Can I do a brisket in 8hrs?

[detroitBBQ]

I have 2 6lb briskets that have been in the rub for 36hrs, going to do 4 hrs of smoke at 220, then what?  Good Angus Choice meat being used...

[Tenpoint5]

You wait till its done!! Which should be when the internal temp is 185-195º

[detroitBBQ]

So, keep it at 220 and keep checking it or do I change temp?

[BuyLowSellHigh]

There are many ways to cook a brisket.  The method(s) will have a direct impact on the result. Which one you choose is up to you. To your question, can you do a brisket in 8 hrs?  Yes, you can, but with 2 @ 6 lbs it probably won't be just in a Bradley smoker at 220 °F.  For an 8 hr version you will probably want to use a braise type finish -- in a roasting pan, with a braising liquid, covered, ~250 °F until just done (using IT and tenderness as the judge).

I suggest before you launch into this you go to the Recipe Site here, scroll down to Beef and the read the posts under Brisket Pachanga and WTS-Brisket.  Those would be a good start.

[SouthernSmoked]

There are many ways to cook a brisket.  The method(s) will have a direct impact on the result. Which one you choose is up to you. To your question, can you do a brisket in 8 hrs?  Yes, you can, but with 2 @ 6 lbs it probably won't be just in a Bradley smoker at 220 °F.  For an 8 hr version you will probably want to use a braise type finish -- in a roasting pan, with a braising liquid, covered, ~250 °F until just done (using IT and tenderness as the judge).

I suggest before you launch into this you go to the Recipe Site here, scroll down to Beef and the read the posts under Brisket Pachanga and WTS-Brisket.  Those would be a good start.

Hello detroitBBQ, here is one that I did this summer using the braising method.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=17317.0

Hope this helps...

Enjoy!

[Caneyscud]

I will keep it short

BLSH correctly stated that different methods produce different results.  And you get what ya brung to the table.  If you loved the Brisket in Lockhart or Luling Texas, it was probably cooked in less time than you may think, but they have the equipment, and the decades of experience.  For us - we have to low-n-slow.  In a stickburner, I regularly have them done in 1 to 1.25 hours per pound.  Select longer thinner briskets (rather than thick) and cook at 225 to 250.  In a Bradley, I can't do them in that time - takes longer. 

In Texas with the influx of the rest of the world, and accounting for local variances there are now a myriad of ways that people cook brisket and lable it "Texas Style".  Just google and you can see the variances.  The question is what do you want? 

Put em in a roasting bag with some liquid smoke and sauce and cook them for 3 or 4 hours at 325 - 350 and you have what some call "Texas Style Brisket"   ummmmmm.   

No reason, not to smoke for a couple of hours and then boat it in a foil pan, add a little liquid, and loosely cover with foil.  You don't have the experience of a "Brisket Belt" brisket, but you have some eats you might like.  I will do just the opposite, cook in oven till just short of done, then smoke til doneness.  I call it Cheater Brisket - usually cooked "cowboy" style.  But only do this in an emergency - or in the case of a short contest that allows precooking.  Pretty good eats, but not great - to me it is roast beef with some smoke flavor.  The texture is different, and the bark is different, how the fat ends up is different, and arguably the taste is different.   Many a little Jewish mom has roasted a brisket with tomato juice, onions, carrots and other fall veggies.  Good if not great, but not smoked brisket.


To get the full Brisket Experience I usually allow the time to properly smoke one low-n-slow.  Only right for the King of Meats!