The Texas BBQ Forum

It’s been a while guys and I’m just now getting back on in getting into the discussions again. Since I was last on I was smoking on a brinkman and I loved it however with such large family gatherings and not enough room on smoker to cook food for all I was blessed with an early Christmas present from my father and step mother who got me a new Oklahoma Joe’s highland smoker a couple of weeks ago. It’s been seasoned and smokes really well there will be a few mods that I make to the smoker in time.


Oh and since my time off we have added child number 4 to the crew.

Hope all is well with everyone!
On to the brisket.

Never smoked one I have a 3 pound brisket that I will be cooking in a couple of weeks hate to freez it but I’ve got too as I will not have time for a few weeks. My questions are.

What rub to use?

What heat?

Approx cook time?

Best wood to use for added flavor? ( I normally use hickory)

Thanks in advance Mike.

Hey, Mike, Welcome back and Congrats on the new Crew Member

I, myself, am "Not" a Brisket Cook so I can't help except to say that our Sponsor Suckle Busters has a Rub call 1836 that a lot of Members are giving good Brisket Reviews to. Good Luck

Much like OUP, I'm not a brisket expert but your questions seem fairly basic so here goes....

First.... a 3 pounder sounds like a brisket flat, which will not have the fat content of a whole packer.

Second... Your rub can be as basic as salt and pepper or you can buy many commercial rubs (see forum sponsor) that will do a fantastic job with little guesswork. I favor the commercial rubs as I like a little more sweet than plain S & P.

Thirdly.... Heat doesn't really matter and I suggest you use whatever temp your pit likes to cruise at. If it's 225* or 275" just go with it because you should be cooking to a "feel" (see next item) not solely based on temp. I like to shoot for 250* but it can vary +/- 20* or more.

Fourth.... Cook time isn't really relevant but figure about 4 hours of smoke to start with - again depending on temperature... see where this is going? Simple answer is smoke until you reach an internal temperature of 160* (or until the color looks good to you) then wrap in foil or butcher paper - I prefer foil. The brisket will be getting close to done somwhere between 195* up to 215* but you'll be looking for "probe tender" to tell you when it's done. Search this site for more info on "probe tender"

Finally... Best wood is your choice. I really like hickory and it's easy to find so that's what I use. Stick (no pun intended) with what you're used to.

Good luck to ya......

Salt and pepper (lots of each) and oak only, post oak if available.
Also, the closer to 225 you can get, the more tender the meat.
I prefer butcher paper to wrap FWIW.

I would smoke it at 250 for an hour then pan it up with a little it of beer, about 1/2 cup in the pan, and cover it with foil and let it roll another couple hours until it's probe tender.

Well guys my brisket flat turned out tuff but had amazing flavor and lit the taste buds up.

Covered with cracked peppercorn seasoning (overnight)

Smoked at 225 f

Smoked till internal was 145 pulled off and wrapped.


What did I do wrong?

I would have smoked it till internal temp was around 160 degrees. Then wrapped it in foil, when it got to 201 start the probe process. But that's just me.

Yup, pulled it way too early, and if you cook low and slow you have to add multiple hours to total cook time in addition to wrapping at a higher temp.
But that's what chili is for, to dispose of brisket failures...at least at my house it is..and I've made more than my share of chili.

So I guess its Chili today and Hot tamale. LOL