What temperature should I smoke brisket at?

225°F is the standard for brisket on the Traeger. Super Smoke mode adds extra smoke output at this temperature. Some pitmasters run at 250°F to speed up the cook, and that works — but 225°F gives the bark more time to develop and the fat cap more time to render. For a 16-20 lb packer brisket, plan on 16-18 hours at 225°F plus a minimum 2-hour rest.

How long to smoke St. Louis ribs?

St. Louis ribs follow the 3-2-1 method on the Traeger: 3 hours unwrapped at 225°F for smoke absorption, 2 hours wrapped in foil with butter, brown sugar, and honey for tenderizing, then 1 hour unwrapped with sauce for bark set. Total cook time is about 6 hours. The ribs are done when they pass the bend test — pick them up with tongs at one end and they crack but don't break.

Should I wrap my brisket in butcher paper or foil?

Both work. Unwaxed butcher paper is breathable — moisture escapes, the bark stays firmer and crustier. This is the Texas BBQ standard. Heavy-duty foil creates a sealed braise environment — the bark softens but the meat finishes faster and retains more juice. If you're new to brisket, foil is more forgiving. Wrap at 160-165°F internal temperature regardless of which you use.

SPG stands for salt, pepper, and garlic — equal parts coarse kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and garlic powder. It's the most common brisket rub in Texas-style BBQ. The simplicity is the point: on a big cut like brisket that smokes for 16+ hours, the salt draws moisture to the surface (which builds bark), the black pepper provides aromatic heat, and the garlic adds depth. More complex rubs can work, but SPG lets the beef and the smoke do the talking.

Why does brisket need to rest for 2 hours?

During the cook, muscle fibers contract and push moisture toward the center. The rest allows fibers to relax and reabsorb juices back through the meat. Cut a brisket immediately off the smoker and the juice runs onto the cutting board. Rest it 2+ hours in a 160°F oven or a faux cambro (dry cooler with towels) and the juice stays in the meat. The difference is dramatic and visible.

The Foundation

BBQ Classics: Low and Slow on the Traeger

BBQ classics are where everything starts. A whole packer brisket, a rack of St. Louis ribs, a turkey breast — simple proteins cooked low and slow on the Traeger at 225°F with real wood smoke. No complicated rubs, no fancy techniques. Just time, temperature, and the right wood.

These are the cooks that taught me everything. The brisket that goes on at 10 PM and comes off the next afternoon. The ribs that follow the 3-2-1 method and come out with a bark you can hear when you bite through it. This is the foundation — and every Cajun-BBQ fusion dish I make is built on top of these skills.

The Fundamentals

The Building Blocks

Five things that show up in every classic BBQ cook.

Technique

The Overnight Cook

The Traeger at 225°F, loaded with pellets, set the night before. The entire point of a pellet grill for a cook like brisket is that it holds temperature — you don’t stand in the backyard feeding a fire for 16 hours. Set it at 10 PM, go to sleep, check it at 7 AM. That’s the method.

Super Smoke mode on the Traeger increases smoke output at temperatures between 165-225°F. Use it for the first 6-8 hours of a brisket cook when the bark is still setting and the meat is absorbing the most smoke.

Seasoning

The SPG Rub

Salt, pepper, garlic — equal parts, coarse grind. It’s the Texas standard and it’s the standard here for brisket. The salt draws moisture to the surface, which combines with the rub and smoke to form bark. The pepper provides aromatic heat. The garlic adds depth. On a 16-hour cook, simplicity wins.

For ribs and chicken, the Smoke & Soul House Rub replaces SPG — it adds the Cajun three-pepper system and smoked paprika. But for brisket, SPG is correct.

Method

The Wrap Decision

At 160-165°F internal, the brisket hits the stall — evaporative cooling stops the temperature from rising. Wrapping pushes through it. Butcher paper keeps the bark firm. Foil softens it but finishes faster. Both produce excellent brisket.

Pour rendered beef fat (from trimmings you saved) over the brisket before wrapping. That fat carries 8+ hours of smoke flavor and bastes the meat from inside the wrap for the rest of the cook.

Critical Step

The Mandatory Rest

Minimum 2 hours. The muscle fibers contracted during the cook need time to relax and reabsorb their juices. Skip the rest and the juice runs onto the cutting board instead of staying in the meat. Hold at 160°F in the oven, or use a faux cambro — a dry cooler packed with towels.

A brisket can safely rest in a faux cambro for up to 4-5 hours. This gives you schedule flexibility — if the brisket finishes early, it just rests longer.

Equipment

The Weber Finish

The Weber kettle at 600°F+ with lump charcoal handles everything the Traeger doesn’t: the final sear on ribs for caramelized bark, the crispy skin on spatchcock chicken, steaks, and burgers. Two cookers, two jobs. The Traeger smokes. The Weber sears.

The Weber is never used for brisket, pork shoulder, or turkey — those stay on the Traeger start to finish. The Weber’s role is specifically high-heat, short-duration cooking.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked

St. Louis ribs follow the 3-2-1 method on the Traeger: 3 hours unwrapped at 225°F for smoke absorption, 2 hours wrapped in foil with butter, brown sugar, and honey for tenderizing, then 1 hour unwrapped with sauce for bark set. Total cook time is about 6 hours. The ribs are done when they pass the bend test — pick them up with tongs at one end and they crack but don’t break.
Both work. Unwaxed butcher paper is breathable — moisture escapes, the bark stays firmer and crustier. This is the Texas BBQ standard. Heavy-duty foil creates a sealed braise environment — the bark softens but the meat finishes faster and retains more juice. If you’re new to brisket, foil is more forgiving. Wrap at 160-165°F internal temperature regardless of which you use.
SPG stands for salt, pepper, and garlic — equal parts coarse kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and garlic powder. It’s the most common brisket rub in Texas-style BBQ. The simplicity is the point: on a big cut like brisket that smokes for 16+ hours, the salt draws moisture to the surface (which builds bark), the black pepper provides aromatic heat, and the garlic adds depth. More complex rubs can work, but SPG lets the beef and the smoke do the talking.
During the cook, muscle fibers contract and push moisture toward the center. The rest allows fibers to relax and reabsorb juices back through the meat. Cut a brisket immediately off the smoker and the juice runs onto the cutting board. Rest it 2+ hours in a 160°F oven or a faux cambro (dry cooler with towels) and the juice stays in the meat. The difference is dramatic and visible.

BBQ Classics: Low and Slow on the Traeger

The Building Blocks

The Overnight Cook

The SPG Rub

The Wrap Decision

The Mandatory Rest

The Weber Finish

The Recipes

T-Bone’s Award-Winning Smoked Brisket

St. Louis Ribs — The Only Way

From the Journal

Frequently Asked

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