Some conventional wisdom that turned out to be wrong.

[hedonsmbot]

If you google "how long to smoke brisket" the overwhelming answer is: 1 to 1.5hrs per pound.

None of the pages I viewed included the provision that this does NOT seem to apply to smaller cuts of brisket.

As seen here (https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=281160) my 4 pound brisket took 12 to 13 hours to cook which is a whopping 3+ hours per pound.

Conclusion: Cooking a tiny brisket is way less efficient than I thought.

[SmittyJonz]

I would’ve knocked it out in 5 hours total

[Burnt at Both Endz]

I would’ve knocked it out in 5 hours total

Yeah, and 5 1/2 hrs for the biggens….. :becky:

[SmokeRingsMatter]

I get a lot of crap for my temps/times. But I like to run hot in the beginning to reach somewhere between 175F to 185F for a point. At that point (pun intended) wrap and try to maintain 175F or 185F for 8 hours. You will end up with the most probe tender juicy point you ever had.


Im just going to post these pics because this was some beef backs i did last week that i reached and held at 175F for 8 hours.

[thirdeye]

Most of the BBQ 'rules of thumb' are not linear, they apply to certain examples and certain conditions. The cook has to adapt and make changes on the fly.

[dummy que]

Most of the BBQ 'rules of thumb' are not linear, they apply to certain examples and certain conditions. The cook has to adapt and make changes on the fly.

i cook on a Lang60 org. last sat. i cooked a 14.5 lb choice brisket did not inject cooked at 250deg. 7.5hrs. if i cooked 1.5hrs. a lb. it would be burt to a crisp some cookers cook faster than others some are slower

[smoke ninja]

I dont think 1-1.5 hrs per lbs works on any brisket. a 15 lbs brisket doesn't take 15 or possibly 22 hrs.

brisket comes in different sizes some are longer, some are wider. most are close in thickness and that's what matters most.

I find I can cook most briskets in 8-12

[Little Pig Barbeque]

When I started out cooking, I tried everything I read. Rarely did it work. I feel like if you read something and just do what it says you really don't give yourself an opportunity to pay attention to things like temperature, color, texture, air flow, tenderness or anything related to the cook. You stay fixated on the time that it said it would take which as many of you know can be way off.

Basically, what I did to get my BBQ to where it is edible and people to ask for it, is I did my own thing. I'm a chemist by trade, so experimenting is the fun part for me. I really think you have to ruin something to get better at it when cooking. Sometimes we get lucky and get it right the first time, but that was not my experience. I went through several briskets before I got them to where they were good (still learning and could be better).

Just my two cents. Learn your cooker. Learn what you want out of your BBQ. Practice until you get there.

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[Johnnyrotten]

(for smoke rings matter) So you bring it up to 175-180 internal temp, wrap, then finish for 8 hours at 180 degrees smoke chamber temp?

[JWFokker]

Cooked it too low. Four pounds of anything shouldn't take 12 hours. Kamados cook slow at low temps in my experience. Just not enough airflow through the cooker. The stall ends up being longer because evaporation takes longer. Try 275-300F or wrap when you hit 160-170F internal temp.