Buying and lighting calculator · Beef

How much brisket do I buy and when do I light?

Brisket is the beef chest, a tough, collagen-rich muscle that only softens after hours of gentle heat. In Spain it is sold whole (a packer of 5 to 7 kg, with the lean flat and the fatty point) or already split into a flat of 2 to 3 kg. We plan 400 g raw per person because trimming the hard fat and cooking losses take away about half of the weight. Time depends on thickness, not on the clock: at 110 °C count about 160 minutes per kilo, and the piece is done when the probe reads 95 °C and slides in without resistance. In the kamado, keep the temperature steady with a small fire and the vents almost closed, and leave a generous margin: the stall in the middle of the cook can add hours.

How to ask for it

For 4 people: Ask for a whole packer brisket of 2 kg; if they have none, a flat with about 5 mm of fat. Tell the butcher not to trim it.

A brisket loses about half to trimming, fat and water: 400 g raw leaves roughly 200 g on the plate. 95 °C in the centre of the flat; the probe slides in like butter.

How we calculate it

We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.

To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.

Frequently asked questions

How much brisket per person?

Buy about 400 g raw per person. The serving on the plate is around 200 g of clean meat, and brisket loses roughly 50 % between trimming the fat and the water and fat it releases while cooking. For eight guests that is 3.2 kg, which rounds up to 3.5 kg at the shop.

How many hours does a 3 kg brisket take?

At 110 °C, at about 160 minutes per kilo, a 3 kg brisket needs around 8 hours to reach 95 °C in the centre, plus an hour of wrapped resting. Treat that as a minimum: a thicker piece or the stall can stretch it, and the probe outranks the clock.

Whole brisket or flat?

The whole packer comes out juicier thanks to the fatty point and tolerates the long hours of smoke better, but it weighs 5 to 7 kg and needs a large kamado. The flat is easier to find and handle for fewer guests, though it dries out sooner: watch the probe and do not take it past 95 °C.

Other Beef cuts

← All cuts

Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".