Timing brisket: extended hold time???

[jjdbike]

Hello friends,
We want to throw a Q for the new hood. I’d love to treat them (and us for that matter) to a nice prime packer from my KBQ.
My challenge, for various reasons, I need to cook during day light hours. We’d also like to eat during daylight hours.
Happily I just discovered my oven has a warm setting that will go as low as 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can I smoke a whole packer brisket or two on Saturday early evening, like 5 or 6 pm, let temp come down and hold in oven at 150 till 2:00 the next day? Is this safe? If it’s wrapped in butcher paper coated w/ tallow, will it dry out? Should I foil it, knowing the bark will soften & blast it w/ broiler to firm back up? If I’m doing extended hold, should I pull before whole packer is probe tender so it doesn’t overcook? Should I cool down, separate flat from point and reheat the next day?
I greatly appreciate any advice you can provide. Please be as specific as possible.
Thanks in advance!
JD

[captainlee]

Check this out..https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/At-wh...hold-hot-foods

[Oak Smoke]

This is just an educated guess. I think a hold that long in a heated oven has a good chance of giving you grainy over cooked brisket. That’s a 20 hour hold. My thoughts are wrap it in foil, when you pull it put it on the counter with a couple of towels over it. That will give it some rest time and allow for an accelerated cool down. At two hours I would slip it in a large plastic bag, foil and all and go for a rapid chill in a bucket of ice water. Refrigerate until 10 am then slide it in a 200 F oven and wait until time to eat.

[mrichie1229]

Your method is similar to what I do when I cook brisket or pork butts ahead of time. Although, I will often set the oven to 250 for reheating. Just make sure the temp probe is in the meat when you re-heat so you don't over do it.

[CHNeal]

Hosting means sacrificing sleep if you want brisket. Cook over night hold 3-4 hours treat your guests to spot on brisket.

[jjdbike]

Thanks,
Please see my reply below.
JD

[Bob K]

You can absolutely hold it in a warm oven overnight, as long as it’s over 140 it will be food safe. That’s what many of the famous TX BBQ joints are doing. Personally I prefer 150-155 but I’ve held them overnight a dozen times at temps between 145-170.

Don’t pull early, cook normal. Let it cool to about 170 and pop it in the oven. I wouldn’t trust your oven’s opinion of its temp though, I’d test it first with a reliable probe to make sure what the "warm" temp really is.

As for foil/paper, I find the foil boat works best, just make sure the juice in the bottom doesn’t come up the side of the meat more than a half-inch or so (if more, drain a bit off). When I’ve left them fully wrapped in foil or paper (or even foil boat with too much liquid) it ended up sort of a fall-apart, pot-roast texture, though still delicious (to be fair, maybe I didn’t let off enough heat/steam first). Something about leaving the top bark exposed to air works best for me.

Good luck!

[LA Pork Butt]

I routinely cook Boston Butts and Briskets over night at 225 putting them on about seven pm and taking them off when done in the morning to hole for 2-4 hours in an ice chest. I serve at noon. I don’t know what time you plan to serve.

[jjdbike]

Thanks LA
Please see reply below.

[DennyWoo]

For brisket, I've done up to 12 hours of hold in my oven set to "warm", maintaining internal Temps in the 150-160 range while wrapped tight in pink butcher paper. Never had any issues that I could tell.

[jjdbike]

Thanks!
JD

[mrichie1229]

Good luck jjdbike! I've done briskets for neighborhood barbecues and it is always a crowd pleaser. As you can see, there are differing opinions on what to do. Let us know which method you decide and how it turned out.

[jjdbike]

Thanks,
Will do.
JD

[Rob whatever]

A long hold is not an issue and, as Bob K wrote, many top BBQ joints do it all the time. I’ve done for up to 18 hours at 150. No issues at all.

rob

[fzxdoc]

When my oven is set to 150°, it swings up to 190° and back on regular cycles. Check to see what yours does.

And, from my experience, don't fear the foil wrap. If a good bark is set and you don't add any juices to the meat before foiling it as tightly as possible, the bark should will be just fine. You can always slide it under the broiler for a couple of minutes after unwrapping if it's not as barky as you like.

I've never done a hold that long, but as long as you keep the meat temp above 140° you should be be fine from both a food safety and a meat quality viewpoint.

No need to separate point and flat for the cook. The point takes care of itself as the flat comes up to probe tenderness. Be sure your meat temp probe is in the thickest part of the flat, which is usually pretty close to where the point starts. If you plan on chilling and reheating the brisket, then separating the point from the flat and heating each separately makes sense.

You might think about putting together a good sauce like Meathead's Mop Sauce to offer alongside the brisket slices or to dip them into as you slice and serve. That's particularly helpful when serving large groups if logistics dictate that you have to slice the whole flat at one time.

Kathryn

[jjdbike]

Been running my oven for an hour at 140. It’s cycling between 149 & 155 degrees so that’s pretty good.
Thanks!
JD

[bbqLuv]

Here is a Brisket rest test, may help

The biggest TEXAS BRISKET SECRET finally revealed! - YouTube

[jjdbike]

This is interesting.
He said to take it to 180 degrees, then wrap in butcher paper and hold at 150 for 20-16 hours or longer.

[jjdbike]

[QUOTE=fzxdoc;n1369299]When my oven is set to 150°, it swings up to 190° and back on regular cycles. Check to see what yours does.

And, from my experience, don't fear the foil wrap. If a good bark is set and you don't add any juices to the meat before foiling it as tightly as possible, the bark should will be just fine. You can always slide it under the broiler for a couple of minutes after unwrapping if it's not as barky as you like.

I've never done a hold that long, but as long as you keep the meat temp above 140° you should be be fine from both a food safety and a meat quality viewpoint.

No need to separate point and flat for the cook. The point takes care of itself as the flat comes up to probe tenderness. Be sure your meat temp probe is in the thickest part of the flat, which is usually pretty close to where the point starts. If you plan on chilling and reheating the brisket, then separating the point from the flat and heating each separately makes sense.

You might think about putting together a good sauce like Meathead's Mop Sauce to offer alongside the brisket slices or to dip them into as you slice and serve. That's particularly helpful when serving large groups if logistics dictate that you have to slice the whole flat at one time.

Kathryn[/QUOTEThanks CH,

Thanks so much Katheryn and friends! This is a prime example of why I love this website and your folks on here!
Unfortunately, for various reasons, my smoking needs to occur during day light hours.

• I can push it out to starting the smoke at 12 noon ish on Saturday.
• Somewhere between 4 & 6 hours the KBQ should have established a good bark, that will put me at 6 pm at the latest.
• From there I can take it to probe tender in the oven.
• Pull it and cool it down to 170 sometime around 10:00 ish,
• then back into 145 degree oven 12:20 till PM Sunday.
• I'll want to reheat and form bark to serve at 2:30 PM. What do you suggest as far as timing, method and temps?

Thanks much in advance!!!!
JD

[Smoked Transistors]

Chuds BBQ held his foil boated brisket for 16-17 hours at 145 degrees, Looked fantasic. Here is that video.

[jjdbike]

Thanks much!

[CHNeal]

Chuds seems to know his stuff. Ive cooked several of his Weber Kettle recipe and all were spot on. If he says you can hold 17 hours in a toaster oven then I wouldnt be afraid to Tory.

[jjdbike]

Cool,
I’m a big fan of Chuds BBQ.
I like the idea of turning fat side up. Boat the bottom w/ foil to maintain bark on fat cap. The flat in tallow like confit.
JD

[klflowers]

+1 on https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...arbecue-juice/ as fzxdoc mentioned. Everytime i do a brisket i make this, without fail. Actually, I usually have some on hand all the time. It is that good.

I can't help on the hold times unfortunately, but our pit cousins seem to have some great suggestions.

[jjdbike]

Thanks for the tip about the moping sauce!
Ill definitely be making that.
JD