Longest time you would rest your brisket?

[Rob whatever]

I think I may have to keep my brisket for 12 - 14 hours rest, holding at 160-170, until serving. Thoughts?

Rob

[bbqLuv]

I have only rested a brisket for 2-4 hours. "If you're resting you're not eating!"

[FireMan]

Resting, eating. Resting, eating. I like bbqLuv ‘s philosofy!

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Well, it would be safe to eat but I wonder a bit about dryness.

What are you holding it in? Maybe save some of the juices and baste it a few times?

[Joey877]

I wouldn't do this unless there was no other choice. Or if you have to, I would suggest wrapping it for the duration.

[Dewesq55]

Jeremy Yoder of Mad Scientist Barbecue is always tiring super long brisket holds/rests. He said it produces the best brisket. And I mean 10+ hours.

[bbqLuv]

I wonder about the point of diminishing returns.

[Mojo0209]

The last briskets I did, were my best. A change in plans forced me to rest them for 8 hours. Not sure if it was a coincidence tho.

[Troutman]

You can and maybe benefit from a long hold. Two things come to mind however. Be sure to rest the brisket before you put it into your oven or cambro. By resting I mean sitting on your counter lightly tented but exposed. It's important to stop the cooking process. If you probed tender at say 208*F IT (or whatever temp that turns out to be) then you are theoretically at the peak of doneness for that meat. But the meat doesn't know that and if you put it directly in your oven it will continue to cook regardless. That then leads to what I term crumbly pot roast. I recommend you let it ramp down to at least 180*F IT and trending downward. Then pop it into your oven.

The other tip is to wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or have it sitting in a tightly covered aluminum foil pan. Make sure there is some kind of moisture in with it. A cup or so of beef broth is what I generally like to use.

Again a 12 hour rest is certainly achievable and may well be beneficial. Let us know how it turns out regardless. I've never held one more than 6 hours so I'd like to know.

[jfmorris]

I'm right there with you - about 6 hours is the longest I've held a brisket. My last brisket was a bit overdone I think, as the flat was a bit crumbly. Maybe I need to do as you suggest, and let it cool down a few minutes before popping into cambro? I usually have the cooler, foil and towels all sitting right by the smoker.

[Oak Smoke]

The longest I’ve rested a brisket is 6 hours. I couldn’t tell that it was any better than one rested for 3 hours, which is my normal rest time. I have a stack of old towels known as my BBQ towels. When i bring a brisket in it is wrapped in aluminum foil and sitting on a cookie sheet. I unfold one towel just enough that the pan will be insulated from the counter top and set the brisket on it. I then cover it with 2 more folded towels. It works very well for me.

[Rob whatever]

I have read about long rests being beneficial and I’m open to it. This cook is driven by circumstance. I will report back on the results as they come in.

Rob

[Bogy]

I would agree with Troutman and others, especially on his second suggestion. Wrap it tightly with aluminum foil with some broth. I've never rested anywhere near this long, I'm more often on the other extreme, "It came off the smoker 5 minutes ago, c'mon, let's slice this thing!"

[jhoskins]

Per Jeremy Yoder, I have rested north of 12 hours, pulled from smoke and let cool to 180F, held it in a faux cambro until it dropped to 140F, then loaded it into an oven at 175F until we were ready to eat it. I put it under a broiler for a few minutes to re-crisp the bark and it was delicious and no-one got sick

[Troutman]

Good hack on the broiler. I'll have to remember that one.

[Huskee]

One time I had one on heat 24hrs, 12 cook, 12 hold. It was crumbly, hard to slice, but tasted mighty fine. If that doesn't bother you then no worries.

FYI after it's done and you hold it 1-2hrs, you could either
A) shock it in a water tight bag in ice water, then fridge...or,
B) let it get to room temp, fridge it...
then reheat it in a 310deg oven (or smoker) for about ~3hrs to get back up to serving temp. I've done this with great results. If simply holding it straight through is easier then so be it.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Agreed, Jeremy Yoder is a big proponent of very long rests - but there's a caveat. He also emphasizes a room temperature cooldown from the normal 200-205 or so when pulled off the smoker until about 180, THEN putting it in a cambro. As mentioned above, this is to stop the cooking. If you go from 205 straight to your cambro, you're likely getting another hour or possibly more of steaming before the temp comes down much at all.

I haven't done it, I've been personally irritated with my brisket the last time or two. I'm going to try his method, though, sometime.

[jfmorris]

This fits with my last brisket, which went right into the cooler out at the smoker. It was still over 180 a couple hours later, and definitely overcooked - the flat was crumbling some while cutting. I'll let it cool a bit before cambro this weekend.