Using a turkey roaster as a brisket cambro?

[Michael_in_TX]

For whatever reason (well, Texas) I've been watching a lot of videos on how the professional BBQ shops do their briskets this evening. (I blame DaveD's recent cook.) One thing that I have picked up on is that they seem to rest their briskets for quite a long time....perhaps eight hours or more.

It seem the temps for the holding cambros range from 140 F up to perhaps 180 F.

I've been resting my briskets in a Coleman "party stacker" cooler until they drop to 150 F internal, which can take 1-3 hours (and by which time I am ready to eat!)

I've thought about using my oven as a cambro to give it a longer rest; however, my oven "warm" setting can get above 200 F during its cycles. Also, a typical household oven is a cavernous space and I worry about all that air movement drying the brisket out.

So I was idly browsing Amazon for cambros and came across, of all things, electric turkey roasters, such as this one.



These things fit 20lb - 26 lb turkeys and while they are meant for roasting temperatures, many of them have a warm or holding temperature setting that is around 150 F. They are also smaller and designed, with their lids, to retain moisture.

If they truly can keep that low temperature, I wonder if these things would be practical for anyone wanting to experiment with a long brisket rest. They run about $120-$140 on Amazon.

[Jerod Broussard]

Sounds like a plan. I wouldn't even wrap it, just let sit in the jous fat cap down.

I need to get a vertical warming oven cause 14 of them things to plug in would be a pain. The following is on the low end.

https://www.amazon.com/Festa-Essential-Commercial-Countertop-Thermometer/dp/B09ZH1PWXT/ref=asc_df_B09ZH1PWXT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598470967891&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3211309297728187903&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9059591&hvtargid=pla-1720666159869&mcid=cbcae1e8ac903a1e9981c66c9e5ff27d&gclid=CjwKCAiAvdCrBhBREiwAX6-6UqT2zpMhKgdr1v-qt_EDy34IdNrMMfJV0J79eripS9jdHwquoWcNJRoCxQ8QAvD_BwE&th=1

[texastweeter]

I've done it, it works.

[bbqLuv]

Holds low temp spot on.

[Oak Smoke]

I have two large oval crockpots with clap-on lids I set on low and use for that. Sometimes it requires a slice where the point and flat meet to get it to fit. They work just fine.

[Michael_in_TX]

A crockpot! I have one of those! It's been sitting in a cabinet I never open ever since I found this site. It's one of those oval ones. A smaller brisket might just fit....and you're right...I think low is like 160 F or something.

[TripleB]

Thought the same thing. I have a crockpot up on the shelf. Never thought of using it for holding temp for a small brisket or butt. That's why I love this site. Always something to learn.

[Bad Hat BBQ]

That should work well...

[jfmorris]

You want warm, not low, if you do a crockpot. Low will eventually reach boiling temps, just slower than on high. Warm is in the 140-160 range. All our crockpots have low/high/warm settings. Never used one to hold brisket though - but plenty of times for holding and serving pulled pork.

[Michael_in_TX]

That's a good point. They are designed to essentially to braise. It would need a dedicated warm setting, which I am pretty sure mine had....yes, it has to have one as I know it switches to 'warm' once a pre-set cooking time is up.

[Santamarina]

Sadly, my crockpots don’t hold above 140° on warm. It’s closer to 130°, so I don’t keep anything in there longer than I’d keep it on the counter…but at least it stays “warm enough for eating.”

Like you, Jim, I’ve never held a brisket, but it’s taken care of countless pork shoulders after pulling!

[jfmorris]

Santamarina now you have me suspicious of ours. I'll have to check them with a thermometer at some point and see what "warm" really is. We mostly use warm AFTER something has been boiling at high or low, and while serving. The crock takes a long time to cool down I imagine.

[IdahoJim]

I just used a turkey roaster to hold my last brisket. It worked great. Here is the thread I started. https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...turkey-roaster

[Michael_in_TX]

Oh wow, how did I miss that recent thread! It did indeed work perfect for you. I need to spend some quality time with my grate probes in my crockpot and oven to really see what I have going on.

[Smoke em if you got em]

It works great. 1/4 cup of water in the bottom and I set it at 150. I put a probe in it to monitor it. The last one was in there for 13 hours, and was perfect. Smoke Trails BBQ on YouTube has a no fail brisket method, he pulls the brisket at 180 and holds it at 150 for up to 18 hours. It just works. No more waiting and/or hoping that the brisket will be done on time for your guests. No more being up in the middle of the night to either start or waiting to finish a brisket. Cook it during the day and shoot for it to be done by bed time, that way both you and the brisket get your rest, and you can spend more time with your guests.
It made it so much easier, I’m well rested, and I’m not all smokey at dinner time. The price is reasonable too, compared to food warmer alternatives.

[STEbbq]

Honestly, I am kinda surprised your briskets are cooling that quickly. I would have thought a well-packed cooler with hot water added would have kept temps higher for much longer to reach that 8 hour mark.

[jfmorris]

I've had good luck in this regard too. The key is taking the wrapped brisket straight from the grill at 200+ degrees, wrapping in towels and plunking into the cooler. I've got an old Igloo 40 quart that I use.

[jfmorris]

We used to have one of these turkey roasters, but not sure I would have trusted the degrees marked on the knob to be accurate - more a general indication of temp range.

[IdahoJim]

I didn't trust the degrees marked on mine and used my Thermoworks Smoke to dial it in to about 150.