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15 replies

It's done when it's done - 6 lb flat 20.5 hours

FM Former Member
I couldn't find a choice packer that looked good to me, even though I picked over dozens of them, so I decided to smoke a flat. It was a choice flat from Sam's Club, six pounds. It was trimmed out pretty good, didn't have much fat on it. I left all the remaining fat on, rubbed it like normal, and popped it in the Amerique with the smoker temp set to 220 at 07:30 AM yesterday. I figured on having it done by 06:00 PM.

That was a bad guess. This little six pound flat took 20.5 hours, until just after 04:00 AM this morning, to reach 195. It hit 155 at 2.5 hours into the smoke, was at 157 an hour later, then dropped to 150 and stayed there for four hours, then very slowly started climbing 2 or 3 degrees per hour.

Wow. I know it's done when it's done, but has anyone else ever had a small 6 pound flat take 20.5 hours? That's 3 hours and 24 minutes per pound!!! I would not have believed it possible if I hadn't just experienced it.

The brisket was not dry, but not quite a juicy as I'd like. The flavor was good. The meat was very tender to the point of crumbling when sliced. It will make good chopped beef sandwiches. Unfortunately, it will not hold together for slices. Does this mean I overcooked it? Is 195 too much for sliced brisket?

Brisket is the most challenging thing I've ever smoked. Of all the briskets I've smoked over the years, I've probably only had two or three that I thought were near perfect. Most could stand considerable improvement.

I've got a long way to go before I consider myself a good brisket smoker.
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P pagsMember
Wow. I've not had a brisket go that long but I've had several pork butts take 3 hrs/lb. It does make planning difficult as I know you found out. One reason I put butts on the night before to give me as much leeway as possible. If they get done way too fast, worst case scenario is cool and reheat. You can also lower the temp to keep it warm and safe in the smoker for awhile once you see it's getting along faster than you want.

That happens occasionally with pork butt so I try to plan for it. I would have started a brisket just like you did and wondered "what in the world?" In my limited experience I haven't seen brisket take that long. That was one stubborn cow.
Last edited by pags
FM Former Member
Fortunately, I had put a couple racks of loin back ribs in at the same time, and they cooked in the expected time (about 4 hours). They were excellent. Also, I had frozen sliced brisket in food saver bags that I was able to heat up to satisfy my craving for brisket.

But yeah, nearly 3 and a half hours per pound on a brisket is well beyond what I think anyone would plan for. I was telling myself there was no way this brisket could possibly be edible after more than 3 hours per pound in the smoker, but I decided to just let it go until it was done according to the temperature and find out. I'm still amazed.

At least it tastes good. I'm about to make a sandwich with some of that brisket as I continue to ponder this unusual experience.
cal 2cal 2Member
I would have to say that I would consider eating PBs if it kept taking so long to cook brisket,just sayin'.

I'm just learning on these briskets myself, but have been happy with the results of giving it a little more heat. That is, after the meat has had a chance to do it's rendering.I know you enjoy the smoking and learning, so give it a try one time.
FM Former Member
fall apart means overdone.

Remember temp is only to get you to the ball park. I'm sure you check your temp probes and they're reading right. What the smoker temp accurate too?

Yes, I've had stubborn briskets in the past. At my last contest, NEITHER of them would finish, even with me pulling out all the tricks (which I won't discuss, sorry).

That's not the norm. I also would suggest a higher temp. The lower the temp setting is to the target temp, the longer it will take.
FM Former Member
I had both the Amerique probe and an external remote probe (an Acurite from Home Depot) inserted into the flat, which was of uniform 1.75 inch thickness, about two inches apart from each other. The Amerique probe was reading 178 and the Acurite remote probe was reading 192. That's a 14 degree difference. I decided to check the temp with a couple of hand-held digital thermometers. I inserted one each within a inch of each of the other two probes, and they both read 195 degrees (one had 195.1, the other 195.4). I decided to trust the two hand-held thermometers since I'd tested them in boiling water and found them to be within a degree of accurate.

My target temp for a brisket is usually 192. This one was at 195, so just a slight bit overdone. That might be enough to make the difference between slicing and crumbling.

So I do need to check the accuracy of the AQ probe and my other remote probe, as they are both under-registering. I did not check my smoker ambient temp, but that it could be off occurred to me as well, so I just bought an extra oven thermometer when I was at the grocery store yesterday. I'll use it on future smokes to check for cooker temp accuracy.
FM Former Member
cal, I opened the door four times, the last time was to remove the brisket so that one doesn't really count. There were three openings during the cook.

The first time was to check on the ribs that I was cooking along with the brisket. That was at +3.5 hours into the smoke.

Then I opened the door a second time 45 minutes later at +4.25 hours to test the ribs again. They were ready so I took them out.

The third time was at +11 hours when I felt the brisket should be done, but the temp was still registering 157. I could have avoided opening the door that time, but I couldn't resist. I didn't even take the temperature, I just poked it with my finger and closed the door. I could tell by poking it that it wasn't ready.

On all three occasions the door was open no more than 30 seconds, and actually less on the first and third.

The fourth and final time I opened the door was at the end of the smoke when my external remote read 192. That was the only time I took a reading with a hand-held thermometer and the only time the door was open more than 30 seconds.

So there were three door openings in 20.5 hours. Does that sound like too much over that period of time? If so, how do cook multiple items that need varying cook times?
cal 2cal 2Member
Just checking, because I've been thinking about that small brisket all day. It has been noted that every time you open the door you add 30-45 minutes to your smoke, and when your brisket is in the plataeu you want a stable temp.

Like Pags said some can't be finished, that is what makes brisket a hard read.
S smokeinthecockpitMember
I'm about to put 4 briskets I picked up at Costco in my Amerique today, so I thought I would check the forum for the latest and greatest techniques and review my past notes. Last May here's how I did it, and it was the best and least complicated version so far:

Brisket Amy’s B-day May 2010

2 10 lbs Costco briskets, Cookshack brisket rub. 1 chunk hickory.

3:30 PM smoker set 225, probe set to max 195

4:00 AM (12.5 hrs) probe registered 169, reduced temp to 210.

8:00 AM (16.5 hrs) probe at 178, increased temp to 225.

11:00 AM (19.5 hrs) probe at 187, pulled and spot checked, temps ranged from 198 to 188 on instant read thermometer. Pulled of smoker, ¼ can chicken broth and double wrapped in foil, into cooler.

Served at 3:30 PM (24 hours) and sliced/shredded. Very moist with BBQ sauce.

So I am finding that 18+ hours is more the norm for brisket on my Amerique, but I find my guests are way more impressed when I tell them "I smoked it overnight for a gazillion hours"!

Happy Smokin!
T tomMember
I'm curius if the independent therms were checked for accuracy,just before cooking, and what the actual temp was at the spot on the rack where you were cooking.

Was there a particular reason you decreased "set" temp and then increased the "set" temp.

What was the grade of the meat,and were they large flats,or small packers.

You mentioned some shredding.Was that too tender to slice?

Thanks.
FM Former Member
Tom, I didn't change my temp. I left it set on 220 the entire time. I described the conditions of my smoke in my first post.

Now, "Smoke In The Cockpit", who posted just a couple of posts up said he did. So just to make sure, am I right that you are directing your question to "Smoke In The Cockpit"?

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