Resting beef and pork

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ATLSean

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I see a lot of comments here about resting meats coming out of the smoker. I usually rest between half an hour to an hour in my oven at 170 degrees after I pull them. Does everyone rest them under heat, or in foil, or just rest on the platter prior to pulling/carving? Just curious, I want to make sure I'm not missing any tricks.
 
Two different things here... resting and holding. I always think you should rest to let juices redistribute and for the muscle to relax. Different times for different cuts and different prep methods. Holding implies an extended period of time holding temp for serving later. 170 is a bit high to rest or hold IMO (around 140 will avoid a lot of extra cooking and still keep the meat safe). I prefer to FTC (foil, towel, cooler) for either rest or hold but if just a rest I will often just foil it without the cooler.
 
Billy, any place to find those resting times or just experience trying them?
 
The search engine is your friend. :p Not sure if there is a "list." Trial and error as well as time need is the best method. A minimum of 1/2 hour for any decent sized cut of meat (butt, brisket, etc) but I like at least an hour. The hotter you cook, the longer it takes to relax and moisten up, so plan accordingly. As for holding, I have held butts for up to 6 hours and briskets (full packers) for up to 4. If holding for a long time, I like to pull a little bit earlier than if not to avoid the meat getting mushy.
 
The longer the rest the better the end result. I stopped using a cooler about a year ago I let it rest on the counter for a few hrs and slowly cool down into the 150's the result is better texture and a moister end product. As it cools the fibers relax and the gelatin lays in between them making it moist. If I need to hold past two hrs at that time I will put in in a low oven to keep it warm or a preheated cooler. Holding in a cooler or a low oven straight from the smoker it will continue to cook and the gelatin will still be runny ending up on the board or all over you hands not locked in the meat leaving you a dryer product. Also with a brisket never slice more than you can eat. slices will dry up because there is more surface area. I cringe everytime I see a brisket post and the whole thing is carved up it always looks dry.
 
Bludawg said:
Also with a brisket never slice more than you can eat. slices will dry up because there is more surface area. I cringe everytime I see a brisket post and the whole thing is carved up it always looks dry.
Click to expand...

+ 1 here. My guests always think I am being stingy when I only slice a small plate to place on the table. I have to educate them by telling them that I have the whole brisket available to eat, but don't want it to dry out before they are ready for 2nds or 3rds. Plus if I any left over I would rather it be a solid piece of meat instead of slices left over.

Blessings,
Omar
 
Bludawg said:
Also with a brisket never slice more than you can eat. slices will dry up because there is more surface area. I cringe everytime I see a brisket post and the whole thing is carved up it always looks dry.
Click to expand...

retired trucker said:
+ 1 here. My guests always think I am being stingy when I only slice a small plate to place on the table. I have to educate them by telling them that I have the whole brisket available to eat, but don't want it to dry out before they are ready for 2nds or 3rds. Plus if I any left over I would rather it be a solid piece of meat instead of slices left over.

Blessings,
Omar
Click to expand...
Good tip, guys! Thanks!
 
If you "hold" in an oven what temp do you usually set the oven at?

Have been able to hold butts pretty well by doing the foil, towel, cooler method but that strategy didn't turn out too well when I did brisket two weeks ago since I had to hold it longer than what I wanted.
 
rdstoll said:
If you "hold" in an oven what temp do you usually set the oven at?

Have been able to hold butts pretty well by doing the foil, towel, cooler method but that strategy didn't turn out too well when I did brisket two weeks ago since I had to hold it longer than what I wanted.
Click to expand...

The couple of times I have held in the oven, I have done it at around 140 in foil. I say around because my oven won't go that low so I set it to 250, put a pit probe in and crack the door to get as close as I can.
 
sliding_billy said:
The couple of times I have held in the oven, I have done it at around 140 in foil. I say around because my oven won't go that low so I set it to 250, put a pit probe in and crack the door to get as close as I can.
Click to expand...
I hope you only do this in the winter! We do our best to not even turn our oven on in the summer, much less let it pump heat freely into the house. Glad our electric stove can be set to ~150°F :D
 
peeps said:
I hope you only do this in the winter! We do our best to not even turn our oven on in the summer, much less let it pump heat freely into the house. Glad our electric stove can be set to ~150°F :D
Click to expand...

For sure. If I needed 140 in the summer, I could just put it in foil on my back patio most days.

P.S. Love your Avatar, and I just moved from Denton County a few months ago.
 
sliding_billy said:
For sure. If I needed 140 in the summer, I could just put it in foil on my back patio most days.

P.S. Love your Avatar, and I just moved from Denton County a few months ago.
Click to expand...
Thanks! That pic was taken almost a year ago now. Kiddo was 5 months old and is 15 months tomorrow.

My wife's old boss lives out in Princeton and we were there about a month ago. He lives in the little lake community there on the south side of 380.
 
Too cool. I am just north of 380 (left at Specs on Bridgefarmer and right at the T. Subdivision is a little bit down the road on the left). Funny thing is the subdivision I was in was on 380 in my old house too (Paloma creek North).
 
If I'm cooking well ahead of time I'll let the meat cool for 15 minutes or so and then I wrap it and cooler it with some towels and newspaper but most of the time I leave the meat out for about 15 minutes or so to allow the temp to come down, then I'll foil it and leave it in a roasting pan with a folded towel on top of it. I usually let the larger cuts like brisket or pork butt rest for a minimum of 2 hours but usually three.
 
I had a couple of 5lbs butts this past weekend that I held in the oven @ 170 for about an hour, as that's as low as our oven goes. They were good, but I think I dried them out a bit. Next time I'll just pop them in the oven covered with no heat.
 
Bludawg said:
The longer the rest the better the end result. I stopped using a cooler about a year ago I let it rest on the counter for a few hrs and slowly cool down into the 150's the result is better texture and a moister end product. As it cools the fibers relax and the gelatin lays in between them making it moist. If I need to hold past two hrs at that time I will put in in a low oven to keep it warm or a preheated cooler. Holding in a cooler or a low oven straight from the smoker it will continue to cook and the gelatin will still be runny ending up on the board or all over you hands not locked in the meat leaving you a dryer product. Also with a brisket never slice more than you can eat. slices will dry up because there is more surface area. I cringe everytime I see a brisket post and the whole thing is carved up it always looks dry.
Click to expand...

Do you have the meat foiled on the counter or uncovered?
 
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