So I just came back from Austin and visited Terry Black's and chatted with some of the guys there and checked out their setup. They were cooking tomorrow's food today and hold overnight in an oven at 145, which I'm sure is a huge contribution to their product. I've been holding in a cooler (faux cambro) but for smaller cooks like 1 brisket or a rack of short ribs they cool down too fast to do really long holds.
My oven's minimum temp is 170 - is that too high for a longer hold? Let me know your experience with this
I like to heat a couple of bricks on top of the smoker for a few hours. A towel, bricks, another towel, then the foil pan with another towel on top. It will hold 150 for 8 hours.
There's an outfit in Texas that takes their briskets to 185, then they pack them tightly into a faux cambro overnight and that's the next day's briskets.
Are they using an actual warming oven that stays at about 145? My oven will go down to 170 but it will cycle from 150 up to almost 200. Too hot to leave overnight.
do any of your ovens have warming drawers (the drawers under an oven that most people put cookie sheets and muffin tins in to store), and do you know how to use one that does not have its own element. If not it is easy to learn and with a remote thermometer you should easily be able to dial it down to 140. I have used both mine (which has a dedicated warming element) as well as others that use the heat from the regular oven above. Also lots of ovens have a dehydrate feature. This is usually set at about 140, and as long as your brisket is tightly wrapped, it will not dry out, just soak up the gentle heat.
Equipment:
Brinkman Gas/Charcoal duo with offset firebox
Pit Barrel Cooker
Maverick Remote Temperature Gizmo with Pit and meat probes
Thermopen Instant thermo
I have a dedicated Viking warming drawer I use. Can set it to 145 and let it ride. So glad I put that in when I remodeled my kitchen. My Viking oven also has a "hold" setting but I can't remember what the temp is for the "hold" setting. I think it's 170.
Ok, my oven doesn’t really have a warming drawer so went back to the cooler. Started with 10 mins of hot water to prime it, and then once i drained it threw in 2 bricks that I had on top of he rec etc (and then on the grates for a bit right before) with towels on top and bottom.
Just cooked one 4-slab of short ribs so not a lot of weight probably 4lb raw, but they held at 140 degrees for 2 hours and I pulled them when the meat was about 155. Came out great!
With that English cut I feel like it’s really hard for each rib to be perfect though - do you all find the same? Just the thickness tapers down and there was a big vain of fat on two of them.
Excited to try try my new technique with a brisket or a butt
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
My oven cycles like Jerod's does, from 150 to 190°F when set on warm.
So I slip the handle of a spatula into the door crack so the oven door stays open just a bit. The temperature then stays around 150-160°F for the entire time.
I also have an Advantium oven (trivection) which allows me to select warming temps. I select 140-165° and it stays right on the money. I use it most of the time unless I do a really big cook.
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