Brisket rest time

[ique]

Originally Posted by Qbert60

He states that he allows his brisket to rest, with foil vented until the internal temp of the brisket is 170*.

Some of my best briskets at comps have been those that took longer to finish and ended up with barely an hour of rest. I really dont think a properly cooked brisket gets any better after more than an hour of rest. The 4-6 hour rest that is part of a lot of cooks schedule is mainly about two things. One, margin of error, we need a wide doneness window. Done at 8 or done at 10 and it really doesn't matter. Plan for Noon though and the brisket needs another couple hours the cook has a problem. Two, is juggling cooker space. Harry is the king of using the lowest square inches possible.

The steaming down and lowering the internal temp of the meat is very important though. It doesn't improve the brisket really but instead preserves in a state pretty close to when it was perfect coming off of your smoker.

[RumRunner_1492]

I take my brisket off at 7:30am. I vent it for 10-15 minutes then put it into the cooler with towels. It works great. I took 4th in brisket out of 42 teams this past weekend.

[DawgPhan]

Originally Posted by Wampus

Yeah, once we determine that it's done, we wrap it back up and into the Cambro it goes. We don't vent. I know the thinking that it will continue to cook in the Cambro if you don't vent, but we've not had an issue.

.....then again.....don't listen to anything I say we can't seem to buy a brisket call this season.

I havent found that briskets will continue to cook either. It might happen, but if I put a good brisket in the cambro, I pull out a good brisket. If I put in a bad brisket, I pull out a bad brisket.

[INmitch]

Originally Posted by DawgPhan

I havent found that briskets will continue to cook either. It might happen, but if I put a good brisket in the cambro, I pull out a good brisket. If I put in a bad brisket, I pull out a bad brisket.

I would have agreed with you up until Traverse City MI a week and a half ago. I have always rested my briskies in a 28qt cooler (ya that superstitious thing) I never vent them because I always have so many holes poked in the foil from feeling for tenderness.
I thought I would be nice and put them in pan liners to save the Wife the clean up of the cooler. When I pulled out my perfectly cooked briskets the $$ end of the flats fell apart.

Huge lesson learned

[Burnt at Both Endz]

<SIGH>.....If there's one thing this cook has learned about cooking brisket, you just can't take pieces of another cooks system and think it'll work for you.

Practice and good notes will get you farther ahead then looking for the perfect baking recipe.

[Cayman1]

Brisket will overcook in a cambro! Ask me how I know, or maybe not, since I'm still p*ssed off at myself for doing it.

[Qbert60]

Originally Posted by Burnt at Both Endz

<SIGH>.....If there's one thing this cook has learned about cooking brisket, you just can't take pieces of another cooks system and think it'll work for you.

Practice and good notes will get you farther ahead then looking for the perfect baking recipe.

I completely agree with you. I cooked one over 4th of july.
- Started on my drum at 300*
- got to the wrapping stage about 4 hours in
- cambro'd it because it was catering for someone and had to cook onsite.
- Put it back on the cooker in the really hot zone 2 hours later (so held in cambro for 2 hours)
- Once it was tender I vented for a few mins, I separated the flat and point, made burnt ends
- Rested the flat for about an hour in Au Jus
- Sliced.

Best brisket I think I have cooked.

[Qbert60]

Originally Posted by ique

Some of my best briskets at comps have been those that took longer to finish and ended up with barely an hour of rest. I really dont think a properly cooked brisket gets any better after more than an hour of rest. The 4-6 hour rest that is part of a lot of cooks schedule is mainly about two things. One, margin of error, we need a wide doneness window. Done at 8 or done at 10 and it really doesn't matter. Plan for Noon though and the brisket needs another couple hours the cook has a problem. Two, is juggling cooker space. Harry is the king of using the lowest square inches possible.

The steaming down and lowering the internal temp of the meat is very important though. It doesn't improve the brisket really but instead preserves in a state pretty close to when it was perfect coming off of your smoker.

But lowering the temp down that much? I just figured thatt it would make the brisket easier to slice.

[CBQ]

Originally Posted by ique

Some of my best briskets at comps have been those that took longer to finish and ended up with barely an hour of rest. ... Done at 8 or done at 10 and it really doesn't matter.

+1

I aim for 10AM. Last weekend it was done at noon, got an hour rest, and took 1st. I also pulled one of my pork butts at 12:45. If I was a deer, I would probably enjoy wandering onto the highway to watch the pretty lights.

[CBQ]

Originally Posted by Cayman1

Brisket will overcook in a cambro! Ask me how I know, or maybe not, since I'm still p*ssed off at myself for doing it.

I use a thermal barrier under my brisket, keeps the other meats in the cambro from overcooking it.

Amazon.com: Cambro ThermoBarrier, 20 7/8 x 13 1/8 x 1 1/2 inch -- 2 per case.: Home & Kitchen

 

Amazon.com: Cambro ThermoBarrier, 20 7/8 x 13 1/8 x 1 1/2 inch -- 2 per case.: Home & Kitchen

[Cayman1]

Looks interesting, but mine overcooked because I didn't vent it long enough before putting it in the cambro. I'm sure the butts also contributed to it so the thermal barrier would help in that regard.

[midwest_kc]

I didn't think that the overcooking thing was a problem, either. Then the Royal last year happened. Let's just say I ended up turning in chopped/pulled brisket. I don't recommend that, fwiw.

[ShencoSmoke]

Originally Posted by CBQ

.....other meats in the cambro from overcooking it.

This! If you put two smoking hot pork butts under your brisket you will have the potential for problems. My cambro is only used for pork. My brisket holds 3+ hours wrapped in blankets on a table.

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by Wampus

Yeah, once we determine that it's done, we wrap it back up and into the Cambro it goes. We don't vent. I know the thinking that it will continue to cook in the Cambro if you don't vent, but we've not had an issue.




.....then again.....don't listen to anything I say we can't seem to buy a brisket call this season.

I guess I should note that we always open up the foil wrap when we check for tenderness on our brisket. We don't just poke through the foil.

So there IS some venting done when we do this, but only enough to probe and determine if it's done and then we wrap it back up again.

[Qbert60]

Originally Posted by ShencoSmoke

This! If you put two smoking hot pork butts under your brisket you will have the potential for problems. My cambro is only used for pork. My brisket holds 3+ hours wrapped in blankets on a table.

Why not just put the brisket on the bottom?