temp it's burning sweet blue all the way.

Once you get used to how many chunks you like, typical advice is "a few fist sized chunks" but obviously your tastes may vary, you'll never have to add in more chunks through the cook, but if you do! Simply preheat.
 
jasonjax said:
I think cookers designed to use wood make a big difference. When I used chunk after chunk of hickory in my WSM ontop of the charcoal to keep adding fuel it smoked way too much.
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Absolutely correct. Different rules for charcoal smokers. :cool:
 
Southstar Jeff said:
I've been a BGE user, but since I got my OK Joes offset, I can taste the difference. I think the "over smoked" meat off many smokers is because of the incomplete combustion you get when you are controlling the fire with airflow. I think I'm done with smoking on the egg, there is just no way to keep the smoke sweet clear blue, it's not burning clean.

And I do agree, the meat will take smoke as long as there is smoke in there. The butcher paper method is a great way to have meat stop taking the smoke, if needed.
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Are you going low and slow? My gut feeling is that hot and fast would solve the BGE issue.
 
275 has been my choice of temp lately.

Don't get me wrong, I love me egg and the food always gets raves, but I definitely prefer the flavor I'm getting from the offset so far. Although, I'm sure the extra work will get old.....
 
jazzybadger said:
If you preheat the chunks it's a non issue.

When you add a bunch of cold wood into a hot fire, you're gonna billow out white smoke until those chunks start burning clean. Voila, no more "oversmoking."
Click to expand...

So if you're into your cook on a WSM would you put chunks on the top rack for say a half hour before putting them on the fire?
 
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