There are a few things to be mindful of when you smoke brisket at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. This includes monitoring the internal temp, brining the brisket, and more!
My BBQ family takes their brisket pretty seriously. So, they actually experimented with various temperatures, trying to find the perfect one. Now, while we did settle on a lower temp, we did find out a lot of juicy tips about cooking brisket at a higher temp.
In this post, I am going to answer whether you can smoke brisket at this temperature and show you the top tips and tricks for getting it right. Let’s get started!
Let’s begin with the most important question – should you cook beef brisket at 275 degrees Fahrenheit?
Now, personally, I prefer smoking brisket at 225 or 250 F. I have found that allowing the beef brisket to cook at low temperatures allows the muscle and tissues to break down properly. At the same time, the lower temperature means that the beef brisket isn’t likely to dry out.
That being said, it is perfectly fine to smoke brisket at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. You can still get perfectly cooked brisket at this temperature. The only thing that I would advise you is to keep a closer eye on when cooking brisket as the beef brisket will naturally cook faster at a higher temperature.
You don’t have to cook brisket at this temperature throughout the cook. You can start off high and then go a bit lower. Similarly, you can keep the temperature at 225 or 20 at the beginning of the cook and then increase it later on.
Don’t be afraid to make a judgment call based on the way and rate that the brisket is cooking.
When you cook brisket at 275, one of the perks is that the brisket cooks faster. So, just how long will it take to cook beef brisket at this temperature?
On average, your brisket will smoke at a rate of between 30 and 45 minutes per pound.
Based on this, let’s do some math:
Your beef brisket may take between 5 to 7.5 hours to cook.
A beef brisket of this size will take between 6 and 9 hours to smoke.
It is important to never rely on time alone when smoking brisket. This is because there are so many factors that can cause the cooking process and time to vary.
This includes the temperature inside the cooking chamber, the ambient temperature, wind levels, etc.
This is why you should only use time as a guideline and pay close attention to the internal temperature of the beef brisket instead.
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Here are some of the top tips to follow if you are planning to cook brisket at 275 degrees Fahrenheit:
Now, typically I advise people to get two smaller briskets if they are planning to smoke brisket at 225 or 250 F.
However, when you want to smoke brisket at a higher temperature, there is a greater risk of the meat drying out. If you want a nice, juicy brisket, I suggest going with a larger cut.
A larger beef brisket will take longer to cook all the way through and will be less likely to dry out during the process.
Of course, you may not want to go with whole packer briskets, especially if you aren’t catering to such a large crowd. In this case, you may want to go with smaller cuts.
The flat works well here as it has more meat and more even dimensions. However, the deckle or the pointed end is just as much of a good option. This is because it has a lot of marbling. As this cut is quite small, though, you may want to order an additional amount.
I know that it may be tempting to leave on a thick fat cap when smoking beef brisket at such a high temperature. After all, the fat acts as a shield and prevents the meat from taking the full blast of the heat.
What many people don’t realize, though, is that if the fat cap is too thick, then the meat is going to take a long time to cook. Not to mention, the tissues will not have enough time to break down.
This is why you should trim down the layer of fat until there is only 1/4th of an inch left. This adds insulation but not too much.
I would argue that brining a beef brisket is one of the things you absolutely must do. However, since you are planning to cook brisket at a higher temperature, this is non-negotiable.
Brining doesn’t just add flavor to the brisket. It also helps the meat to end up more moist.
See, to brine brisket, you simply have to sprinkle kosher salt over the end slab of meat. Then, place it in the refrigerator uncovered for 24 to 48 hours.
The salt particles melt into the liquid of the meat and then are absorbed into the brisket. Here, the salt breaks down the protein particles in the tissues, making them a lot softer and more capable of holding onto water.
You may not want to brine brisket as it can take a long time for the salt to work its magic. For a faster option, you can inject the beef brisket with a mixture of flavored liquids.
This will work much faster – often in about 30 minutes to an hour.
Of course, you will need a meat injector for this part.
You can combine beef broth, water, salt, sugar, and even a little bit of Worcestershire sauce. Then, inject this into the brisket at intervals. Make sure that the middle pierces all the way through the center of the brisket for the best results.
Smoking brisket at a higher temp is a great way to ensure that the meat cooks more quickly. That being said, there is no guarantee that your brisket will cook as fast as you would like.
This is why I always like to start smoking the brisket several hours before I need it to be done. This is especially important to do if you are having a cookout or are having guests over.
By giving yourself a little bit of wiggle room, you can guarantee that the meat will be done by the time that people arrive.
Make sure to take the beef brisket out of the refrigerator about an hour before you plan on smoking the meat. This gives the beef brisket time to warm up.
This is important to do even though you are smoking brisket at 275 F. If the brisket is a bit warmer, it will cook at a more even rate.
This also gives you time to make a dry rub out of brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder. Apply this early so that the flavors can really seep into the surface.
To make sure that the spices stick on, add a thin layer of yellow mustard to the brisket first.
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Technically you can use any kind of meat thermometer that you like. However, make sure that it is the kind that can be kept in while the brisket is cooking. This way, you can track the internal temperature throughout.
As I mentioned, this is important as the brisket will be cooking faster and you need to know at what point to take it out of the smoker.
A lot of people forget to do this but I have found that it is a great way to keep your brisket nice and tender.
Track the temperature inside the cooking chamber. This is because there are sometimes fluctuations. The temperature can get higher or lower and this can affect the rate at which your brisket is cooking. When you are aware of these fluctuations, you can make changes accordingly.
Some smokers already have the feature to let you do this. If not, you can get a good quality hood thermometer to help you out. Or, invest in a thermometer that can be placed inside the chamber throughout the cook.
Remember, you will need to wrap brisket at 165 F as this is the point when the stall is going to set in. Your brisket is going to reach this point faster at 275, so you do need to keep a careful eye on the internal temp.
When the stall hits, take the brisket out of the smoker and wrap it tightly in butcher paper or aluminum foil. Personally, I prefer the paper as it allows a little bit of moisture to escape, keeping that bark nice and crusty at the end.
Keep in mind that the wrap should be so tight that you should be able to see the outline of the brisket. This will ensure that only some but not too much of that moisture will escape.
Oh, as a side note, you can spray some apple cider vinegar onto the brisket before you wrap it.
Now that the brisket is wrapped, it is going to start cooking more quickly. So, you have to check the internal temp more regularly.
You should take the brisket out when it hits 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The smoked brisket will continue cooking after it is out of the smoker, so it is important to take it out at the right point to avoid overcooking the meat.
You should always let the beef brisket rest after smoking. It is even more essential that you do this when smoking brisket at a higher temp.
See, when meat heats up, the muscles contract and push the liquid out. When the meat has had time to cool down, though, the tissues relax and can absorb lost moisture.
Make sure to rest the brisket for at least an hour. For larger briskets, though, you should let the brisket rest for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.
Don’t want the brisket to cool down too much during this period? Then, you can create a faux Cambro out of a cooler and keep the brisket there.
Once you are done, slice and serve with BBQ sauce.
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There you go, you can now safely smoke brisket at this temp without worrying about anything going wrong. Just follow the guidelines that I have mentioned here and you will be just fine!
