What Temp Should Beef Brisket Be When Done

Brisket is a tough cut of meat so it needs to be cooked at a low temperature over many hours to break down all the connective tissue so it melts and turns into the tender, juicy brisket we all know and love. If the brisket temperature is too high, all the moisture will escape and it will turn out tough and dry. I wanted to find out what temperature the pros smoke their brisket in barbeque competitions, so I did some research.

On average, most barbeque gurus smoke brisket between 225°F and 250°F. A traditional Texas-style brisket is smoked low-and-slow at 225°F, and this is the safest temperature for barbeque competitions and beginners. Once you have a good understanding of the fundamentals of smoking brisket, you can experiment with temperatures in the 275°F to 300°F range so you can cook a brisket much faster.

Have you tried smoking a Wagyu brisket yet? You can get one delivered to your door from Snake River Farms.

Brisket at 225°F

If you are about to attempt your first smoked brisket, 225°F is a good temperature to begin with until you have learned the basics of smoking brisket. There are a lot of techniques that you need to learn such as temperature control, mopping, wrapping, brining, injecting, rubs, bark development and resting, so play it safe when starting out and keep the temp low-and-slow. A 225°F brisket will take most of the day and night to cook, but in the end you will get a tender, juicy brisket if you get all the other techniques right.

Brisket at 275°F-300°F

If you can't wait 20 hours for your brisket to be ready, you can try smoke a brisket at temperatures upwards of 275°F-300°F. However, if you are going to going to cook in this higher range, make sure you keep the brisket nice and moist with regular mopping, and consider keeping more fat on your brisket so it's protected from the heat. Also, place the brisket fat cap down to shield the more vulnerable parts of the brisket from the fire.

Raise The Temp After Wrapping

Another method you can use is to smoke the brisket at 225°F then raise the temperature to 275°F after wrapping. Increasing the temperature will excellent the cooking and help push the brisket through the stall. In the first stage of the cook, the brisket will sit in the smoker at 225°F and absorb smoke and develop a nice crust. Once the brisket has a firm bark and the internal meat temperature is about 150°F or 160°F, wrap the brisket in foil or butcher paper and raise the temperature up to 275°F.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• - ½ Cup Paprika
• - ½ Cup Salt
• - ½ Cup Sugar
• - ½ Cup Granulated Garlic
• - ¼ Cup Granulated Onion
• - ¼ Cup Chili
• - ¼ Cup Cumin
• - 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• - 2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard
• - 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all the spices together in a large mixing bowl
2. Store rub in rub shakers

What Temperature Does Aaron Franklin Smoke Brisket?

Aaron Franklin starts off a brisket at 255°F for three hours, then raises the temperature between 260°F and 265°F. Once the brisket reaches the stall, Aaron holds the temperature at 280°F to 285°F, then drops it to 275°F after wrapping. Once the internal meat temperature goes past 180°F and up into the 195°F range, the collagen in the brisket will have rendered and you should have a tender, juicy brisket.

What Temperature Does Malcolm Reed Smoke Brisket?

Malcolm Reed smokes brisket anywhere from 195°F to 275°F depending on the smoker. When using a pellet grill, barbeque guru Malcolm sets the temperature to 195°F until the wrapping stage, then he raises the temperature up to 250°F until the brisket is done. He holds the temperature at 250°F on a charcoal smoker and 275°F on an offset wood smoker.

World Brisket Champion Harry Soo is now sharing his secrets with his Competition Meat Rubs.

What Temperature Does Harry Soo Smoke Brisket?

In general, Harry Soo smokes brisket at 250°F, however, Harry is the master of brisket experimentation and has a variety of methods. In his Texas-Style Brisket method, Harry begins at 200°F for the first 6-hours and then raises the temperature up to 250°F and in his hot-and-fast Backyard Brisket method, Harry cooks a brisket in 4-hours at 400°F.

Hot and Fast Brisket at 350°F -400°F

Sometimes you don't have a spare 20 hours in a day to smoke a tender, juicy brisket and you need one knocked out quickly for a weekend barbeque. Fast briskets at high temperatures in 4-hours are entirely possible and can still taste delicious, but you need have a good grasp on all the other techniques in order for it to turn out tender. I wouldn't expect a 4-hour brisket to win any competitions, but it can be done if you don't have all day and half the night to smoke your brisket at 220°F.

When cooking brisket in the 350°F plus range, leave some extra fat on your brisket so it's protected, and keep it moist by spritzing/mopping every half an hour. Keep a close eye on the internal meat temperature because it will increase rapidly when cooking at such a high temperature. I've written an article on this topic: Hot and Fast Brisket vs Low and Slow

Harry Soo's Quick Backyard Brisket at 400°F

Multiple world champion Harry Soo from the TV show Barbeque Pitmasters has a 4-hour brisket recipe where he smokes the brisket at 400°F for three hours then 275°F in the oven wrapped. Harry normally uses a Weber Smokey Mountain in competitions, but for his quick Backyard Brisket, he uses a kamado style cooker because of their ability to reach high temperatures.

For this recipe, you will need to spray the brisket every 30-minutes and hold the temperature between 350°F and 400°F. After about 3-hours, the bark should be firm. For the last stage of the cook, wrap the brisket in foil and place it in a conventional oven for an hour set to 275°F. Harry teaches his students of barbeque how to know if a brisket is ready by poking a bamboo skewer into a jar of peanut butter. When you poke the brisket, it should feel the same.

What Temperature Is Brisket Done?

A brisket is done once the internal meat temperature reaches 203°F. This is much higher than the recommended USDA recommendations for meat, but brisket has a lot of connective tissue that needs time to render. At 203°F, the brisket should feel like butter when you probe it with a thermometer.

The only way to get an accurate reading on a thermometer is by using a quality leave-in thermometer. A thermometer takes all the guesswork out of smoking and can also help you measure the temperature of the cooking chamber. If you want more info on thermometers, check out our Thermometer Guide. Here's another article I wrote an article a while back that you might interest you: How Long To Smoke A Brisket?

Wrap Brisket At What Temperature?

Brisket is best smoked unwrapped for the first three to four hours to absorb the smoke flavors. The last few hours are when you want to wrap your brisket in foil or butcher paper to prevent the brisket from drying out. At the three- or four-hour mark of the smoke, the brisket should be a nice mahogany color and the fat should be soft and yellow. At this point, the internal temperature should be about 165°F to 180°F. It is at this point that you should wrap the brisket in two layers of foil.Wrapping the brisket will influence the temperature of your smoker. Normally, the temperature will drop a few degrees after wrapping for up to thirty minutes afterwards. I've written an entire article on the subject of wrapping brisket, so if you want to read more on the subject you can check it out here: Wrap Brisket at What Temp?

Learn To Control Temperature On Your Smoker

It is important to have a good understanding of how your smoker works. If you are new to smoking, think about building up to a brisket. Practice on a chicken or another cheaper cut of meat. Once you feel you can control the temperature of your cooker, have a go at smoking a brisket. Another idea people recommend is to do a few dry runs with your smoker. Monitor the temperature shifts, learn how to adjust the vents.

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Brisket Fat Cap Up Or Down?

Brisket contains a fatty top layer called the fat cap. When smoking a brisket, always lay the brisket on the grill fat cap down. The fat cap will absorb the heat and protect the more vulnerable parts of the meat. It's a good idea to trim some fat from the top of the brisket, because it won't render and it will block the smoke from absorbing into the meat. Brisket is thick at one end and narrow at the other, making it a challenge to cook evenly. With the fat cap facing down, place the thicker, muscly part of the brisket (the point) directed towards the flame. By placing the thick end towards the fire, the point should cook evenly with the thinner flat of the brisket. For more on brisket placement, check out another article I've written: Should I Smoke Brisket Fat Side Up or Down?

Wrapping a Brisket in Foil or Butcher Paper

Briskets are best smoked unwrapped for the first 3 to 4 hours to absorb the smoke flavors. The last few hours is when you want to wrap your brisket in foil or butcher paper to prevent the brisket from drying out.

At the 3-4 hour mark of the smoke, the brisket should be a nice mahogany color and the fat should be soft and yellow. At this point, the internal temperature should be about 165°F to 180°F. It is at this point that you should wrap the brisket in two layers of foil. Wrapping the brisket will influence the temperature of your smoker. Normally, the temperature will drop a few degrees after wrapping for up to thirty minutes afterwards.

If you're interested in learning more about wrapping brisket, I've written an in-depth article on the subject. You can find the article here: What Should I Use To Wrap Brisket?

How to Choose a Good Brisket for Smoking

The first step in smoking a good brisket is learning how to select a good piece of meat from the butcher. Knowing how to choose a quality brisket is crucial if you want to get excellent results. You'll get better value for money if you buy a whole brisket or 'packer' brisket. The brisket has two parts, the point and the flat. Try to purchase a brisket with a thick flat for a more even cook. To avoid excessive trimming, choose a brisket with only an inch of fat on the top layer, otherwise you are wasting money. Select a brisket with nice marbling–the fatty collagen within the meat.

Marbling is very important when selecting a brisket and can make all the difference. For a deeper understanding of brisket marbling, you might be interested in reading an article that I wrote on marbling on brisket. You can find the article here: Marbling on Brisket.

Related:

Can You Finish Brisket In The Oven? (The Secret To Overnight Cooks)

The Brisket Rub Guide: Recipes From The Experts (Plus The Top 5 Best Pre-Made Rubs To Buy)

Brisket For Beginners: Tips For Smoking The Perfect Brisket

How to Smoke Brisket on a Pellet Grill

Dry Smoked Brisket? Here's Why.

My Favorite Brisket Tools

Thanks for checking out this article. I hope you learned a few things. Here are some of my favorite tools I use when smoking brisket that may be useful to you. These are affiliate links, so if you decide to purchase any of these products, I'll earn a commission. But in all honesty, these are the tools I recommend to my family and friends who are just starting out.

Meat Injector: Injecting meat is a great way to take your barbecue to the next level and help you make competition-style brisket. An injector is the only way you will be able to get flavor and moisture into the middle of the meat. The Beast Injector is a stainless steel injector that is sturdy and affordable. Check the latest price on Amazon here.

Brisket Marinade: The best injection solution on the market is the Butcher BBQ Brisket Injection. This marinade is used in competitions and is made by World Barbecue Champion pitmaster, Dave Bouska. You can find the marinade on Amazon here.

Butcher Paper: Wrapping brisket in butcher paper has become a huge trend in barbeque thanks to Aaron Franklin. Wrapping your brisket in paper will give you a nice brisket bark. However, you can't just use any old paper, it has to be unwaxed, food grade paper. You can find it on Amazon here.

Brisket Rub: These days I make my own rub when possible, but I always have a few pre-made rubs for when I'm running low. Barbecue guru Malcom Reed produces Killer Hogs, one of the best brisket rubs I've found over the years. Another great rub is Slap Yo Daddy, made by brisket master and multiple World Barbecue Champion, Harry Soo.

Meat Thermometer: There are dozens of fancy thermometers on the market, but I still use my trusty TP20. For around $50, I have a high-quality meat thermometer with two probes, and can track the temperature of my smoker with one probe, and my meat with the other probe. The ThermoPro TP20 is an Amazon Best Seller because it's the easiest thermometer to operate, is durable, highly accurate, and comes with pre-programmed meat settings.

Instant Read Thermometer: Arguably, the second most important tool you need is a fast and accurate instant-read thermometer. These tools play an important role in the latter stages of the cook when the meat needs regular checking in multiple areas. I use the ThermoPro TP19 because it can do everything a ThermaPen can do, but for a fraction of the cost. You can check out the TP19 on Amazon here.

Advanced Thermometer and Automatic Temperature Controller: Once you're ready to take things seriously, the FireBoard 2 Drive is a six-channel Bluetooth/Wi-Fi thermometer that can monitor up to 6 pieces of meat, control and graph your cook sessions on your smartphone, and attaches to an an automatic blower that will convert your charcoal smoker to a set-and-forget. This is one of the most advanced meat thermometers on the market. You can check it out on the FireBooard website here.

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