225 vs 275

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Smoke at

  • 225

    Votes: 9 19.1%
  • 275

    Votes: 25 53.2%
  • other

    Votes: 13 27.7%

  • Total voters
    47
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deuc224

Fire Starter
Original poster
Aug 21, 2011
63
16
Hey guys and gals.  I recently made a texas style brisket and it turned out phenomenal, i smoked it at 225 for about 13 hours on a 10 pound brisket and everyone was happy to say the least.  This weekend we are getting together and my dad is smoking a pork shoulder and i said i would do the brisket.  Now the first one took 13 hours at 10 lbs, i was wondering if i should step it up to 275 and cut some of the cook time.  Will it make a difference? Will it be drier do to a faster cook? Has anyone really seen a difference in flavor or texture between these two?  What temps are others using?  I went fat cap down on the last one, should i try it up?  Am i just being a paranoid patrick about it? LOL thanks everyone
 
One of the best briskets i have ever cooked was at 350-400 because my therm was broken and i didn't know it till afterwards. it was a select 19#er from Walmart and it cooked in 6.5 hours. It was cooked to 206 IT and it was great. i used red oak wood in my lang.  I think people get hung up by numbers. just like to say it took them 15 hours etc so its like they did it better or something. i think if you go hotter and faster you will be fine.

Just my opinion,

phatbac (Aaron)
 
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One of the best briskets i have ever cooked was at 350-400 because my therm was broken and i didn't know it till afterwards. it was a select 19#er from Walmart and it cooked in 6.5 hours. It was cooked to 206 IT and it was great. i used red oak wood in my lang.  I think people get hung up by numbers. just like to say it took them 15 hours etc so its like they did it better or something. i think if you go hotter and faster you will be fine.

Just my opinion,

phatbac (Aaron)
I have yet to do my first brisket all by myself but have participated in many brisket cooks so feel free to take this as you like.

Franklin does his brisket's at 275F and in his book makes no fuss about fixating on a temp.  275F seems to work out well for him with time, volume of meat to cook, quality of product produced, etc. etc. for his restaurant.

I've personally eaten many a brisket done at like 400F and they were fantastic.  I have plenty of family members that do the high heat smoke of brisket and they love the shorter cook time and the great results.  Especially when smoking with Mesquite wood which would be too powerful for a long application of smoke.  

I've eaten plenty of low and slow brisket as well and they were also fantastic so the quality is achieved both ways.

I think I honestly prefer the 400F side of the argument due to getting some really good bark and reduced cooking times.  We have such a large extended family that I believe it is usually a 4 full packer minimum on brisket cooks, so high and hot to then rest overnight and reheat the next day is usually how it goes... and it goes well!!!!
 
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I think you guys convinced me to take it to 275 with this next smoke.  Itll be the traditional salt n pepper rub with oak pellets for this one and looking for about a 10-12 lb brisket this time.  I forgot to add a water pan this last time but the meat was still incredibly moist and tender.Probably will skip it this time again and do it fat cap down again also.  Anything else you guys recommend?  Oh yeah i did use the Texas crutch for this brisket since i didnt have any butcher paper.  Might orer some from amazon and see if itll get here by friday.  Any other recommendations? 
 
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Deuce I definitely recommend the high and fast with beef. I'm new here and only cooked a dozen or so big cuts of beef in the smoker but I think the water pan advantage is just for temp regulation rather than moisture. I leave my cuts usually unwrapped and directly on the grate the entire cook. but i really like bark. My best brisket I took to 205-210 IT Bc I dozed off from exhaustion of 12 oz curls. U might try a coffee rub. That's what I always use on fatty cuts of beef.
 
Before I started smoking I always oven roasted briskets at 350F. They were always juicy and tender. When I started smoking I had to learn how to be patient enough to smoke at 225-250F. Then I started increasing temps and decreasing times. No difference in taste or tenderness.

Now I use a combination of the two with a low n slow start and hot n fast finish. My WSM smoker is set up like an oven with the BBQ Guru. For butts and briskets, I'll put the meat on at 225F overnight, then crank it up north of 300F the next morning. I sleep like a baby then have everything ready by lunch.
 
 
I usually figure 1.15-1.30 hours per pound at 225 when I am smoking. What is the equation yall use for 275?
I still figure a good hour per pound but I don't sweat the time too much. Meat is done when it's done. I've had 10-12 pound briskets hit ~205 IT in 8 hours and I've have had them take 14, even at ~275. I did two 3 pound pieces of pastrami a few weeks back that I guesstimated 6 hours for at 225 and they took almost 10.

It is what it is. If the cook goes long I may have to put more beer in the cooler to finish it up. If it goes short I have cold beer to drink with dinner.
 
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I still figure a good hour per pound but I don't sweat the time too much. Meat is done when it's done. I've had 10-12 pound briskets hit ~205 IT in 8 hours and I've have had them take 14, even at ~275. I did two 3 pound pieces of pastrami a few weeks back that I guesstimated 6 hours for at 225 and they took almost 10.

It is what it is. If the cook goes long I may have to put more beer in the cooler to finish it up. If it goes short I have cold beer to drink with dinner.
I agree....it's done when it's done! But at 275 - 300 range, I use the 1 - 1:15 hour per pound as a gage to estimate approximately when it "might" be done or near being done.
 
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My new smoker likes to run about 275-300 when stick burning. If I'm on top of it I can keep it around 280. Cooked the best brisket of my life a few months ago at that temp so I'm confident that you'll be fine. If I'm smoking for guests, I still estimate 1:15-1:30 per pound. If I'm done early no big deal, just rest it in a cooler. But last thing I want is the pressure to pull it early.

Lance
 
Not having done a brisket yet, I plan to go with what works for Franklin before I start experimenting with other times and temps.  So I'll cook at 275 to start.

Keep in mind that Franklin can be somewhat of a guideline. But he is smoking 1800 - 2200 lbs of brisket a day. In huge smokers.
He also rests his briskets for quite a few hours. That a different environment than just smoking 1-2 briskets.

Write down the details of your smoke and keep a log. Paying attention to detail and practice will give you better brisket results.
 
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On my WSM, which I can dial in and hold a steady temp with my eyes closed, I like to run between 225-250

With the Yoder which I am still trying to master, I am happy with anything between 250-275. I usually heat it to 275, try to hold that and let my swings be cooler instead of hotter
 
I think you guys convinced me to take it to 275 with this next smoke. Itll be the traditional salt n pepper rub with oak pellets for this one and looking for about a 10-12 lb brisket this time. I forgot to add a water pan this last time but the meat was still incredibly moist and tender.Probably will skip it this time again and do it fat cap down again also. Anything else you guys recommend? Oh yeah i did use the Texas crutch for this brisket since i didnt have any butcher paper. Might orer some from amazon and see if itll get here by friday. Any other recommendations?

I've returned to smoking meat after a long hiatus. For brisket, I always went with a texas style rub with paprika, black pepper, and a bit of sugar, and chili powder. I always thought it tasted great but THEN my Franklin BBQ book swears by just salt and pepper....hmm...I see you do it that way...I'm worried it will be a bit bland? However, this meat I ordered is a snake river farms wagyu gold brisket and should have a great flavor on it's own...so maybe just salt and pepper? I also used to let it sit with the rub overnight and thought I would get a better bark that way with my rub blend I mentioned above. Any thoughts on whether that matters? The Franklin BBQ master doesn't let em season overnight but I'm not sure if that's just because they don't have time and make so many or it doesn't matter?
 
This is why when people get so uptight about their smoker fluctuating a few degrees, I have to wonder if it is worth the price of fancy controllers to hold exact temps, particularly in electrics. I have always used 225, but you guys are instigating me to dial it up a bit my next smoke. Thank you for all the info on your experiences and opinions
 
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