Brisket Help

[johnnyv]

Hey guys, I'm gonna make my first brisket on a Traeger. I purchased an 18 pound brisket but trying to figure out how long it will take to smoke, most likely at 225 for most of the smoke to get that Super Smoke. I would assume it would take 18 hours but some people say less. Also, what pellets do you guys use and should I wrap? Usually use Oak or some Hickory when smoke but I hear the Traeger has less smoke than conventional smoker so not sure if I should make any differences. Thanks for the help and advice.

 

[jp9724]

Good rule of thumb is 1.5 hours per pound at 220-225F. Time will also vary if you wrap it. wrapping cuts the time down and will also give you a soft bark vs. unwrapped and a crisp bark. Im assuming your 18lb brisket isnt trimmed yet, but i would still bank on a 20 hour cook more or less.
I also like to use Oak, Hickory or Texas beef pellets for everything!
If cooking at 220f with super smoke you'll get a little more smoke, but I like a few hours at 165F with super smoke to get as much smoke as the Ironwood can put out before turning the heat up to 220F.
Make sure you share the turn out! we like seeing pictures of food in the forum!

 

[Bruce N]

As Jp9724 said, 1.5 hours per pound is the norm. Kinda figure there might be a stall also. I have found that leaving the meat out for a little while to get it to room temp. helps a little bit so far to avoid a stall. I wrap at 165 to 170 in double foil as tight as I can, and add some Kitchen Basics unsalted beef broth about a 1/2 cup or so. I continue the cook till I get an internal temp of 212, and check for probe tenderness, and let rest wrapped in a towel for at least 1hr.

 

[GrillMeister]

I do mine for about 15 hours. I start at 225 with super smoke on and wrap in butcher paper when the internal temp hits 175.

I also put a big aluminum pan under the brisket with about 3 quarts of water to start to keep some moisture in the smoker.

After wrapping, you can bump the temp up to 250 to speed things up.

 

[CF422]

I like to start off cooking at 160 and increase the temperature temp to 200 once the internal temp reaches 140. Then increase to 250 once it reaches internal temp of 180 and cook until I reach internal temp of 204. After cooking for 3 hours I spray it down with apple juice every 30 minutes. I was told by my butcher to put it on a tray once it reaches internal temp and put it in the oven with no heat on for 1 hour.

 

[Rodney007]

I made the most juicy.. life changing brisket of my life the other day. It could not get any better.

Salt, pepper, garlic, then top up with your favorite rub or not at all. Rest 1 hour

- Set 275f smoker temp
- Place brisket in fat side down
- When internal meat temp is 163f paper wrap (takes avg 5 hours)
- When internal temp is 202f take it out (takes avg of 3 hours)
- Wrap in foil, thick towell and place on cooler or heat container for at least 1 or 2 hours to rest

Tip for juicyness - Leave some fat on the point. Dont trim it all off, it renders down and keeps it moist and flavorfull, just take if the very top hard layer. At the end the fat melts in your mouth.