Advise on Smoking 8 lb brisket

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bigfoote

Fire Starter
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
68
18
Hot Springs Village, AR
Long story, but I'm smoking two 8 lb briskets for a friend, and I'm trying to  estimate how long it is going to take to reach an internal temp of 190 using a smoker temp of 260.  It's been a while since I smoked a brisket this small, and since I have to deliver it for a party, I want to make sure I have at least a couple of hours for them sit wrapped in the cooler, but not more than 6 hours, if I can help it.  I've searched, but haven;t found any help using this temp.  I'm thinking less than 8 hours, but I would appreciate any help from some of the more experienced smokers.  Thanks.
 
Even though I am a proponent of smoking hotter, in the 260-275 range, for a brisket that small, I think you should try to lower your temps to 225-230 ish. Even then I would expect it to be done in about 8 hours if have good airflow through your smoker.
 
It's always sketchy to try and accurately predict the cook time on a brisket...every one I ever cooked was different. At 260*, I'd guess each would take less than an hour per raw pound...but since it's better if its finishes earlier than later, I'd probably allow 8 hours just to CYA. That way, even if it finishes in 5-6 hours, it'll have a nice rest before time to serve.

Good luck! Thumbs Up

Red
 
Even though I am a proponent of smoking hotter, in the 260-275 range, for a brisket that small, I think you should try to lower your temps to 225-230 ish. Even then I would expect it to be done in about 8 hours if have good airflow through your smoker.
That was also a concern of mine.  I've just recently started smoking at higher temps, but I haven't done anything this small in a long time.  I'll be using a XL size BBG with a double decker grill, so my air flow should be good.  I just want to know if it will take longer than 10 hours, so I can start my cook earlier.  Thanks for the advise.
 
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