Smoked brisket with dark crust on wooden cutting board

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Brisket can be a tough, chewy cut of beef, depending on how you cook it, because it comes from the cow's chest, which is a well-used muscle area. One of the best ways to avoid common brisket mistakes is to cook it low and slow, allowing fat to slowly render and keep the meat juicy while steering clear of the rubbery texture of overcooked brisket. That means you need to be patient.

The best way to estimate how long to cook a brisket for is based on how large it is. Generally, you'll want to budget 30 to 60 minutes per pound of meat when you're smoking at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. That means an 8-pound brisket needs to smoke for around five hours, like in our classic smoked brisket recipe. For a 10-pound brisket, aim for six to nine hours, 10 to 12 hours for a 15-pound brisket, and 12 to 16 hours for a 20-pound brisket.

It's not a good idea, though, to just watch the clock. These are estimates rather than hard-and-fast rules, so monitor the meat's internal temperature in addition to the time. You should remove the brisket from the smoker when it reaches an internal temperature of around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, though it'll continue to increase slightly as it rests.

After smoking, rest and slice with a sharp knife

Brisket with herb crust in aluminum foil being sliced by chef's knife

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How long exactly should a brisket rest for? Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, remove it from the smoker and allow it to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. One hour is a standard rest period, but an ideal rest, regardless of size, is two to three hours. Wrap your brisket in a towel and place it in an empty cooler or other insulated environment to maintain its temperature during resting.

Once it's done resting, place the brisket on a cutting board and slice it against the grain for maximum tenderness. A brisket with a thick crust should be sliced with a serrated knife, though most brisket is tender enough that all you need is a very sharp, long knife. (Some serrated knives can have trouble cutting all the way through the meat, so you may want to experiment with a variety of knives to see which works best for your brisket.)

You can also calculate how long to smoke your brisket for based on how many people you're feeding. If you're planning for a half pound of brisket per person, consider the cooking process. Because the meat will lose moisture while smoking, a pound of raw brisket cooks down to about a half pound, so plan for about half an hour to an hour of smoking time per person.