How long to smoke a 10 lb brisket at 225°F
Short answer
About fifteen hours at 225°F (107°C) — but plan for seventeen and rest it for at least one. It is done at 200-205°F (93-96°C), when a probe slides into the flat like it is going into peanut butter.
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Your results
Smoking time
14 h 53
Rest
1-2 h
Target internal temperature
203°F / 95°C
Add a buffer of
2 h
Ninety minutes per pound is the arithmetic; the reason to plan for seventeen hours instead of fifteen is that briskets do not read the arithmetic. Two identical-looking packers from the same case can finish three hours apart, depending on how much fat is inside them and how much moisture the day pulls off the surface.
Finishing early is a solved problem. A wrapped brisket in a dry cooler with a towel over it holds above 140°F for four or five hours and comes out better than it went in, because those hours are more rest. Finishing late is not a solved problem — it is guests eating side dishes at nine at night. Always aim early.
The stall arrives around 160°F (71°C) and can last four hours. Wrapping in butcher paper when the bark is set — dark, dry to a fingernail, not tacky — cuts it roughly in half while still letting some moisture escape. Foil is faster still and softens the bark; that is the trade, and Texas argues about it for a reason.
Slice against the grain, and notice that the grain changes direction between the point and the flat. Separate the two muscles before slicing, turn the point ninety degrees, and you will avoid the single most common way a perfectly cooked brisket ends up chewy on the plate.
Related questions
When should I wrap a brisket?
When the bark is set and the internal temperature stalls, usually around 160-165°F. Wrapping before the bark forms means it never will — the paper traps the moisture that would have dried the surface.
How long can a brisket rest?
One hour minimum, four to five hours safely in a cooler as long as it stays above 140°F (60°C). Long rests genuinely improve it; there is no rush once it comes off.
How many people does a 10 lb brisket feed?
About twenty-five, at 175 g of cooked meat each. It yields roughly half its raw weight, so 10 lb raw becomes about 5 lb on the table.