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Brisket temp climbing fast
If you have a brisket that is climbing in temperature very quickly, follow this helpful advice. Take quick note of what temperature your brisket is currently at. If it is towards the end of the cook, in other words around 200 degrees Fahrenheit in internal temperature, consider pulling it off the smoker grates immediately.
This is to prevent carryover heat from overcooking the brisket. If you were to pull it off the smoker, begin probing it all around.
You want it to be probe tender with zero resistance whatsoever. That’s how you know it’s really done. Let it rest for about 30 minutes or so on the counter or on some type of non-hot surface to let it cool down before resting it properly.
How fast should a brisket temp rise?
In terms of how fast a brisket temperature should rise, you can expect an average cook-through rate of about 1 lb per hour of cook time.
That’s also assuming that you are cooking it at a low and slow temperature of about 225 degrees Fahrenheit to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. For hotter style Cooks, then you should expect it to cook through at a rate of about 2 lb of meat every hour.
How much will brisket temp rise while resting?
If you’re resting a brisket and are wondering how much the temperature could rise during that time frame, follow this helpful advice as well. One of the reasons why I suggest always pulling the brisket off the smoker once it reaches around 200 degrees Fahrenheit in internal temperature, is to prevent any further carry overheat.
On average, you can expect the brisket’s temperature to rise about 5 to 10 degrees while it is resting.
You don’t want to pull the brisket off too late and then let it rest, because that would over cook the brisket past a reasonable internal temperature. Having an internal temperature that is way past 205 degrees Fahrenheit would indicate that the brisket is overcooked.
That basically means that all of the connective tissue and fiber within the meat have not only rendered down, but have dried out and will make the brisket very crumbly once you slice into it.
What temp should the brisket fall apart?
There is a very specific temperature range that a brisket should fall apart at. That temperature range is between 200 degrees Fahrenheit and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Anything less or more than that temperature range and you risk severely under cooking or over cooking a brisket. A helpful piece of advice to follow is to begin probing the brisket for resistance once it reaches the minimum threshold of 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
That’s just to ensure that the connective tissues and fibers have had a chance to fully render down and make the meat very juicy and moist.
Once that has occurred, then pull it off the smoker immediately.
Let it rest for about 30 minutes to an hour, and then place it directly into an ice cooler or a warming oven for adequate resting.
Final thoughts
If you have a brisket that happens to be climbing fast, don’t worry and just realize that it can be a product of how hot you are cooking it at. If it’s cooking faster than you anticipate, then consider decreasing the ambient temperature at which you are cooking it. This can help manipulate the internal temperature and how fast It can climb.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.