Resting Brisket Mechanisms

[Barbeque-HTF]

I'm looking for some insight on resting a brisket after a cook. I believe the "moisture" in brisket is the rendered fat and not water based and I don't think this will be reabsorbed or redistributed during a rest. So, I think the value in resting is to continue breaking down the connective tissues by giving the hot brisket more time without subjecting it to more heat. I would like to read your thoughts on my theories. Thanks!

[Huskee]

Yessir! https://amazingribs.com/more-techniq...-resting-meat/

[JCBBQ]

💯. I not a good brisket cook…yet, however when I let it rest for 4hrs it is consistently better than only a two hour rest. Now I’m playing with over night rests of 12 hrs. That’s is an oven at its lowest setting. Apparently that’s what restaurants do in Texas. I like the idea bc I can get a good night sleep. 😂

[realdocBBQ]

Just have to be careful - needs to be warm enough to stay safe WITHOUT overcooking.

150ºF is the sweet spot, but this is a difficult temp to maintain - most home ovens won't hold evenly that low. Mine will only set down to 170ºF, and then ovens turn on and off, so the temp swings can be considerable. Easy to overcook that way.

This is why true warming holding cabinets are so expensive.

I definitely have found a long rest helps a ton - 8-12 hours if possible. I've used several methods including my pellet smoker, my propane vertical cabinet and just a pre-heated ice chest and lots of foil and towels. This works well for up to 8h in my experience.

[DaveD]

+1 on pre-heating whatever you are resting in. Took me a few tries to recognize that sitting my meat in a pyrex dish and plopping that inside the Cambro made the temp drop very rapidly while heat transferred into the pyrex from the meat. Glass is a great insulator and can soak up a LOT of calories, so it definitely behooves to preheat the dish first.

I've used my pellet smoker to hold at resting temps as well, but there's a risk of the thing going out when it's running that low sometimes, I have discovered. So one needs to pay some attention there...

[Uncle Bob]

While maintaining temp will help to continue rendering collagen water may be more significant than you think. Water in Meat & Poultry | Food Safety and Inspection Service (usda.gov)

[JLR]

Many ovens allow you to "calibrate" the temperature up or down 30 degrees. If you calibrate your oven down 30 degrees then set it at 170, it should hold the temp around 140. Most ovens will hold a temp for 12 hours before shutting off. Check your owners manual for calibrating.
Use a digital thermometer with an alarm in your oven to measure the temp to make sure it stays around 140/150 since some ovens run hot and that could ruin a perfect cook. My gas oven does a good job at this low temp, but I still want to keep an eye (or ear if it's overnight) on it.

[Michael_in_TX]

You know, that is a clever idea. And with the growing popularity of tabletop ovens, some may find themselves with a spare oven sitting around.

[Rob whatever]

My Wolf goes down to `150 and I've held briskets for up to 18 hours without issue. I've heard Jirby say that a 6-7 hour hold is the minimum for his liking.

Rob

[Smoked Transistors]

Chud's BBQ - 17 hour Brisket hold using his Breville Smart Air Fryer toaster oven set at 145 degrees. End results looked outrageous!

[realdocBBQ]

Hey, I've got one of those ovens... I never considered using it for a brisket hold. Maybe I need to do that!

[Santamarina]

I’ve been doing overnight holds for a few years now. Not so much because there’s a difference in a 12 hr hold vs 4 hr, but because I like to sleep. So I cook into the evening, toss the brisket in the warm oven, and get a reasonable nights sleep!

[Smoke em if you got em]

Instead of recalibrating our oven, the last brisket I did, I used a turkey roaster (that I almost got rid of). I set it at 150 degrees, with The brisket wrapped, sitting on a rack, with about 1/2 cup water in the bottom. it worked great. Next one will be a long overnight hold.

[realdocBBQ]

I am picking up a small chest freezer this evening I found on FB Marketplace - going to cut a hole in the wall, insert a sous vide machine and use it like Steve Gow from Smoke Trails BBQ as a humidified holding chamber.

W00T!

[jhapka]

Tuck it in to a little bed, read it a story, and slice four hours later

[Michael_in_TX]

From what I understand from watching an unhealthy amount of brisket videos on YouTube, is that BBQ places will hold their briskets at 140 F (or thereabouts) for 4-6 hours.

For myself, as I don't have anything that will maintain such a low temp for a piece of meat this large, I use one of Coleman's Party Stacker coolers. They are the perfect size for a typical brisket. I will leave the cooler out in the sun to "charge up" for a few hours while the brisket is finishing its cook. I place it in there, still wrapped, and still probed.

The brisket I did last weekend, leisurely reduced in temp and after two hours was 155 F. I could have let it go lower, but we were hungry (which often seems to be the primary driver as to how long a brisket rests lol).