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How long to use smoke on brisket
Most briskets that you encounter are about 10 to 20 pounds and weight.
Not only that, it can take quite a bit of time to smoke them properly to the right internal temperature.
Since there is a significant amount of time involved smoking a brisket to doneness, it could be quiet frequent for people to be asking how long should you actually be smoking it for, as opposed to wrapping it and protecting it from further smoke imparting onto meat.
A lot of the times, most people will not actually even wrap the brisket whatsoever. That means that they aren’t really concerned about how much smoke is being administered to the BBQ, but more so, are more concerned about the internal temperature and when to pull it off the smoker.
Brisket will usually take quite a bit of time to smoke, and it’s not ever really in danger of being over smoked unless you don’t have a clean burning fuel source.
Having a clean burning wood fire is one of the most important things about getting smoke flavor on not only a Brisket but other types of BBQ as well.
Can a brisket be smoked too long?
If your brisket is being smoked between 225° to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wood is burning a clear blue type of smoke, then you don’t really have to worry about The brisket being smoked too much.
What you want to do obviously, is just pay attention to the internal temperature and pull it once it reaches about 200°F.
Other than that though, enjoy a nice crispy bark with plenty of smoke flavor.
How long do you smoke a brisket at 225 for?
Since briskets are about 10 to 20 pounds in weight for a whole Packer style brisket, you should expect about 10 to 20 hours of total cook time.
This low and slow temperature can really help get a lot of smoke onto your barbecue since it is rendering your brisket to be on the smoker for substantially longer periods of time then it otherwise would need to be.
How much smoke should be used
If you’re wondering how much smoke should actually be used, then you should also be asking yourself how much wood and fuel you should be using.
What that looks like, is usually about a full chimney full of charcoal alongside about 3 to 4 12-inch logs of your preferred wood of choice.
Once you can get the fuel burning and a flame ignited, you’ll want to look for a light and almost invisible type of smoke that has a bluish tint to it.
That is really the perfect amount of smoke and the perfect type of smoke that you should be smoking your barbecue on.
If you notice any kind of white ash or thick looking smoke, then you should be considering opening the vans to allow for more airflow and further igniting of your fire.
Having white smoke is not good for your brisket or any barbecue for that matter, since that is very toxic in nature and is not indicative of a good clean burning wood fire.
How much wood should be used
Regarding your overall smoking session and how much would you should actually be using, just use about half a chimney full of charcoal and light it.
Once you light the chimney in the charcoal, make sure to grab about 3 to 4 pieces of 12 inch logs and placed them directly on top for further igniting.
Final thoughts
The length of time you should be smoking your brisket is really dependent on how much it weighs and how much in ambient temperature you happen to be smoking it at.
That means that lots of the times, briskets can take quite a bit of smoke being in part in all of them, since they are already on the smoker for substantial period of time.
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.