What Should the Internal Temperature of Smoked Brisket Be?
If you are planning to smoke a brisket, I bet you have done a bit of research about the best dry rub, marinade and of course the best smoking wood flavor. All these things make the process of smoking brisket a wonderful experience.
And for ensuring a perfect style to smoke brisket, you need to have all the necessary equipment and the right knowledge of internal temperature smoked brisket as well. Besides, you need to know more about the temperature at which you will smoke the brisket.
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The temperature at which you will smoke the brisket may vary depending on the size and the fatness of the brisket. The brisket can range between 5-15 pounds. This means that the cooking time may vary considerably.
Smoker temperature of 12-18lbs should be 225 degrees F and the smoking time would be between 10-12 hours. While the finishing temperature should be 200 degrees F.
On the other hand, briskets of 5-10lbs require a smoker temperature of 225 degrees F, a smoking time of 5-7 hours and finishing temperature of 200 degrees F.
Digital thermometer:
Most cooks would say that they know how to tell when smoked brisket is done just by looking. This is definitely not true. The best thing is to have a digital temperature thermometer. This will help you read the internal temperature easily with perfect accuracy.
This is actually one of the best ways to know whether the brisket is fully cooked. All that is required is to just insert your thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. This simple step will provide you with a quick reading of the internal temperature.
Tips for the best-smoked brisket temp: Brisket temperature graph
Some smokers come with thermometers that automatically stops cooking and switches to warming mode immediately after the brisket has reached the preset temperature. If you want to prevent brisket from drying out, it is good to remove it when the internal temperature reads 195 degrees F.
Brisket needs slow and low smoker cooking if you want it to reach the best, ultimate and good texture. It is important to note that brisket requires 1 hour per pound at 220 degrees F. However, the time may vary considerably depending on the smoker type, temperature, and size of the brisket.
The best secret to having a good brisket for smoking is to have a good piece of meat. Yes, you heard it right!
Ensure that you have collected the meat that is tender and soft with enough fat to help the meat stay moist during the process. Find a piece that bends the most. The more it bends, the less the connectivity tissues. It is always good to have the piece of meat that bends the most.
The second step is to have the smoked brisket rub ready and massage it on your brisket. You can do this about 2-4 hours before the actual smoking. And if you can afford the time, it is even better to rub the meat one day in advance before smoking.
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Rubbing involves doing it on the entire section of the brisket. Apply the rub on all parts of your meat. It is recommended to use a thinner layer on the fatty area. As soon as you’re done with rubbing, you can wrap the brisket with an aluminum foil and refrigerate it for about 24 hours.
Remove the brisket from the refrigerator and allow it to stay for 1-2 hours before smoking it. This will help the meat to acclimate to room temperature. At this time, you can inject the marinade into the brisket.
If you’re using one of the digital smokers, you know how to smoke a brisket in a smoker. Now set the internal temperature at 190 degrees F. When the temperature reaches that point, the digital smoker stops and turns to warm mode automatically. You need to just set it and forget it!
Smoking briskets is a technique that started during the early times. It actually started during the pre-historic era. The purpose of this technique was to prolong the lifespan of the meat. It is actually one of the best preservation methods used during those times. Of course, there was nothing like freezing or refrigeration at that time.
Even to-date there are tribes and cultures that are still using smoking as a method of preservation, especially in Africa. However, nowadays, in most of the developed countries, smoking is not a method of preservation but a method of improving the taste of the meat.
Below are the benefits of smoking brisket:
For the smoking process to be a success, it is important to gather all the materials needed. Of course, you will need the best and tender piece of meat, an electric smoker, meat rub, and sauce. And the very first thing you need to do is to prepare the meat, rub it and then refrigerate it for one day.
You will then need to expose it so as to defrost it to room temperature. When the brisket has deforested, you can choose to marinate it. Always do it with clean hands to avoid any microorganism getting into the meat.
Ensure that all the equipment are there and everything is set. The temperature at which you will smoke the meat means a lot to the final result. You must check the smoker temperature and the internal temperature as well. To check the internal temperature, you need to buy a digital thermometer.
A smoked brisket is one of the best and sweetest food item when smoked properly. It is good to follow the instructions while you’re smoking a brisket. Having the best rub and the knowledge is the way to go. If you want to have a sweet and yummy brisket, just follow the instructions above.
The temperature at which you will smoke is very important as well. It is best to monitor the temperature after every few hours. This will help you determine if the brisket has fully cooked.
As soon as it hits 190-195 degrees F, the digital smoker switches automatically to warming mode. The temperature used determines the final taste of your brisket. All you need to ensure that you’re following all the temperature instruction precisely.