We strive to provide you with authoritative, trustworthy, and expert advice. In doing so, the staff at bbqdropout.com performs extensive research, editing, and fact checking to every post on this webiste. If you feel that this article can improve, please feel free to reach us at staff@bbqdropout.com
Before continuing this article, I wanted to let you know that I have a YouTube channel where I showcase all sorts of video content related to BBQ. Subscribing would mean a lot to me, and I very much appreicate all the support!
How long do I need to smoke a 7 pound brisket?
Briskets come in all shapes and sizes.
Not only that, but they also come in different grades such as select, choice, and Prime.
If you’re wondering how long you need to smoke a brisket that weighs about 7 lb in weight, just know that it entirely depends on how hot and fast you decide to cook it at.
For Simplicity sake though, expect anywhere from 4 to 7 hours of cook time.
That is purely an estimation and should be taken with a grain of salt, but is a very good way of planning ahead.
You need to have at least a rough ballpark estimate as to when your briskets will be done.
This will impact your preparation and perhaps even where you decide to store, and rest the brisket going forward.
If you start your brisket too late in the day, then you may have to have an overnight cook, which may not be optimal for most people, myself included.
That’s why it is absolutely critical to know how long not only a 7lb brisket will take, but any type or any weight of brisket will take to begin with.
How long does it take to smoke a 7 pound brisket at 225?
225 degrees Fahrenheit cooks are known as low and slow style cooks.
This has the propensity to cook through any type of brisket at a rate of 1 lb per hour of cook time.
It may not be as optimal Time-Wise, but can save you lots of fuel in the process since it doesn’t actually take that much to generate only 225 degrees Fahrenheit heat.
For a 7lb brisket cooked at around 225 degrees Fahrenheit, expect about 7 hours of quick time.
That does not include the rest time, which is another factor that goes into the overall preparation and cooking process for any brisket.
But just know that for long slow cooking with a 7lb brisket in particular, you’ll be tending to the smoker for about 7 hours.
How long does it take to cook a 7 & a half pound brisket?
It really depends on how hot and fast you decide to cook a brisket at, particularly for a 7lb brisket.
Let’s use the notion of about 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
At that temperature range, you can expect to be cuddling by the fire and smoker for over 7 hours.
If you were to smoke the brisket at a hotter temperature, let’s say about 300 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter, then you really only need to be smoking it for about 4 to 5 hours.
The internal temperature will rise substantially quicker with hotter temperature ambient ranges than that of a long slow style of Cook.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, you’ll always need to come prepared with your brisket and have an estimation as to how long you want to actually be smoking for.
Not only that, you want to have an idea of how much fuel you use and how much of a temperature you’ll want to be smoking the brisket at.
All of these different things impact when you can pull it off the smoker and begin resting it.
The hotter in temperature Hugo, the lower cook time you’ll actually need to expand.
Conversely, the lower temperatures that you cook the brisket at, the longer you’ll need to tend to the smoker. Use these estimations as pure guidelines and not anything of being sacrosanct at all.
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.