to inject or not to inject briskrt?

[frankloco]

Just curious if I want to set my smoker at about 180 and slow cook my brisket can I still inject? I really want to try and smoke it at the lowest temp. Is injecting brisket really necissary?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Injecting and smoking at temps below 225°F can increase the risk of bacterial growth and their associated toxins. I suggest either Injecting and smoking at 225 or smoke at 180 but skip the injection. As far a necessary? That is a preference. Some swear by injecting brisket and many well known Texans go to the Smoker with S & P only...JJ

 

[SmokyMose]

180 seems really low. I'd go 220 to 240. Some cook it at 250 to 275, but that seems high to me.
Like JJ said, you're taking a chance. At 180 the meat is basically sitting raw for a long time...
Even at 240, brisket takes a long time to cook!

 

[frankloco]

Thanks Jimmy I'm not gunna inject I want to smoke low and slow I'm still gunna keep the smoker at 180 and probably gunna start smoking at 330am, do you think that is enough time to get a finished product by 6 or 7 pm at a constant 180 smoker temp?

 

[jcbigler]

Impossible to say.

We don't know how big your brisket is, what kind of smoker you have and what kind of airflow it has.

I would raise them temp to at least 225. Usually I smoke at 250-275.

Also, keep in mind that for brisket to get very tender, you need to get the internal temp up to 195-205 degrees. It will never get that high with a chamber temp of 180.

 

[frankloco]

I have a traeger junior and am planning on smoking a 10 to 12 pound brisket

 

[jcbigler]

You should be fine with a 12 pounder. But again, I would raise the temp. It might take 24 hours to cook at 180.

I did a 12.87 lb brisket a couple weeks ago. Trimmed about 1 1/2 lbs of fat off. Ran the temp up above 250 and it was done in about 9 hours flat. But it was super windy that day and I had a HUGE amount of air flowing through the smoker.

 

[chef jimmyj]

JC brings up a good point. At 180 it will take longer than can easily be predicted. While it is true that we see an IT in the 200 range being an indicator that the meat should be done, Tenderness can be achieved at a lower temp but the time it takes goes way up. Collagen starts to breakdown at around 130°F. This is how we can Sous Vide a brisket for 48 hours and get it tender, never getting anywhere near an IT of 200. The rate of breakdown increases as the IT rises above 160. At a smoker temp of 225 we typically see a tender Brisket when the IT is 200.This coincides with a timing of around 1.5 hours per pound of meat. Lower the smoker temp to 180 and that time will increase. Unfortunately I have no statistics to say how long that will take. If I was to Guess, I would say plan on 2.5 hours per pound and have a Take-Out Menu standing by...JJ