In this guide, I provide a full graph telling how long to smoke brisket at 250 based on the weight of the brisket being smoked.

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How Long To Smoke A Brisket At 250?

When smoking brisket at 250 degrees Fahrenheit, it will take 1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes for every pound of meat being smoked to fully cook the brisket. This temperature helps keep the meat juicy and tender and the outside crispy, so it is the ideal temperature to cook brisket at.

Before you check out this graph, these times are not set in stone. So, do not get discouraged when looking at how long it will take to smoke a 15 lb. brisket at 250 degrees. My briskets typically do not take to the extreme end to finish smoking. Usually, they finish cooking somewhere in the middle of the time provided.

You can save time by wrapping your brisket, however, I will cover that further on in the article.

Also, if you have a 15 lb. brisket that has yet to be trimmed, you will not want to look at the 15 lb. column. More than likely, trimming your brisket can take anywhere from 2-3 pounds off your brisket.

If you are not familiar with how to trim a brisket, no worries I have just the thing for you. You can learn everything you need by following my step-by-step guide to trimming brisket.

Weight Of Brisket In PoundsTime It Takes To Smoke Brisket At 250 Degrees
1lb. Brisket1-1.5 Hours
2 lb. Brisket2-3 Hours
3 lb. Brisket3-4.5 Hours
4 lb. Brisket4-6 Hours
5 lb. Brisket5-7.5 Hours
6 lb. Brisket 6-9 Hours
7 lb. Brisket7-10.5 Hours
8 lb. Brisket8-12 Hours
9 lb. Brisket9-13.5 Hours
10 lb. Brisket10-15 Hours
11 lb. Brisket11-16.5 Hours
12 lb. Brisket12-18 Hours
13 lb. Brisket13-19.5 Hours
14 lb. Brisket 14-21 Hours
15 lb. Brisket15-22.5 Hours
16 lb. Brisket16-24 Hours
17 lb. Brisket17-25.5 Hours
18 lb. Brisket18-27 Hours
19 lb. Brisket19-28.5 Hours
20 lb. Brisket20-30 Hours

Remember, this is a guideline to show how long it will take to smoke a brisket at 250 but different variables may increase or decrease the amount of time it takes to cook a full brisket.

If you prefer to smoke your brisket at a lower temperature, you can find another full chart on how long to smoke brisket at 225.

Smoking Brisket At 250 Degrees Is Better Than 225

Even though smoking brisket can be done at 225 low and slow, or you can even smoke a brisket hot and fast in a smoker at 350 degrees, I have always found that I have turned out the best briskets at 250. If you want the pros and cons, read hot and fast vs low and slow brisket to compare the two methods.

Why do I smoke brisket at 250 degrees?

  • Low And Slow Method
  • Lowered Risk Of Drying Out
  • Creates The Perfect Bark
  • Can Be Sped Up By Wrapping
  • Quicker Than Smoking At 225
  • Creates Tender And Juicy Brisket

Just like smoking brisket at 225, smoking brisket at 250 is still smoking brisket low and slow but has the benefit of smoking the brisket about 30 minutes faster per pound. This may not seem like much, but when you get into the large briskets, it can shave hours off your cook time.

Also, I have always found it easy to maintain a juicy brisket by smoking it low and slow. In fact, you can check out my guide to smoking brisket where I explain my entire process.

Producing The Best Brisket Starts With The Highest Quality Beef!

Why Weight Affects How Long A Brisket Takes To Smoke 

Just like all foods that get cooked, the more food you have, the longer it takes to cook. In the case of brisket, the larger the brisket is, the longer it will take to smoke in comparison to a smaller brisket.

The thickness could alter these results a bit, but if you take two briskets that are the same thickness, but one is heavier, it should take longer to smoke.

Smoking 15 pound brisket

Besides the sheer weight of the brisket determining the time it takes to cook brisket, the amount of water and connective tissue can play their parts as well.

If you are new to smoking meat, you will find out that connective tissue takes longer to break down, which is the reason briskets take so long to smoke, and also the stall can cause its own mayhem.

Why Does The Stall Cause Brisket To Cook Longer?

The moisture in the brisket will at some point start to sweat out of the meat in something many pitmasters call the stall. The stall is where a brisket will no longer continue to increase in internal temp and stay at a temp for a long period of time.

Don’t sweat it though. This happens to large cuts of meat like brisket and pork butt. Learn why and when to wrap a brisket so you can get through the stall faster.

Check Out Reynold’s Pink Butcher Paper!

How Long To Smoke A Brisket Before Wrapping With Butcher Paper 

There is a great debate on when is the proper time to wrap a brisket. Some pitmasters believe you should wrap a brisket before the stall, some believe you should wrap the brisket during the stall, and then there are some like me who wrap the brisket after the stall.

Now, the timing of wrapping brisket can be determined by if you are in a time crunch and need your brisket to be cooked faster. Otherwise, you can simply let your brisket cook like normal.

Briskets wrapped in butcher paper on pit boss

For reference, I usually wrap a brisket roughly 3/4 of the way through the cooking time. So, if I expect a brisket to cook for 12 hours, I expect to wrap the brisket around the 8-hour mark. It could be sooner if I want to speed up the cook.

Check Out My Posts On When To Wrap Brisket? and How To Wrap A Brisket Using Butcher Paper for more information.

Buy Pink Butcher Paper Here!

Can You Speed Up Smoking A Brisket By Wrapping? 

Yes, you can speed up cooking/smoking a brisket by wrapping it with butcher paper and aluminum foil. These are both common techniques used by backyard pitmasters and competition pitmasters.

Do You Need To Spritz Brisket When Smoking At 250?

Yes, I always make sure to spritz the brisket when smoking at 250 degrees. This is to add moisture and as long as you do not soak your brisket with the spritz, it will not affect the time it takes to smoke your brisket.

You do not need to spritz the brisket once it has been wrapped in foil or butcher paper.

I Find Simple Spray Bottles To Be The Best For Spritzing!

Final Thoughts On Smoking Brisket At 250

Even though it may not be the only way to smoke a brisket, smoking a brisket low and slow at 250 is the best way to ensure that you end up with a brisket that has a great bark, full of juice, and extra tender.

Put smoking at 250 degrees to practice with my Texas Style Smoked Brisket Recipe On Pellet Grill.

Feel free to learn your favorite way to smoke a brisket and let me know how it turns out in the comments below don’t forget to share if you found this information helpful.

I hope you found knowing how long to smoke your brisket at 250 helpful in your journey to brisket perfection and come back to Joshs Cookhouse, where nothing is off the table!

Make Sure To Pick Up The Best Wireless Meat Thermometer On The Market!

My Cooking Tips On Brisket Here

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About the Author

Joshua Weberg

I am a Northern Minnesota native where we cook whether its 90 above or 40 below zero!

So come cook with me at Joshs Cookhouse, where nothing is off the table!

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