{"id":1949,"date":"2021-01-23T23:19:56","date_gmt":"2021-01-23T15:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meatsmokinghq.com\/?p=1949"},"modified":"2024-03-07T17:00:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T09:00:54","slug":"tips-for-smoking-brisket-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meatsmokinghq.com\/tips-for-smoking-brisket-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Brisket For Beginners: 20 Tips For Smoking The Perfect Brisket"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The brisket is the pinnacle of meat smoking and the ultimate cut of meat to master in your pit. The brisket is also the most difficult cut of meat to smoke because it\u2019s such a large, tough hunk of meat that requires all day and half the night to cook. There’s nothing worse than smoking a brisket for 12 hours, only to have it turn out dry. There\u2019s are a few things you can do to make sure you get a tender, juicy brisket every time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Keep The Temperature Between 225\u00b0F and 250\u00b0F<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Brisket is a large, tough cut of meat and should be smoked low and slow at 225\u00b0F (107\u00b0C). Temperature control will make or break your brisket, but if you’re using a pellet grill an electric or gas smoker, maintaining the target temperature is easy. Holding the temp at the required 225\u00b0F can be a challenge when smoking a brisket in a charcoal smoker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re just starting out, don\u2019t attempt smoking a brisket until you have mastered temperature control in your pit. Once you know your smoker and can control temperature fluctuations, only then should you smoke a brisket. Work your way up to a brisket by smoking a pork butt. Pork butts are a great introduction to the big meats because they\u2019re hard to mess up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vent Control.<\/strong> Learning how to control your smoker is the first rule of meat smoking. Temperature control is easy if you are smoking on a pellet grill or an electric smoker, but charcoal smokers can be difficult to control a steady temperature. Know how to control your vents so you can hold the temperature in a safe range. Also, keep your smoker out of the wind and don’t keep opening the lid of your smoker. These mistakes will cause the temperature to fluctuate, and ruin your brisket. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Low and Slow.<\/strong> Brisket is a tough cut of meat with a lot of connective tissue, so it needs to be cooked low and slow. If the temperature of your smoker is too high, the heat will draw out the moisture in the brisket and it will become dry. Learn to hold the temperature of your smoker in the 220\u00b0F range and keep it there until the internal meat temperature reads 203\u00b0F on your meat thermometer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meat Thermometers<\/strong>. No matter what type of smoker you’re using, a good thermometer will be your best friend. DO NOT<\/strong> trust the in-built thermometer that comes with your smoker because they can be wildly inaccurate. If you don’t believe me, do a calibration test<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get yourself a good duel-probe thermometer that will allow you to monitor the ambient temperature of the cook chamber with the first probe and track the internal meat temperature with the second probe. A thermometer is by far your most important tool. Without one, it’s all guesswork. Check out my thermometer guide here.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Spritz Or Mop The Brisket<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Adding moisture to your brisket by either basting, mopping or spritzing is an important practice when smoking brisket. Applying moisture to the brisket will do several things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n