How Long To Smoke A Brisket At 200?

Making briskets can take time, so you must be patient. The best thing is that the taste of this dish makes all the efforts worth it. You can smoke a brisket with ease if you have the right skills.

If you want to smoke a brisket at 200F, you may want to know how long it will take. The good news is you don't have to look far. Here is all you must know about smoking a brisket at 200.

How Long To Smoke A Brisket At 200?

It can take 1 to 1.5 hours when smoking one pound of brisket at 200F. Sometimes it may also take up to two hours to cook your meat. The amount of your brisket will mainly decide the time you must spend cooking.

Making ten pounds of brisket can take up to 20 hours to cook properly. Always remember that making a brisket requires you to cook slowly. You can also make the dish fast, but it will reduce the meat's tenderness.

The size of your brisket will also affect the smoking time. Thin pieces are easier to cook and take less time. However, thicker cuts can take up to 16 hours or more to cook in a smoker.

This is why your guests may have a hard time chewing the brisket and cutting it if you don't cook it at a low temperature, such as 200F.

What Is The Best Temperature For Smoking A Brisket?

Many people wonder whether 200F is the best heating value for smoking a brisket. This is acceptable, but you can improve your experience with a different range. The best option for smoking a brisket is 225 to 250F.

The tenderness of the meat is better at 225F, so you can enjoy a great meal. Another benefit of this value is that it will help you save 30 minutes per pound. So if making one pound of brisket took two hours at 200F, it will take 1.5 hours at 225F.

This is why 225F is the ideal heating value for smoking your brisket. It is also high enough to kill bacteria and microbes that may come into your food during slow cooking.

Also Read: Smoke Brisket at 180 or 225: Finding the Perfect Temperature for Tender, Flavorful Results

Why Do You Need To Cook Briskets Slowly?

The main purpose of using low heat is that it allows excess fat and collagen to break down. These things can make the taste of your brisket rancid, so people may not like the dish. This is why you must make sure that excess fat breaks down during cooking.

Another reason behind this is that it will make the meat more tender and easier to pull apart. No one at your party will face difficulties cutting the brisket. It also adds more flavor to the dish, so you can enjoy an excellent meal.

A temperature below 200F also puts the food at risk of getting spoiled by microbes. This is because most bacteria can survive up to 185F. The higher value will also offer the meat enough time to retain moisture.

How To Smoke A Brisket At 200?

Here are the things you must do to smoke your brisket at 200F:

Prepare Your Brisket

It is good to use a whole brisket for the best results when smoking this meat. They come in a range of 10 to 20 pounds. You can choose a cut of an average weight of 15 pounds to meet your needs.

Keep the meat on a large cooking surface, such as a cutting board. You will have to trim some fat to make sure it does not impart an unpleasant taste to your dish. Some people who do not cut excess fat complain their briskets taste like burnt food.

It is best to cut fat at 0.25 inches in thickness. Cutting small pieces that may hang from the sides of your meat is also good for making sure you get the best flavor. 

Adding Injection To Your Brisket

Some people add an injection to their brisket, while others do not. You may wonder which is the correct option. It is not always necessary to take this step, but an injection will stop your meat from becoming dry when cooking at 200F.

Dryness is not a big problem when smoking at 225F. This is why you should remember your heating value when deciding to add an injection or not. You should use a beef broth with low sodium as your injecting fluid.

Place your brisket on a pan with the fat side facing the bottom. Fill an injection with the broth and add it to your meat cut at an angle of 45 degrees. You should press the plunger slowly when taking out the injection needle.

It is good to repeat the process and follow a grid pattern. Keeping the injections at least two inches apart will help you with this task. The top thing to remember is that one ounce of injection is perfect for one pound of brisket.

Season Your Meat

Whenever you are smoking any meat cut, it is best to season it. This will allow you to enjoy the best flavor and make the meat softer. The best thing is you can choose any spice rub for this step, depending on your taste preference.

You can buy a packet of the rub from any store or prepare it at home yourself. Mixing kosher salt, brown sugar, mustard powder, and black pepper will help you make the rub. Adding garlic and onions can also enhance the taste.

Always apply the rub on the surface of your meat and make sure to reach all areas, even those that are difficult to reach. It is also best to let your seasoned brisket rest for a few hours before you start smoking. This will give time for the flavors to infuse into the meat cut.

Set Your Smoker

Clean your smoker if you didn't clean it after your previous cooking session. You must get rid of all old debris to prevent grease fires and ensure former particles do not reduce the taste of your new meal. Season the smoker after cleaning to prevent food from sticking to the grills.

Set the smoker to 200F and make sure you have added good pellets to the hopper. It is best to use oak pellets for smoking a brisket. This is because it burns for a longer time, which is best for slow cooking sessions.

Oak also adds a lightly nutty taste to the meat. Avoid using pellets that impart a strong flavor to your brisket. This is because they will make the meat bitter. Let the smoker preheat for about 40 minutes before you add the brisket to the grid.

Place The Brisket Properly

You may believe that you can put meat on your smoker in any way, but that is not true. The correct position is necessary to impart the best smoky flavor to your brisket. If your smoker's heat source is at the bottom, you should keep the fat side down when placing the meat on the grate.

The main reason for this position is that it will cause the fat to melt without removing your seasoning from the grill. It will also ensure that the look of your meat does not reduce. You must give at least 1 to 1.5 hours per pound of your brisket. 

Always ensure the temperature remains steady at 200F when cooking. Adding a probe to monitor the internal heat value of the meat is necessary. The best thing is you can use wired or wireless thermometers for this purpose. 

It is also important to keep the lid closed for most of the duration. You should only remove the cover to check the cooking progress.

Wrap The Brisket

When your meat reaches an internal temperature of 195F or 200F, you must remove it from the smoker. Place the brisket on an aluminum foil and wrap it. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise during this step.

So you will be able to achieve the best value of 210F with ease. The main reason why the temperature rises is because wrapping will trap the heat in the foil. It will also make the meat more tender and moist.

Wrapping also prevents the temperature from being stuck at the same value on the smoker for hours. You can save time by performing this step when smoking your brisket.

Let The Brisket Rest Before Serving

Allow your wrapped brisket to rest for at least 30 minutes before you remove it from the foil. Then, carve the meat into thin slices and chop it.

You can serve the brisket after cutting using various ways. BBQ sauce is always a good option for serving because it adds more flavor to the meat.

Final Words

This is your complete guide to how long to smoke a brisket at 200. It will take 1.5 hours to 2 hours to cook one pound of brisket on your smoker. Sometimes it may take less time to cook the meat if it is thinner than regular cuts.