Letting meat rest- controversy?

[Attjack]

Resting time for me tends to be built into preparing sides and plating. I'm never pulling a steak off the grill and cutting 30 seconds later. There's always at least a few minutes of resting.

[klflowers]

Ditto most of the comments. The meat rest only as long as it takes for me to get it off the grill, onto the platter and onto our plates, probably 5-10 minutes. Except for brisket and v shoulder, which gets cambro'd (more the brisket than the shoulder).

[PappyBBQ]

Think I'm with the herd here. Brisket gets a nice long nap in a cambro. Pork butt gets to rest long enough to cool so it can be shredded. I'll frequently wrap ribs (both beef and pork) for a rest in the cambro because their cooking time is never the same twice and I need to hold them until meal time. Steak and other quick cook cuts get to rest for as long as it takes me to get it off the grill and get the table set. I frequently (almost always) slice steak on a cutting board with a board sauce, so some meat juice mixing into that is a plus.

Bottom line is there is no absolute right or wrong. You do what you like and what works for you!

[MBMorgan]

Thin cuts like steaks ... no rest at all. In general, the bigger the cut the more likely I am to hold it (or rest it, if you prefer) for an appropriate length of time.

[rodkeary]

No resting at our house.

The last item to get plated in a "good" steakhouse is the protein and then it better get out to the table ASAP. No time for resting and I've never seen a customer let a $50.00 piece of meat sit there resting.

"Fill 'em and bill 'em" we got people waiting for a table.

[Sephon]

I rest my steaks between stages of the reverse sear. I allow my steaks to slowly heat to 100ish. I will pull them off and rest them for 5-10 minutes while I get my grill or CI up to searing temp. Once seared, we dig right in.

[Spinaker]

Yuuuuuuuup!

[Attjack]

Yup, yup. I say resting is important but it's not something you have to go out of your way to do. It just happens.

[Attjack]

I've never really understood this bit from the book. The rested meat was 33% juicier. That's a lot. But yeah, if you manage to collect the juice and put it back on the meat that's great. But that doesn't change the fact that it lost 1/3 of the juices. bite for bite the inside juices were diminished.

[SpeedyB]

Attjack well it's not really 33% juicier, right, it just lost 1oz/total juice weight less than the unrested one?

In other words, assume the cooked meat weighed 33 oz, I'd imagine there is more than 3 oz water weight and 30 oz of meat.

[Attjack]

Good point. It lost 1/3 less juice. It wasn't 33% juicier. Still significant but not as much as I had stated.

[SpeedyB]

Right on, I get your logic though 🍻

[Spinaker]

Holding and resting are two different things. My steaks are usually rested but more because of the fact that I am getting other stuff plated and people have to sit down. By that time, the rest is 10 mins or so.

Holding is different. Holding a brisket or a pork shoulder is done to try to keep the meat at a high temp for as long as possible.
More on it here, if y'all are curious.

[fzxdoc]

I was waiting for someone to point out this fact. Thanks, Spinaker . You saved me a post.

K.

[HouseHomey]

What really missing from this discussion is:

Palatability
Texture
Mouth feel
Preferred eating temperatures
Preferred doneness
ETC...

Example 1

I cook my Boneless chix breast (medium thin, 8-10oz)to 155° internal temp while I’m cooking at 350° with a moist (40%) cooking chamber. I let them rest up for 7-10 minutes. Just in case you wondered they are delicious!

for a larger breast a higher IT target or higher temp and lower humidity.

all of these things I can go on and on about (too late) and all will be different depending on what I’m cooking, how I’m cooking it and the things listed above.

Also see above @Spinacker mention rest v hold.

as Attjack mention on pork. That’s a lot of juice. Pulling something at target temp then intentionally resting has ruined millions of thanksgiving day meals. That’s just silly.

Why did Doc Blonder use Teaspoons as a measure rather than an accurate liquid measure? Then ounces on pork? I know it was just an example. Just messing!


​​​​​​Exapmle 2

Whatever makes your boat float.
Grill it if you got it!

[MBMorgan]

Bingo!

[Oak Smoke]

I wrap whole chicken in foil when it comes off the smoker, then a thick towel and into the faux Cambro for a minimum of an hour. It may be all in my head, but it seems like the flavors have penetrated deeper. They are always still too hot to hold when they come out. That's probably more holding than resting.

[Oak Smoke]

It's not crisp. I rub both under the skin and the outside, it's dark and incredibly flavorful. It's very good right off the hot bird, but doesn't refrigerat well. What we don't eat right away get thrown away.

[Attjack]

That's how my rotisserie chicken is. Skin tastes great that night but isn't crisp and I remove it the next day from the leftovers. However, I get crispy skin on the kamado or kettle although it's not crip after refrigeration.

[HouseHomey]

Attjack you always gotta ask yourself when cooking "Hownis this going to be used?" Skin I always figure first then cook the bird accordingly. You guys, I’m getting hungry again.

[Polarbear777]

This is the only part of the book I struggle with it’s treated like a”busted myth”, but the difference is measurable so it does have an effect.

What they did show is is more like "myth unimportant practically", since the effect is small.

Especially when you consider that the worst problem is usually overcooking which does make a big difference.

[Fire Art]

the juice gets lapped up with her diner rolls and spuds no juices are ever is wasted At least on my plate

[Timbo54]

Right on .I always have a chunk of sour dough standing by soaking up the juices. Nothing goes to waste. My Italian father-in-law and I would race to get a piece of bread into the plate with the roast.