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How long to smoke a two and a half pound brisket
If you’re wondering how long you should be smoking at 2 1/2 pound brisket, then you have come to the right place.
On average it should take about one pound per hour to fully cook through any type of brisket that you have.
This of course is assuming that you are smoking it at around 225°F.
That is one of the most common way to smoke any brisket at all, and is also known as the low and slow method.
One of the reasons why many people tend to smoke briskets of any size at that temperature range, is that it’s so that they can easily manage the fire temperatures overall.
Not to mention, it’s fairly easy to get a fire going at a lower temperature than it is at a higher temperature. Also, it does not seem to use as much fuel as those cooks at hotter temperatures such as 300°F or hotter.
If you do happen to be smoking it hotter temperatures of over 300°F, then you should consider using an estimation of about 2 pounds per hour of cook time.
Overall, regardless of what temperature you are really smoking at 2 1/2 pound brisket out, you should really expect about a 2 hour to 3 hour cook time in total.
Once the connective tissues have completely broken down, you will want to pull it off the smoker and then place it into an ice cooler or a warming oven for adequate resting thereafter.
Final thoughts
The length of time that it takes to fully cook through a 2 1/2 pound brisket at 225°, all the way up to 300°F, should really only take about no more than three hours to fully cook through.
That is when you can expect the internal temperature to reach 200°F. In other words, the collagen and connective tissues within the meat will have completely rendered down at that point, indicating that the brisket should be pulled.
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.