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How long to smoke brisket pellet grill
If you’re wondering how long you should be planning ahead to smoke a brisket for, while having a pellet grill, then this is the post for you.
No matter what type of Grill, even if you don’t have a pellet smoker, always use two things to determine how long any type of brisket will take to cook through.
The first thing to consider, is obviously how hot you are cooking it at.
The second thing to consider, is how much your brisket weighs. This doesn’t even really apply to what type of brisket you have, whether you have just a flat brisket or a whole Packer brisket.
Only the temperature and how much a brisket weighs, determines how long it will take to cook.
As far as how hot you’re cooking at, you have a very wide range of temperatures to choose from. The most common temperature range is 225 degrees Fahrenheit to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. This is known as low as slow. 4 low and slow. For this temp range, expect a 1 lb per hour a cook time.
The second most common temperature ranges anywhere from 275 degrees Fahrenheit to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. That is hot and fast. For hot and fast Cooks, regardless of your smoker, expect a 2 lb per hour mark for your brisket.
How long to smoke a 3lb brisket on pellet grill
Let’s say you have a pellet grill and want to smoke a 3 lb brisket. Use the estimation of about 1 1/2 pounds per hour to about 2 lb per hour, considering you’re cooking it at hotter temperatures of around 300 degrees Fahrenheit or more. That should get you a total cook time of 3 hours.
How to cook brisket on pit boss pellet grill
If you have the fortune of having a Pit Boss pellet grill, then smoking a brisket is really super simple.
To get started, you’ll want to first of all season it properly with either kosher salt and black pepper. If you’re in Central Texas, then you’ll know what I’m talking about as that is a stable down here.
As you begin to prep the meat and season it, make sure to turn your smoker on because it could take about one to two hours to fully come up the temperature.
Just flip the switch and set the settings properly. Select whatever temperature range you want. I prefer the higher end of the spectrum, so lean more towards the 275 to 300 degree mark.
Once you have seasoned the brisket and have actually prepped the smoker to come up to your desired temperature, simply just throw it onto the smoker grates.
You should notice that for hotter temperatures, the actual cook time is about 2 lb per hour compared to the 1 lb per hour for low and slow Cooks.
Despite how hot and fast or how low and slow you’re smoking a brisket at, make sure to pull it off the smoker only once it reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit and internal temperature.
Once it reaches that temperature range, then you should grab a toothpick and begin probing it in and out of the meat to test for any resistance. That just tests to see if there is any connective tissues present within the meat.
If there is zero resistance, then the brisket is effectively done. Pull it off the smoker and then let it rest properly for 3 to 5 hours in a cooler.
How long to smoke a brisket flat on Traeger
If you have a brisket flat and have a Traeger, you should know that the length of time is not dependent on the type of grill you have.
The length of time to smoke any brisket flat is just based off of the temperature at what you smoke it at and how much the brisket flat weighs.
For brisket flats that are smoked at higher temperatures, expect 2 lb per hour of cook time and for low and low temperatures, expect 1 pound per hour row cut time
What is the best temperature to smoke a brisket on a pellet grill?
The best temperature to smoke a brisket on a pellet grill is really up to the individual. If you want to have the brisket finish a lot quicker than average, then definitely consider cooking them at at least 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
You save quite a bit of time in the process, and in my experience, the briskets come out even better than those cooked at low and slow temperatures of about 225 degrees Fahrenheit
How long does it take to smoke a 14 lb brisket at 225?
For brisket smoked at 225 degrees Fahrenheit and that weigh in at about 14 lb, you can expect about 14 hours at total cook time.
Honestly, that is way too long, and you should always consider smoking a brisket at higher temperatures.
If you really want to smoke a brisket at 225° Fahrenheit, just know that you’ll be by the smoker for substantially longer periods of time then you really need to be.
Final thoughts
The length of time for your briskets to cook through all the way is not dependent on your pellet grill or any other type of smoker. Always use the temperature at which you are cooking the meat at, coupled with how much it actually weighs, to determine the length of time for your cook.
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.