Smoking a big brisket doesn’t have to be intimidating. I break down the process into simple, approachable steps you can follow to get amazing results, even if it’s your first attempt.
No secret ingredients or techniques are required—just quality meat, a basic seasoning, good smoke, constant temperature, a long rest, and proper slicing. Follow this formula and you’ll create brisket better than your local BBQ spot, sure to impress all your friends, and lots of leftovers to enjoy when the day is done.
Key Info at a Glance
- Estimated Cook Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound (12 to 18 hours)
- Smoker Temperature: 225°F to 275°F
- Wrap Temperature: 165°F
- Finished Internal Temperature: 203°F to 206°F
- Rest Time: 1 to 2 hours
- Recommended Wood: Post oak or pecan
How to Smoke a Brisket
Step-by-step instructions for selecting, seasoning and smoking your brisket. Jump down to the full recipe card for all the details and learn more in the Brisket 101 Quick Guide.
1. Select Your Brisket
2. Trim
3. Season- 4. Smoke
5. Wrap- 7. Slice
- Select Your Brisket: Choose a high-quality “full packer” whole cut which includes both the flat and the point. USDA Prime grade is recommended. For planning by size, aim for 1 pound of raw untrimmed brisket per person.
Learn more about where and how to buy brisket → - Trim the Brisket: Trim the fat cap to 1/4″ thick, remove silver skin from the bottom side, and trim edges. Create an even surface for optimal airflow and to prevent burning of loose pieces. Learn How to Trim a Brisket →
- Season the Brisket: Use a 50:50 ratio of kosher salt and 16 mesh coarse ground black pepper. Season all sides generously, and let it sit out at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Insert a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the brisket flat.
- Smoke the Brisket: Place fat side towards the hottest part of your smoker (usually facing up) in a preheated 225°F to 275°F smokert. Use post oak or your preferred wood for smoke.
- Wrap it: When the bark is formed and the internal temp reaches around 165-175°F (about 4-6 hours in), wrap it tightly in butcher paper or aluminum foil. Place it back in the smoker and continue cooking until the internal temp of the flat becomes “probe tender,” between 203°F-206°F.
- Rest: Remove the brisket from smoker and rest for at least 1 hour, but preferably 2 hours, keeping it wrapped and placed in a towel-lined cooler to keep warm.
- Slice: Separate the point from flat muscle, then slice to serve, slicing against grain into 1/4″ thick slices. This is my favorite brisket slicing knife.
- Serve: Enjoy with your favorite side dishes for brisket.
How Long to Smoke a Brisket?
Plan on approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound in a 250° F smoker to bring the internal temperature up to 203° F. For planning purposes, the cook time for a 14-pound brisket will be around 14 to 17 1/2 hours. But it’s really more the thickness of the meat and the temperature of your smoker that determines how long it will take, rather than its overall weight that determines the time.
A brisket is finished cooking when it is probe tender, which means the probe easily slides into the meat without resistance. This is generally when the internal temperature reaches between 203° and 206° F, but it can be even higher.
Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the temperature, and even better is to use a Thermoworks Smoke Alarm so you can monitor it wirelessly without having to open the smoker.
Brisket Cook Time Per Pound
| Cut | Weight | Smoker Temp | Cook Time (Approx) |
| Whole Packer | 14 to 18 lbs | 250° – 275° F | 12 to 18 hours |
| Flat | 6 to 8 lbs | 250° – 275° F | 6 to 10 hours |
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Tools & Equipment used
Here’s a list of important tools & equipment that will make this process easier.
- Smoker – A pellet smoker like a Traeger, electric smoker or charcoal smoker will all work great. You will also need pellets or wood chunks, depending on the type of smoker you have.
- Sharp knives – A boning knife is perfect for trimming the fat and a slicing knife for slicing the cooked brisket for serving.
- Two-zone remote probe thermometer to remotely monitor the temperature of your smoker along with the internal temperature of the brisket.
- Meat thermometer – I recommend the Thermapen instant-read probe thermometer to precisely test and verify the internal temperature in different areas.
- Butcher paper – For wrapping the brisket. I prefer the 24-inch width for easier wrapping. You can totally use aluminum foil (aka the Texas crutch) if you have that on hand.
- Large cutting board – for both trimming and slicing the brisket.
Top Tips for Success
- A Thermometer is your best friend! These are your best friends. Use a 2-channel thermometer to remotely monitor the temperature of the smoker (placed on the grates) and one in the thickest part of the brisket flat to monitor the meat’s internal temp. And a third instant-read thermometer for spot-checking to verify doneness at the end.
- Start cooking early, even the night before! – Smoking brisket takes a long time. Starting the cook overnight is a lifesaver and gives you a nice buffer if you need to eat at a certain time.
- Use a drip pan with water in your smoker- This will catch the fat drippings which can cause flare-ups and will also make for an easy cleanup. The benefit of the water is it adds humidity which is optimal for the smoker environment.
- Keep that lid closed – Open the lid of your smoker as few times as possible and do it quickly when you have to. This keeps the smoke in and maintains the temperature. You shouldn’t need to open it at all for the first 3 hours.
- Be prepared for the stall – The stall is basically a time when the internal temperature of the meat stops rising when it reaches around 150° F, sometimes for a few hours. During this time, the meat is “sweating” off liquid, which cools it down and prevents the temperature from rising during “the stall.” Just trust the cooking process. The temperature will start rising again. Once it does, it will climb fairly quickly.
- Rest it in a cooler – Place the wrapped brisket in a cooler lined with a towel. This will keep it nice and warm as it rests until you are ready to serve it.
- Slice to serve. Sliced brisket will dry out fairly quickly, so slice only what you will be serving right away and slice more as needed later.
The Best Wood for Smoking Brisket
Wood for smoking often comes down to preference and can require experimenting to see the flavors you love best. Post Oak is traditional for Texas BBQ, but you can also add a combination including Apple Wood. Learn more about the best wood and pellets to use for smoking brisket.
Learn more in the Beginners Guide to Briskett →
Recipe Variations
- Finish the brisket in the oven – After the brisket has reached at least 165° F and has nice bark, it is totally fine to wrap it and finish it in your oven set to 275° F and finish cooking until it reaches the desired doneness. This can save fuel and make things a little easier
- Sous vide the brisket before smoking – Try this amazing alternate cooking method for this mostly hands-off sous vide smoked brisket recipe which you can choose the texture and doneness.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it simply with bread & butter pickle
A fresh coleslaw is perfect because you can eat it on the side or put it on a brisket sandwich if you prefer. Baked beans, potato salad, and creamy macaroni salad are also great pairings. Keep the theme going by sipping a refreshing hot & smoky mezcal margarita.
Check out all the best sides to serve with brisket →
Leftovers Inspiration
Leftovers are the best part. Make melty brisket sandwiches and the best brisket ragu over pasta or creamy polenta, inside crunchy tacos, breakfast brisket and egg hash, a brisket grilled cheese for lunch, add it to baked beans, make chili with, add it to ramen. You can make addicting burnt ends with the leftover point end. Okay, you get the point. It is good in just about anything and you are the lucky one who gets to indulge for hopefully a few days at the least.
Smoked Brisket
Ingredients
- 1 whole packer brisket (12 to 16 pounds)
- 1/2 cup Diamond kosher salt
- 1/2 cup coarse ground black pepper (16 mesh grind)
Instructions
- Trim the brisket: Trim off any loose pieces of meat and shave the fat cap down to about 1/4" thick. Remove the silver skin from the bottom (opposite of fat cap) with a sharp knife.
- Season: Combine the Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper in a small bowl or spice shaker, then evenly season the brisket on all sides. Let the brisket sit out at room temperature for 1 hour while you set up your smoker.
- Prep the Smoker: Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions for indirect cooking with a water-filled drip pan in place. Preheat to 225° and 275° F. Add 3 to 5 fist-size oak, pecan or your favorite wood chunks for smoke (if using a charcoal smoker), or pellets for a pellet smoker.
- Smoke the Brisket: Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket. Place the brisket in the smoker fat side pointed towards the heat. Leave the lid closed for at least 3 hours. Begin checking once the internal temperature reaches 165° F and a dark brown bark is formed, about 6 to 8 hours.
- Wrap the Brisket: Remove the brisket from the smoker and tightly wrap it with pink butcher paper (or aluminum foil). Place it back in the smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the flat (thinner side) is probe tender, between 203 and 206° F, about 6 to 8 hours more.
- Rest for at least 1 hour: Transfer the brisket (still wrapped in the butcher paper) to a large cooler and rest for at least 1 hour and preferably 2 hours. You can line the cooler with a towel to further insulate the brisket to keep it warm.
- Slice and Serve: Separate the point from the flat muscle, then slice against the grain (which is different for each muscle) into 1/4" slices just before serving with your favorite sides.
Video
Notes
- Smoker Temperature and Wood: For a pellet smoker, use 225°F; for charcoal smokers, 250-275°F. For smoke, I prefer post oak wood chunks, but mesquite, pecan, or a combination with cherry/apple also works great.
- Cook Time: Approximately 1 to 11/2 hours per pound at 250°F.
- Thermometers: Use multiple probes for accuracy: one in the brisket, one on the grate, and a handheld for spot checks.
- Open the smoker lid as few times as possible during the cook.
Great recipe. So juicy
That’s awesome, Phil! Thanks for making it and letting us know how it turned out.
The only brisket recipe you will ever need! The great tips in this post made it come out perfectly. We served it with bread, pickled, and quick pickled onions just like you recommended. Everyone loved it. We will be making this over and over again. Thank you for the great recipe!
So great to hear, Candice! Love all the sides you made for it. 🙂
This recipe is just about right. I used a dry rib rub and let it set overnight, smoked it for about 6 hours at 250-300 degrees (first time using a new smoker so I had issues balancing the temp). I highly recommend using 1-2Tbsp apple cider vinegar, adds so much flavor. Other option is to use about 1Tbsp each of cilantro, basil, and thyme with some S&P and a squeeze of lime before serving. For tacos, do the herbs and add 2Tbsp of puree chipoltle before the herbs. This is a wonderful base recipe
I want to give this a try. I have a Blaze komodo style grill. Do you put the brisket on top and water/drip pan on lower shelf? Or do you use some type of diffuser on lower rack to make it more of a smoker (or both)? I’ve been experimenting with other cuts (to mixed results) and want to give the brisket a try.
For a Kamodo style smoker (I use a Big Green Egg), I set it up with the Conveggtor in place as the barrier between the heat and the grill where the brisket will sit. The water/drip pan sits on top of the Conveggtor. Not sure what it would be called for the Blaze smoker, but I’m sure they should have some sort of indirect heat system. If not, then it might not be the best tool for the job, as indirect is super important.
Also, you have to be careful to check your water bath when it’s sitting on the indirect heat source as the water will be evaporating over the long cook. You don’t want it to run dry.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy smoking!
Getting ready to try this. Internal temp!!? Do i want the j thermal temp 165 in the thickest part of the meat?
Hi Liza. Yep, the thickest part is where you should be measuring from. Then wrap and let it keep going until it reaches 195 to 205°F
Best brisket I’ve had yet! Easy to follow instructions thanks.
Hi Ellie,
So glad to hear it was the best. I totally agree. Even when I went to Texas, I thought this was better. haha
Happy smoking!
Justin
We tried brisket for the first time Christmas Eve. Multiple things went wrong, but it still tasted amazing for the few people still around to eat it.
We started at 3:00 am. We have a Traeger and my husband misread the dial. (We are very new). It cooked for the first 5 hours at 190. We then noticed and raised it to 250. It it hit 165 in flat one hour after that. I covered the flat and then the tip was at 165 an hour later. We wrapped it in paper and put it back on. It then cooked another 11 hours and only got up to 196. At that point the Traeger turned off and we didn’t know. When we noticed the meat had gone down to 183. I made the very bad mistake of turning it up to 450 to get the temp back up. The started a fire with the drippings! Paper on brisket was only slightly burned. :0 We took the brisket out let it rest 1 hour in a cooler wrapped in foil and towels. The party was long over and we could no longer wait so we tried it. It was amazing. Our Texas family told us it was close to Rudy’s.
Now that you have the background, I have a few questions. Why do you separate the flat from the tip? The tip had a large layer of fat in it. Would that have been less if we had got up to the correct temp and waited longer to eat it?
Thank you so much for your post! Even though we had so many problems it was the most informative and the most correct on time. It was great for these very novice smokers.
Used my new Traeger 885 with apple and 14 lb prime brisket. Aged in the cryovac for about three weeks, trimmed and applied a thin coat of prepared mustard then a rub of my own and put on at 250. Started at 7 am expecting a long cook. Hit 160 about noon. Wrapped foil under it until it hit 175 about an,hour later and took it off. Fully wrapped it for a rest of 1 hour plus. Cut off a couple of slices. Omg! Probably one of the best cooks ever, but never a brisket. Rich, tender and juicy. I’m hooked. No sauce.
That sounds so amazing, Stephen! Definitely no sauce needed. Just perfect.
My 14.5 lb brisket got to 165 in 4 hours and 200 in 8.5 on my Traeger. I was expecting another 6 hours of cooking + 2 hrs rest before guests arrive. How long is too long to keep wrapped in a cooler? Not sure why it went so fast but I’m hoping it’s delicious anyway.
Hi Krissy,
That is really quick! What kind of brisket was it (grade)?
It will be fine wrapped in the cooler until your guests arrive in the evening.
How did it turn out?
Cheers,
Justin
I really didn’t get the cook time for the meat, what was the cook time? I’m using a smoker with chips..
Hey Bubba,
Figure about 14 to 17 1/2 hours for a 14 pound Brisket. It could be just 5 hours for a really small point. But the smoke time is really variable based on the size and thickness of the meat, fat content, the temp the meat starts and the constant temp of the smoker. It’s done based on internal temps. I hope this helps. Happy smoking! Cheers.
Not sure if you will see this in time, but I’m smoking a brisket for Christmas and not sure what approach I should take. I have 2 smaller pieces of grass-fed brisket that I got from Butcher box, total together is about 5 pounds…not even sure if I have the flat or the point. Should I treat the 2 smaller pieces as 1 large piece and figure it will take around 6-7 hours based on 1-1.25 hours per pound, or should I treat them as 2 small pieces and figure at about 2.5 pounds each it will only take 3-4 hours? Hopefully that makes sense!
I read many articles that seemed overly complicated – but yours was written with a very gentle, easy, and reassuring tone. I haven’t smoked anything before, but bought a Traeger this weekend – followed your advice, and came out with one of the better briskets I’ve ever eaten, even commercially. We had hoped for leftovers, but I ended up with a large pack of hungry friends – and every last bit of a 3.5kg brisket disappeared.
Thanks for a fantastic article, and for making sure my first brisket experience was a fantastic one.
Hi Nuri,
Thanks so much for the great feedback on the recipe. I am so so happy to hear that your smoked brisket turned out to be one of the best you have ever eaten. I feel that way every time I smoke something now. It’s really not that difficult and there is so much payoff for yourself and everyone who is there. 🙂
Come back and visit soon. Thanks again!
This recipe even works good with Masterbuilt electric smoker. Brisket turned out awesome, cooking time a little longer due to being electric?? but was patient through stall and turned out awesome. Having brisket tacos tonight !!!
Hi Farris,
I’m drooling right now thinking of the Brisket Tacos you will be enjoying tonight. So glad to hear it came out awesome smoking the brisket in an electric smoker. Enjoy!
Great informative article. Thank you!
Hi Justin,
I wish I’d found your recipe before – This is really helpful and takes the fear factor way down!
In the UK big briskets are like hens teeth and unfortunately we don’t get any where near the sizes above (at least in my experience). Ours tend to be in the 5-6lb bracket, may be a tad heavier if you’re really lucky. I tried my my first one this weekend (5lb) on a WSM and I destroyed it! It was so tough. I think I’d completely screwed up the temperature I needed. Will your recipe work for smaller cuts (i.e. 1hr to 1.15hr per pound and the same temperature profile as you set out? I’m lucky (rather than skilled) that my WSM will hold a constant temperature for a long time. Pork and even tri-tip (which I was very surprised to get hold of in the UK) always come out really well.
Any tips for a smaller, thinner cuts would be really appreciated!
Thanks
Jimmy
Hey Jimmy. Thanks for stopping by. Yes, the recipe will work for smaller cuts. It’s about temp and not time. If it were a 5 pounder, I probably wouldn’t go above 250°F for the smoker. Wrap it at internal temp of 165° F then remove it at around 200. Let me know how it turns out. Cheers!
I think you have a typo in your post. You state in the “temperature” section that –
Smoker: 145° to 160° F (maintain 150° if possible)
I think what you meant is
Smoker: 245° to 260° F (maintain 250° if possible)
Is that correct?
I am currently on hour 3 of the smoke and approaching 160 internal temperature.
Does the “stall” always happen? I have not experienced in other smoking – yet . . . .
Scott
Hey Scott,
Thank you! You are right and that is fixed. Yep, the stall has always happened in my experience and from everyone else I have talked to. But let me know how yours goes.
Cheers,
Justin
Help. I’ve been cooking exactly How are you recommended and the internal temp went up to 165 very quickly-I’m not sure what to do I don’t know how to tell when it’s done I’m using an electric smoker so I think that might be the problem but my issue is I don’t know how to tell when it’s done
Hi Debbie,
So sorry I couldn’t get right back to you. We were camping and not near the internet, unfortunately. 165 degrees is the temperature that you want to wrap the brisket and then continue to cook it until the internal temperature climbs to 205. Hopefully you found that further down in the post and it came out great. Cheers!
Great help for me to smoke a Brisket!
Awesome! I hope it came out amazing. This is one of my favorite things to smoke and it sure is a crowd pleaser!
Thanks for putting together a GREAT brisket cooking “school”! I really appreciate your time and help!
This was mouth watering, melt in your mouth good!!! So good in fact we were dropping meat on the floor fighting over it!
SO glad you liked it. I hope you were able to break up the fight and all get along over more brisket. 😛
I would give this six stars if possible. I couldn’t believe how flavorful this brisket was with just salt, pepper, and smoke! The point in particular comes out so soft and rich, full of melting fat and flavor. And thanks Justin for the impressively assiduous write up! Very easy to follow!
So glad you loved it. And I’ll put in a request to increase the star rating system to 6. 🙂
I followed the recipe, some of the best brisket I have eaten. Also leftovers made killer sandwich’s and quesadillas.
Great stuff
So glad you liked it! Totally agree that the leftovers make amazing sandwiches.
Good and thorough tips Justin! Hub’s brisket is almost there but we think the most recent one needed more rest time. I passed this article to him in case there are any other gotchas. We have a smoked pulled pork and smoked bacon recipe on our site.
Sorry for my slow reply, Lynn! Let me know if you guys have made another Brisket. It’s gotta be one of the best things ever. haha. 🙂