Brisket Smoking Calculator — Times by Weight, Planned Backward

Brisket is the cook that punishes bad math. Fourteen pounds, a stall that laughs at your schedule, and hungry people at six. Set your dinner time below — the calculator plans backward through trim, rub, the wrap, and the rest, and puts every step on your calendar.

How long to smoke a brisket per pound

Slow and low at 225°F: about 75 minutes per pound for sliced (up to 13 lb; big packers run ~71 min/lb above that) and ~82 minutes per pound for pulled. Hot & fast at 300°F roughly halves it (~35–40 min/lb). These come from over a decade of real cooks through this calculator — but the probe outranks the clock: sliced pulls around 190°F, pulled around 200°F, and either should slide like butter.

Sliced, pulled, or burnt ends?

Sliced is competition style — firm slices with a clean bite, pulled at ~190°F. Pulled/chopped goes further (~200°F) for sandwiches. Burnt ends take the point to pulled territory, then cube, sauce, and go back in the pit to candy up. The calculator plans all three.

The stall, and when to wrap

Somewhere between 145–165°F internal, your brisket will park for hours. That’s evaporative cooling, not a broken thermometer. Push through it for maximum bark, or wrap — foil braises and goes faster, butcher/peach paper breathes and keeps bark better. Wrap when the bark is set: dry-looking, doesn’t smear when touched. The calculator schedules your wrap at whatever point you choose and puts the alarm on your phone.

FAQ

What temp is brisket done? When it probes like warm butter — usually 190°F sliced, 200°F+ pulled. Tenderness decides, not the number.

Fat side up or down? Whichever faces your heat source. Protect the meat, not tradition.

How long should brisket rest? An hour minimum; wrapped in towels in a dry cooler it holds 4+ hours and gets better.

What wood for brisket? Oak and hickory are the backbone; pecan rounds it; mesquite is Texas in a hurry — strong, use with intent.