How long does it take to smoke a brisket per pound?

At 225°F plan on 1.25–1.5 hours per pound; at 250°F about 1–1.25 hours per pound; at 275°F 45–60 minutes per pound; at 300°F 30–50 minutes per pound. A 12-lb packer at 250°F is roughly 12–15 hours unwrapped, about two hours less wrapped in foil. Aaron Franklin's method runs about an hour to an hour and a quarter per pound at 250°F.

What temperature do you pull brisket?

Around 203°F, but feel matters more than the number: the probe should slide in like warm butter anywhere in the flat. Most briskets finish between 195°F and 205°F. The USDA safe minimum for beef is 145°F; brisket is cooked far past it so the collagen melts.

When should I wrap a brisket?

When the bark is set and the color is dark mahogany, usually at 150–165°F internal, which is also when the stall starts. Foil pushes through the stall fastest and saves about two hours but softens the bark; butcher paper saves about an hour and keeps the bark. Unwrapped works too; it just takes longer.

How long should brisket rest?

At least an hour, and two to four hours wrapped in a dry cooler is better. Let it come down to about 150–160°F before slicing so the juices stay in the meat. Franklin Barbecue holds briskets for hours before service.

How much brisket per person?

One pound of raw brisket per person as the main meat; it loses roughly half its weight in trimming and cooking, leaving about half a pound cooked. A 14-lb packer feeds about 12–14 people with sides, or more when brisket is one of several meats.

Brisket Smoking Time Calculator — Packer or Flat, 225°F to 350°F, Wrap and Rest Timeline

Brisket time by weight and temperature

Trimmed weight	225°F	250°F	275°F	300°F
8 lb	10–12 h	8–10 h	6–8 h	4.5–6.5 h
10 lb	12.5–15 h	10–12.5 h	7.5–10 h	5.5–8 h
12 lb	15–18 h	12–15 h	9–12 h	6.5–9.5 h
14 lb	17.5–21 h	14–17.5 h	10.5–14 h	7.5–11 h
16 lb	20–24 h	16–20 h	12–16 h	9–13 h

Unwrapped estimates. Subtract about 1 hour for butcher paper, 2 for foil. ThermoWorks' 350°F hot-and-fast method finishes a 16-lb packer in about 6.5 hours, wrapped at 170°F.

What actually happens over those hours

The first three or four hours are easy: smoke rolls, the surface dries, bark starts to form, internal temperature climbs steadily to about 150°F. Then it stops. The stall lasts anywhere from one to five hours depending on humidity, airflow and how much moisture the meat is sweating out. This is where people panic and crank the fire. Don't. Either wait (the bark gets better) or wrap. Once past 170°F or so the climb resumes, slows again in the 190s as collagen melts, and finishes somewhere around 203°F when the probe slides in with no resistance. The point (the fatty upper muscle) is forgiving; the flat is where you check.

Paper, foil or naked

Foil is a steam bath: fastest through the stall, softest bark, most liquid in the wrap (save it for the slices). Pink butcher paper breathes; it saves less time but keeps bark that crunches. Unwrapped is the purist's route and produces the best bark and the longest cook. The calculator gives foil a two-hour credit and paper one hour, capped at a quarter of the total cook. Whichever you pick, wrap when the bark is set, not at a clock time; if the bark still smears when you press it, it isn't ready to wrap.

Rest and hold

Slicing a brisket straight off the smoker pours the juice on the board. Rest it wrapped, in a dry cooler with towels, for at least an hour; two to four is better, and it will still be well above serving temperature. This is also your insurance: the timeline above puts the meat on early enough that the high estimate still lands before dinner, and anything faster just becomes hold time. Slice the flat against the grain about pencil-thick; the point runs the other direction, so separate the muscles first.

Buying and trimming

Packers are sold at 12–18 lb untrimmed. Expect to trim 2–4 lb of hard fat, leaving about a quarter inch of fat cap. One pound of untrimmed brisket per person is the standard planning number; roughly half of that ends up on the plate. USDA Choice is the floor for a brisket worth 14 hours; Prime, with its extra marbling, is more forgiving in the flat.

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Frequently asked questions

How long per pound?

1.25–1.5 h at 225°F, 1–1.25 h at 250°F, 45–60 min at 275°F, 30–50 min at 300°F, unwrapped.

What internal temp is brisket done?

About 203°F, when the probe slides in like butter. Range 195–205°F.

When do I wrap?

Bark set, 150–165°F internal, usually as the stall begins.

Fat side up or down?

Toward the heat. Offsets and most pellet grills: fat up. Kamados, drums and kettles with the fire below: fat down.

How long to rest?

Minimum 1 hour; 2–4 hours in a cooler is better. Slice around 150–160°F.

Can I smoke it the day before?

Yes. Cool it whole and wrapped, refrigerate, and reheat wrapped at 250°F to 150°F. It's nearly as good and a lot less stressful.

Brisket Smoking Time Calculator

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