Holding Brisket and Pork Butts in a Cambro

DECENT BBQ · Jan 18, 2019

Hey guys

I've got a large cook coming up where I will have to cook and hold a brisket and pork butt in a Cambro to make room on my smoker for other meats. I was wanting to inquire about cook times/tenderness, and also wrapping methods for holding these meats.

As I understand, if I pull brisket/pork to probe tender, vent and let cool down to about 160*, then hold for a few hours, it SHOULD be ok and not overcook (fall apart while trying to slice). Looking for advice on this. Both will be in the same cambro, in cooler temps (40-50* outside).

What do you wrap these in to retain moisture while not over cooking? In the restaurants I worked at we used to double wrap them in plastic wrap and hold in a hot hold (Alto-Shaam) until needed. Maybe just put in a full pan and wrap the pan instead of the meat? Looking for advice here.

I've also heard that storing multiple hunks of meat in the same cambro can cause overcooking because the ambient temperature inside the cambro is too high. I have a thermocouple to monitor the internal temp, what should I keep it at to prevent this?

Any other advice? This will be for a competition. I'm doing a practice run tomorrow night to get some real world results, but figured I'd ask the experts as well

Thanks!

Kaptain Kadian · Jan 18, 2019

I think most cambros are rated to have meat cool down 10 degrees per hour. I think that will vary depending on if you have a cambro full of meat or just one brisket. Keep your thermocouple in it and monitor your temperatures. When I did competition cooking, I would pull my brisket out and vent until the temperature started to fall and then close the foil and put it in the cambro. I would do the same process for the butts as well. This will let your meat stop cooking and start resting. You should be able to hold meat for 4 or 5 hours that way.

Kaptain Kadian · Jan 18, 2019

Preheat your cambro with a pan of hot water before you put the 1st meat in too

Cook · Jan 19, 2019

Personally, I would not allow my meat to cool to 160 if my goal was to hold for HOURS in a Cambro. Of course you can do that...it just isn't what "I" would do. My personal philosophy is that once the internal temperature reverses and begins to fall you are good to start your holding procedures. I have no issues letting the temp fall to 195-200 before wrapping and holding. If that bothers you, let it go to 185...but unless I'm plan on serving within three hours of removing the meat from the pit I wouldn't let it drop to 160 before holding. As I said, that would certainly work & hold for a while...I just like a warmer hold to allow it to stay at a higher temp for longer & extend the drop time. I feel that's where some of the magic happens.

Cook · Jan 19, 2019

I just posted this in another thread just yesterday. The brisket below went through a seven hour hold. I wrapped and coolered it when it hit 185. After a few hours it hit 140 and I placed it in a 170 oven until the temp went back up 10-15 degrees...at which point I coolered it again. After seven hours this is the result...zero crumbling so that should not be an issue...there was no juice from the meat inside the foil wrap, and you see none on the cutting board. All the moisture simply redistributed itself in the meat, and after a proper rest it retains that moisture when cut.

jasonjax · Jan 19, 2019

1) Cook to the temperature/texture you want.
2) Remove from cooker, vent until you no longer see much if any steam
3) Place in pre-heated (boiling water etc) Cambro
4) Hold for as long as necessary for turn-in ..it will still be too hot to handle without gloves most likely

DECENT BBQ · Jan 21, 2019

Doing a little test tonight to see what kind of temps I can maintain. I have the newer style Cambro without the gasket on the door. Doesn't seem to perform as well as the older style. Not sure if my TC probe wire is interfering, but there is visible vapor coming out of the door.

Started cold at 51*, added one pot of almost boiling water to a 4" full pan in the bottom. After 15 min, internal temp (TC probe dangling midway inside) was 136*F. After 30 min, down to 129*F. This is empty with just the water. I know adding food will help keep the temps up.
https://imgur.com/a/KgS6Z6T

Holding Brisket and Pork Butts in a Cambro

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