How long to smoke brisket
9 lb brisket at 225°F takes
10h 50min to 10h 50min
- Pull at
- 195°F
- FDA safe minimum
- 145°F
Your cook
6–12 lb
At each smoker temperature
| Smoker | Time |
|---|---|
| 225°F answer | 10 h 50 min |
| 250°F answer | 9 h |
| 275°F answer | 7 h 10 min |
| 300°F answer | 5 h 25 min |
By weight
| Weight | 225°F | 250°F | 275°F | 300°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 lb | 7 h 10 min | 6 h | 4 h 50 min | 3 h 35 min |
| 7 lb | 8 h 25 min | 7 h | 5 h 35 min | 4 h 10 min |
| 8 lb | 9 h 35 min | 8 h | 6 h 25 min | 4 h 50 min |
| 9 lb | 10 h 50 min | 9 h | 7 h 10 min | 5 h 25 min |
| 10 lb | 12 h | 10 h | 8 h | 6 h |
| 11 lb | 13 h 10 min | 11 h | 8 h 50 min | 6 h 35 min |
| 12 lb | 14 h 25 min | 12 h | 9 h 35 min | 7 h 10 min |
When it is done
- Take it off at
- 195°FPull temperature: the internal temperature at which the meat comes off the smoker, read with a food thermometer whose tip sits at the center of the meat.
- Safe from
- 145°FFDA safe minimum: the internal temperature the FDA gives for Beef, pork, veal and lamb (chops, roasts, steaks), as measured with a food thermometer. The meat must reach it before it is served.
- Rest
- 3 minRest: the minutes the meat stands off the heat before it is cut. The FDA gives Beef, pork, veal and lamb (chops, roasts, steaks) a 3-minute rest at 145°F.
Cited guides take brisket to 195°F, well past the FDA minimum of 145°F, for texture rather than safety: ThermoWorks brings collagen-rich cuts to 195–205°F so their connective tissue breaks down.
Other cuts
- tri-tip smoking time 2 h 5 min
- Smoking prime rib 3 h 30 min – 5 h 15 min
- How long to smoke burgers 1 h
- Smoking beef back ribs 4 h 10 min – 5 h 20 min
- chuck roast 8 h 25 min – 10 h 35 min
- steak smoking time 40 min – 1 h
Sources
Figures built September 2026.
Where these figures come from (3)
- Cook times: Masterbuilt, “Smoking Time and Temperature Guide”, retrieved from https://www.masterbuilt.com/blogs/master-it-blog/smoking-time-temperature-guide on 2026-09-23. Restated as numbers and normalised to 225°F by the formula on this site; no text or table is reproduced.
- Cook times: ThermoWorks, “Smoked Pulled Pork: Delicious Results in Almost Half the Time”, retrieved from https://blog.thermoworks.com/pulled-pork-time-temperature-matters/ on 2026-09-23. Restated as numbers and normalised to 225°F by the formula on this site; no text or table is reproduced.
- Safe minimum internal temperatures: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures”, August 2017, retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/media/107000/download on 2026-09-23.
Times are estimates for planning. Meat is done when a food thermometer reads the safe minimum internal temperature, not when a timer ends.