I had a 3.75 lb brisket that cooked a total of 8 hours. The first 6 hours was at 225 degrees and the last 2 hours at 300 degrees. I think it probably could've gone another hour at 225 but we were running out of time for dinner so we had to rush it along.
The night before cooking prepare the following ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspooons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
Phase 1
When ready to cook bring the smoker up to 225 degrees. Cook the brisket fat side up at 225 until it's internal temperture is 165 degrees. I used a thermometer that I could leave in the meat the whole time. I stuck it through the side of the brisket which allowed me to open the side door of the smoker and get a quick look at the temperature without having to take the lid off and let all the heat escape.
As I said, I had to rush the cooking process along. I moved onto phase 2 when the internal temperature of the brisket was at 160 degrees not 165. Another hour or so at 225 degrees surely would've gotten me the extra 5 degrees. For me, this was 6 hours after I first started cooking.
Phase 2
Once the internal temperature of the brisket is at 165 remove it from the smoker and double wrap it in foil. Flip the brisket over so the fat side is down and place it back in the smoker. I wrapped the foil so I could still see the thermometer. Turn up the heat in the smoker to 300 degrees and cook until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 205. For my brisket this took an additional 2 hours to get the temp to 205.
Phase 3
Once the internal temperature is 205 degrees you can remove the brisket from the smoker and place it, by itself, in a cooler until you're ready to eat. The insulation of the cooler will allow the meat to maintain it's temperature inside the foil wrap.
When you're ready to eat start by trimming all the excess fat off the bottom of the brisket. Slice the meat thin and across the grain.
Enjoy.