Help me figure out...

[gonzaleziam]

Smoked a small brisket on Sunday. Smoked for 2 hours with oak at 225-250 degrees. Wrapped in foil and cooked for 3.5 hours more with salt, pepper and onion. Let it sit for 45 minutes after that before opening and cutting. Great smell and great taste but some of it was hard. What went wrong?
I've smoked brisket in the past for several hours and resulted in brisket falling apart. Ended serving as chopped brisket burgers that time. But this time, it was little hard. Didn't cook enough?

[Hart8]

Probably.I usually cook a 6-8 lb.brisket,just so we don't have alot of leftovers,and I still cook it about 10 hrs.

[Cajun Blake]

i smoke my briskets at 225* for 1 ~ 1.5 hrs per pound .... slow and low

i prefer briskets weighing 10-12 lbs.

[txfireguy2003]

Small briskets are easier to dry out, was it dry? I've said it before, but I never cook based on time. I use the 50 minutes per pound rule to estimate the time it will take, but I cook by temperature on a digital meat thermometer. I cook it to 165 degrees internal temp, then wrap and cook to 200-210 degrees, then rest for an hour or so. Haven't had a tough brisket since I started using a thermometer.

[gonzaleziam]

Good info guys. Thanks. The hard part was a tad dry (nothing untolerable).