How Long Should You Cook Brisket? Follow This Expert Advice

People have a lot of opinions on how to cook brisket. Some will swear the best approach is to braise it on the stove. Others will insist on smoking it or throwing it on the barbecue. For still others, roasting in the oven is the only way to go. But there is one thing everyone who has cooked a brisket will agree on: cook it low and cook it slow.

Derek Piva, executive chef of The Restaurant at Tu Tu' Tun Lodge on Oregon's Rogue River, certainly agrees. "A good rule of thumb is to cook brisket for about 1 to 1.5 hours per pound at 225 degrees Fahrenheit," Piva told Chowhound. But, he cautioned, don't just rely on the clock. Instead, pay attention to the internal temperature and texture of the meat. "A brisket is done when the internal temperature reaches 200 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit and the meat feels tender when probed." The meat should yield with little resistance when you try to insert a skewer or a thermometer like the ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer.

You might be wondering why can't you cook a brisket on the grill quickly and over a hot flame like almost any other cut of meat. This is because brisket comes from the cow's breast; since this area sees lots of movement, the meat is tougher and the collagen and connective tissue need to be broken down. You may also need to trim the fat layer on your brisket, known as the fat cap. However, depending on which grocery store or butcher shop you choose, it may already be trimmed. You want enough fat to be able to baste your meat and get it nice and juicy, but not so much that the meat becomes chewy.

After all that time cooking, both you and the meat will need to rest for a little while. Chef Derek Piva suggests giving your brisket "at least 30 to 60 minutes wrapped in butcher paper or foil to allow juices to redistribute." While you might be anxious to dig in, when cooking one of the best cuts of beef, you won't want to rush through the process at the very end.