Stampede Brisket at 225F or 250F ??

[Maule Guy]

I was looking at Aaron Franklin's videos and he cooks his briskets at 250F while Meathead suggest 225F.

I have done 225F but on a pellet smoker that I really did not trust the temperature. I seem to have one now that can hold temp pretty well and had a few questions.

1. Will the bark form better at 250 vs 225
2. How many hours should I plan for at 225 Franklin suggests about 1.5 hrs per lb. at 250. I know its not done until its done but this timing is for planning purposes and understand it is not written in stone.
3. Is the 225F brisket more moist than the 250F or does it not seem to matter.

Thanx

 

[rgreenberg2000]

The trick here, MG, is you have to figure out which way produces a result that YOU prefer. I prefer 225, Franklin prefers 250 (lord knows he's cooked more brisket than I have!), and I know plenty who swear by high heat at 300+. Try them both, see what YOU like!

As for time, I'd estimate 2 hr/lb at 225, and give myself a 2-3 hour buffer on finish time (cooler and towels if finished earlier than expected to hold.)

Good luck!

R

 

[opus]

As the other poster stated, it is a personal thing you get to with practice. Now that I have a RT700, my main preference is to do it for 7+hours on a stick burner and then move over to the pellet, but I prefer a smokier flavor I'm just not going to get on a pellet smoker. Once I move it to the pellet, I will go as high as 300, depending on the temp it is at and when I need it done. If time isn't an issue I will just let it go at 250. As for moistness, I think it has more to do with the meat quality than the smoking. I prefer the prime briskets from Costco or Sams and I've done them all different ways time wise and they always seem to come out very moist. I can tell when I've gotten one from a grocery store, the moistness is just not as high.

 

[Wslayer]

Seriously don't think you would "ever" be able to tell the difference in 25°.

 

[KatyTxSmoke]

I stick with 225 mainly because I see more smoke coming out of the vents vs 250, and we prefer smokier flavor. Hell, I also add a smoke tube for more smoke, lol.
I stick with 1.5 hrs per pound and after 160, I wrap in foil until 200-205, works perfectly for me. As others have stated, try it and if it works, I would stick with it. The type of meat does have allot to do with moisture retention as well as using the cooler technique for 2 hrs cool down for me. I also like & prefer Wagyu as the marbling add to moisture & flavor. Here’s one that smoked earlier this year and it came out flavorful, with bark and moist as can be falling apart like a tender roast, lol.
Good luck with the cook!

 

[Smoke'n Hot]

This smoking stuff is rocket surgery. There is only one way to do things and that's this Aaron dudes way. All I know is I got me a Rt700 and I smoke everything from brisket to fish to the neighbors cat and I only follow the AF Jedi pit master training.

Ok, most of what I wrote is total BS. I smoke at 225. I supplement the flavor with a smoker tube using mesquite or hickory. Main fuel is competition blend of oak,hickory and cherry. I am only on brisket number 4.

I live in the Smoky mountains and I don't have a Costco or Sam's so I am religated to Publix or Ingles . We have a Walmart but I don't trust their brisket . I inject with beef consume and this brisket injection seasoning and I top it off with 4 Rivers Brisket rub from the 4 Rivers BBQ joint in the Orlando area. The injected ones come out very moist. my first one was on the dry side. This one I injected last night and started the cook this morning at 5AM. This one and the last one I didn't wrap. I like thick bark with some crunch too it. I got that by not wrapping through the stall.

 

[Maule Guy]

I stick with 225 mainly because I see more smoke coming out of the vents vs 250, and we prefer smokier flavor. Hell, I also add a smoke tube for more smoke, lol.
I stick with 1.5 hrs per pound and after 160, I wrap in foil until 200-205, works perfectly for me. As others have stated, try it and if it works, I would stick with it. The type of meat does have allot to do with moisture retention as well as using the cooler technique for 2 hrs cool down for me. I also like & prefer Wagyu as the marbling add to moisture & flavor. Here’s one that smoked earlier this year and it came out flavorful, with bark and moist as can be falling apart like a tender roast, lol.
Good luck with the cook!

View attachment 11464

That was pretty much what I was thinking, 225F with a smoke tube and wrap w/ pink butcher paper at about 160F. A 14 lb packer would take about 21 hrs using Franklin's calculations, but those are for 250F. Did 1.5 hrs w/ 225 work for you?

Thanx

 

[james1414d]

I was looking at Aaron Franklin's videos and he cooks his briskets at 250F while Meathead suggest 225F.

I have done 225F but on a pellet smoker that I really did not trust the temperature. I seem to have one now that can hold temp pretty well and had a few questions.

1. Will the bark form better at 250 vs 225
2. How many hours should I plan for at 225 Franklin suggests about 1.5 hrs per lb. at 250. I know its not done until its done but this timing is for planning purposes and understand it is not written in stone.
3. Is the 225F brisket more moist than the 250F or does it not seem to matter.

Thanx

That brisket will stay nice and warm for 4 hours+ in a cooler wrapped up. Cook it however you want, earlier then you think and you'll be golden!

 

[Maule Guy]

Ok, just pulled the 13.7 lb packer off the RT-590. I was really surprised how fast it cooked. Choose 235F setting on RT-590 and was getting actual temps about 2" over the grate of ~240F. Put it on at 9PM figuring a bit more than 1.25 min./ lb would yield about a 18 hr cook. Approximately 3PM tarket

Meat thermometer in thick part of brisket set to 170F went off at 2AM. Got up and wrapped it tightly in pink butcher paper. Went back to bed and was really surprised at 7AM the meat thermometers were reading in the low 200's. Ooops, guests for dinner at 6PM. Dialed back the temp to 220F and let it slowly come up to final temp. When I measured w/ instant probe thermometer (Lavatools) the area under the deckle was still 195F so left it on until just before noon (~13 hrs ) and put it wrapped up in a warming oven to hold for dinner.

The brisket was one of Costco's prime packer briskets and it looks to have rendered out about 1/2 -3/4 qt of fat. More when we cut into in in about five hours.

 

[BowDown]

I was looking at Aaron Franklin's videos and he cooks his briskets at 250F while Meathead suggest 225F.

I have done 225F but on a pellet smoker that I really did not trust the temperature. I seem to have one now that can hold temp pretty well and had a few questions.

1. Will the bark form better at 250 vs 225
2. How many hours should I plan for at 225 Franklin suggests about 1.5 hrs per lb. at 250. I know its not done until its done but this timing is for planning purposes and understand it is not written in stone.
3. Is the 225F brisket more moist than the 250F or does it not seem to matter.

Thanx

I smoke at 225° but thats because of the pellet smoker. Pellet smokers smoke best at 200° to 225° . Aaron is using an offset wood smoker that produces more smoke so he can run temps at 250°. I think its as simple as that

 

[Maule Guy]

Ok, just pulled the 13.7 lb packer off the RT-590. I was really surprised how fast it cooked. Choose 235F setting on RT-590 and was getting actual temps about 2" over the grate of ~240F. Put it on at 9PM figuring a bit more than 1.25 min./ lb would yield about a 18 hr cook. Approximately 3PM tarket

Meat thermometer in thick part of brisket set to 170F went off at 2AM. Got up and wrapped it tightly in pink butcher paper. Went back to bed and was really surprised at 7AM the meat thermometers were reading in the low 200's. Ooops, guests for dinner at 6PM. Dialed back the temp to 220F and let it slowly come up to final temp. When I measured w/ instant probe thermometer (Lavatools) the area under the deckle was still 195F so left it on until just before noon (~13 hrs ) and put it wrapped up in a warming oven to hold for dinner.

The brisket was one of Costco's prime packer briskets and it looks to have rendered out about 1/2 -3/4 qt of fat. More when we cut into in in about five hours.

Bottom line I probably should have taken the brisket off at the 12 hr mark. By the time I held the butcher paper and aluminum foil wrapped brisket in a 170F warming oven for six hours the flat was a little dry. Everyone liked it but I was disappointed in the moistness.

Quite a surprise to have an estimated 18 hr cook finish at 12 hrs.

 

[pungo]

Anytime I'm doing an overnight brisket smoke, I place the meat on the left side of the grill set at 200F, just in case it wants to cook quicker then expected. I haven't measured it, but I know the right side of the grill is hotter then the left (where the temp probe is located). I then turn it up to 225-230 in the morning to finish it off, wrapping at at 165F IT. Not into waking up in the middle of the night to tend to the cook.

 

[Dano]

Anytime I'm doing an overnight brisket smoke, I place the meat on the left side of the grill set at 200F, just in case it wants to cook quicker then expected. I haven't measured it, but I know the right side of the grill is hotter then the left (where the temp probe is located). I then turn it up to 225-230 in the morning to finish it off, wrapping at at 165F IT. Not into waking up in the middle of the night to tend to the cook.

I’m with pungo on this one. Best brisket I’ve had off my 590 was when I brined it then injected it with the brine and cooked at 200 then wrapped at 165 then turned up the smoker to 225-235 to finish it off. I’ve cooked brisket starting at 225 using the same process not nearly as good or tender.

 

[Maule Guy]

Dano & Pungo; I have measured the 590 twice with probes on the right and left ( also used the RT probes in parallel) and you are right the right side in my grill is up to 10F higher on the right depending on the temp.

This cook the measured temp on an empty grill was about 240-245F at the set temp. I have cooked several briskets on my old Traeger and Louisiana Grills pellet smokers but this was the first on the 590. On the other two grills I always had an issue of getting the brisket done in time.....but this time the 11-12 hr completion on a brisket trimmed to 14 lbs was a complete surprise.

Next one will be a lower temp.

Thanx

 

[pungo]

Dano & Pungo; I have measured the 590 twice with probes on the right and left ( also used the RT probes in parallel) and you are right the right side in my grill is up to 10F higher on the right depending on the temp.

This cook the measured temp on an empty grill was about 240-245F at the set temp. I have cooked several briskets on my old Traeger and Louisiana Grills pellet smokers but this was the first on the 590. On the other two grills I always had an issue of getting the brisket done in time.....but this time the 11-12 hr completion on a brisket trimmed to 14 lbs was a complete surprise.

Next one will be a lower temp.

Thanx

Yup, that's why I put the meat on the left side (thicker side of the meat facing toward the right) since the left side should be closer to the set temp. If I'm cooking multiple pieces of meat I place the thicker cuts on right side and the thinner cuts on the left side. It does make a difference.

 

[FF Cory]

I have 2 pork loins on right now and they are both very similar in size and thickness. I have both probes in the thickest part of the loins. The right side is 9 degrees higher than the left. Is that because of the covected air movement in the barrel?