Smoked Brisket
at 250°F
12 hr – 15 hr Plan on 60 to 75 minutes per pound in a 250°F smoker. A 12 lb smoked brisket lands around 12 hr – 15 hr. Done is 145°F on a food thermometer, plus a 60-minute rest — never the clock alone.
Time by weight at 250°F
Planning ranges for a fully thawed, fridge-temperature smoked brisket. The right-hand column is when to take the first thermometer reading.
| Weight | Estimated time at 250°F | Check thermometer from |
|---|---|---|
| 8 lb | 8 hr – 10 hr | 6 hr 50 min in |
| 9 lb | 9 hr – 11 hr 15 min | 7 hr 40 min in |
| 10 lb | 10 hr – 12 hr 30 min | 8 hr 30 min in |
| 11 lb | 11 hr – 13 hr 45 min | 9 hr 20 min in |
| 12 lb | 12 hr – 15 hr | 10 hr 10 min in |
| 13 lb | 13 hr – 16 hr 15 min | 11 hr 5 min in |
| 14 lb | 14 hr – 17 hr 30 min | 11 hr 55 min in |
| 15 lb | 15 hr – 18 hr 45 min | 12 hr 45 min in |
| 16 lb | 16 hr – 20 hr | 13 hr 35 min in |
Start checking the internal temperature well before the low end of the range — an early check costs nothing; a late one costs the meal. Done means 145°F on a food thermometer (see the pull-temperature note below).
When is it actually done?
145°F internal The USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this cut is 145°F, followed by a rest of about 60 minutes. The clock estimates; the thermometer decides. Every time on this page is a planning range, not a doneness test.
Pull temperature vs safe temperature: Brisket is safe at 145°F and inedible at 145°F. It is pulled at 195–203°F — most pitmasters probe for 'butter-soft' around 203°F in the flat — because only there has the collagen fully rendered.
Worth knowing before you start
- Plan for the long end of the range plus an hour of buffer. A brisket that finishes early holds happily for hours wrapped in a cooler; a late one ruins dinner.
- The stall (150–170°F, sometimes 2–4 hours of no progress) is evaporative cooling. Wrapping in butcher paper or foil pushes through it faster at some cost to bark.
- Thickness beats weight: a thick 10-pounder can outlast a thin 14-pounder. That is why every serious time estimate is a range.
- Rest a minimum of one hour, wrapped. Many BBQ joints hold brisket 4+ hours — the rest is part of the cook, not an afterthought.
Answers people ask
How long does a whole packer brisket take at 250°F?
Plan on 60 to 75 minutes per pound at 250°F. A 12 lb example takes about 12 hr – 15 hr. It is done when the internal temperature reaches 145°F on a food thermometer, not when the clock runs out.
What internal temperature is a whole packer brisket done at?
145°F, measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part, then rested about 60 minutes. That is the USDA FSIS safe minimum. Brisket is safe at 145°F and inedible at 145°F. It is pulled at 195–203°F — most pitmasters probe for 'butter-soft' around 203°F in the flat — because only there has the collagen fully rendered.
Is 250°F a good temperature for a whole packer brisket?
It is one of 3 temperatures this site publishes for this cut (225°F, 250°F, 275°F). It is the most commonly used.
Where these numbers come from
Ranges are anchored to USDA FSIS published timetables where they exist, and derived from that anchor plus cross-checked published sources where they do not — widened to cover the disagreement between sources rather than split down the middle. The full reasoning is on the method page. If a figure here looks wrong, say so — corrections are prioritised.