In a crowd of just guys, I cound on 1/2 lb per person, so a brisket feeds about 15. If you have 75 people, you need at least 4 briskets.

I like to serve at 3 portions / lb cooked meat or 5.33 Oz / portion, 150 people will need 50 lbs cooked meat / meat to fulfill this or 90 lbs pork + 83 lbs brisket, but this is putting 10.66 Oz of meat on every plate, (11 -12 (8 lb) boston butts + 7 -8 (10 lb) briskets).

60 people, assume 2 pounds loss per packer, cook packers, and assume 35% loss of weight through cook. I would want 1/2 pound of meat per person if there is just one meat, let’s assume it is delicious meat, so 1/2 pound. 30 pounds finish product is what you want.

For MOST occasions when I smoke a brisket, I figure that my typical brisket (12-13 lbs) will serve 15-20. Honestly, it’s usually a bit closer to 20 when I have a mixed crowd (which is usually the case). Some guys will eat 1 lb, but a lot of the kids have two slices on a piece of bread.

Our general rule of thumb is to plan on between 30 and 60 minutes per pound. For example, a 16-pound brisket cooked at 275 degrees Fahrenheit will take between 10 and 12 hours. The entire process from trimming, injection, seasoning, and cooking will take between 18 and 20 hours.

12 pound

The meat does not get less tender the longer you cook it, only more. I use the toothpick test for all my briskets, but I also keep an eye on IT as well and. Best suggestion is to just cook it longer. As they cool down, they do tend to tighten up a bit, but not enough to make it tough.

Beef brisket should cook to an internal temperature of at least 195 degrees. If the meat is overcooked, it can still make a fine ingredient for chili, stew, or Shepherd’s pie. You can also use the point to make burnt ends, which are crispy cubes of brisket smothered in barbecue sauce.

Start with a brisket in the 10- to 12-pound range, which is just the right size to fit on the grill. Trim off the excess top fat or “fat cap,” but leave a ¼”-thick layer of fat to keep the meat moist during the long cooking process.

about 12-20 inches

Smoked brisket prepared by Black’s Barbecue restaurant in Texas. While all beef has become more expensive because of a punishing southwestern drought that has forced cattle ranchers to thin their herds, brisket prices have outpaced increases in other cuts.

By splitting your brisket, it gives you a better control of the presentation of your bite, a deeper smoke ring and more bark surface to work with for specific portions of a muscle. It also allows the smoke to better penetrate the muscles as there’s more surface area exposed as it cooks.

If the brisket is too large for your smoker, just fold a portion of the flat back under the brisket. Don’t place the item on the bottom shelf unless absolutely necessary, this is the hottest tray since it’s closest to the heat source. Close the door of your smoker and wait.

Most barbecue joints acquire minimally trimmed briskets from meat distributors. In the past, pitmasters wouldn’t trim the brisket before cooking – they’d just throw the whole thing in the smoker and let it cook. Once finished, they’d slice the point from the flat and scrape off all the fat from the flat.

The Grill. Make sure to set the grill or smoker to the correct temperature before adding the brisket. If the temperature is too high, the meat will dry out, especially if it’s left in there for too long. One issue might be with the smoker itself—or more specifically, the way it’s configured.

If you decide to cook your brisket fat side up, you should know that the fat acts as a heat shield protecting the beef. If your heat source is mostly from the top, such as with many horizontal offset smokers, fat side up should be the way to go.

How Long To Smoke A 3lb Brisket?

1. Give yourself plenty of time. While the actual cook time varies with each brisket, you should allow at least 1 hour and 15 mins per pound of brisket when the cooking temperature is set to 250°F.
2. Get your gear ready.
3. Allow plenty of time to rest.

I like to plan 90 minutes for every pound of smoked brisket, including the rest or hold temperature, when cooking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The total cook can be anywhere from 8 hours to 16 depending on the size of the cut.

5 hours

Smoked Brisket (5-10 lbs)

1. Smoker Temperature: 225°F.
2. Smoking Time: 5-7 hrs.
3. Finished Temperature: 200°F.

5-7 pound brisket = 7.5 – 11 hours. 8-10 pound brisket = 12 – 15 hours.

Ideally, the brisket rest time should be at least 1 hour if you’re in a hurry. If you plan to devour it later, let it sit for two hours so that it’s well-rested.

When it reaches 160-170 degrees and has a deep reddish brown or nearly black crust on the exterior, it’s time to wrap the brisket. If it gets done (an internal temp of 200 degrees) even earlier, place the wrapped brisket into a covered beer cooler (without ice). Let it sit there until 1 hour before serving time.

Yes, at 140 a brisket is going to be tough. I take mine to 160-165, wrap in foil, then to 190 for slicing. Wrap foiled brisket in several layers of towel and allow to rest in a cooler for a couple of hours, then slice.

Once the temperature does start to rise, it can go quickly. It’s common for a brisket to make the final jump from around 170 – 203°F in an hour or two. Moisture evaporating from the meat will then stall its temperature out, with the stall moving from the outer surface to the center.

Look for an internal temperature above 175 degrees F. This is beyond well done for beef, but still too cool for a good brisket. Ultimately, you’re looking for a temperature above 185 degrees F, so once it reaches 175, it’s time to remove the brisket and wrap it in foil.

You might get tough brisket if you use the Salt Lick range of 165-175 degrees. BOTTOM LINE: Cook it to 190 degrees.

Wrapping your brisket in aluminum foil is the exact opposite of smoking your meat bare. Aluminum foil keeps a lot of the smoke away from your meat, which means less of a smokey flavor. Less direct exposure to heat and smoke also means limited bark, so your brisket won’t have the thick crunch like a naked brisket would.

A good rule of thumb is to bring the meat up to an internal temperature of 185°F to 195°F to attain this conversation of tough meat to melt in your mouth deliciousness. The ideal peak internal temperature of brisket should be 205°F-210°F since beyond that it will begin to dry out.