2 Butts over Brisket for Christmas


 
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Pat McCreight

TVWBB Pro
I'm preparing to host a BBQ Christmas in Chicago this year. Here's my plan:

2 bone-in butts ~ 7lbs each
1 packer brisket - 12 lbs
Weight - prior to trimming

I have prepped the meat, applied the rub, and it is wrapped in saran for the night.

I am starting my smoke on Friday evening, but won't serve the food until Monday afternoon.

I plan to put the meat on at 4 pm - keep temp close to 225. Butts on top rack, brisket on bottom rack fat down.

I'll cook brisket to the 185-190 range, pork to 190. When the meat is off and has rested, I'm going to pull the pork and wrap in saran and foil. I'm going to cut the brisket flat off and also wrap in saran and foil. Back to the fridge for a couple of days. I'm thinking about putting the point back on the smoker to make some burnt ends.

Anyways - come Monday, I'll stick the already wrapped pork and brisket in a 235 oven, reheat until hot, slice brisket and serve.

Any problems with this plan? I've done shoulder before, but this is my first experience with brisket. If all goes to hell, I'll still have a lot of pork for my guests.

Just looking for some tips/advice from the vets.
 
Your plan sounds fine.

When the brisket nears your target temp check it with a probe or fork for tenderness. If there is resistance to the probe, give it more time and check again.

As you pull the pork, put it in a large roasting pan or on a sheet pan--or two--keep the pulled pork fairly shallow. Then get it into the fridge to finish cooling (at first uncovered; after a bit loosely covered). If you can chill or freeze the pans first so much the better as it will help the pork cool much more quickly. When the pork is cold you can combine it in one pan if you wish then return to the fridge, covered.

Note that since you are cooking the butts till done and not planning to serve them immediately there is no need to rest them well-wrapped in a cooler for an extended period. You can rest them, wrapped, on the counter for an hour then unwrap them and allow them to rest another 30-60 min. Then pull and proceed.

For the brisket: Same thing, essentially. Rest 20-40 min wrapped, then unwrap and rest another 20, preferably on a rack over a sheetpan for good air circulation. Then put the whole thing in the fridge, very loosely covered, and allow it to finish cooling. Wrap the brisket tightly and return to the fridge.

Reheat the meats in separate pans. You can toss the pulled pork with vinegar, vinegar and fruit juice, thinned sauce, vin sauce, or the like, if you wish, before re-covering tightly.

Whole brisket I prefer to reheat on a rack over a pan, drizzled with beef stock mixed with a little unsalted butter, then tightly covered.

It is not necessary to reheat at a very low temp--250, 275, 300 is fine. Unwrap and stir the pulled pork once or twice during the reheat. Brisket is best, imo, reheated to 145-150 internal--and no higher; use a remote probe if you've got one. The pork can be served straight away. Rest the brisket 10 min before slicing.

Hope this helps and welcome to the board. Enjoy your day and your dinner.
 
Thanks Kevin -

I want to make sure I understand your plan to reheat the brisket:

1)Drizzle some beef stock and melted unsalted butter on brisket
2)Wrap in saran and then foil
3)Place on rack over pan and heat to 145-150

Or do I place the brisket on the rack and then cover the whole pan with foil?
 
Sounds good. I would hold off on slicing the brisket though. I would keep it whole, reheat and then slice. Keep thoses juices in there while you can.
 
serving brisket and pulled pork for Christmas dinner....
I have to be in the city on Christmas anyway...I be by around 3:00.
icon_rolleyes.gif
 
I sometimes put my pulled pork in a sauce pan, add a little water in the bottom and stir on top of stove until warm. It helps revive the moisture as well, in it's own juices.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ERIK MITCHELL:
serving brisket and pulled pork for Christmas dinner....
I have to be in the city on Christmas anyway...I be by around 3:00.
icon_rolleyes.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep - this is the first holiday my wife and I are hosting, so I thought I'd do it my way. I don't care much for turkey and I haven't had a chance to smoke anything for a couple of months. Now if it would only stop raining.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Or do I place the brisket on the rack and then cover the whole pan with foil? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Do this, yes.

Place on a rack and pan (a cake cooling rack on a sheetpan is fine). Drizzle with some stock in which you've melted a little unsalted butter (1/2-3/4 c stock plus 1-2 T butter is sufficient). Stick in a remote probe, if available, cover the entire pan with foil leaving an inch or two headspace between the top of the brisket and the foil, then seal the foil tightly. Shoot for 145-150 internal.

Paul--

My answer to your question is that the dynamics are different. If cooking overnight, say, for serving the next day then one wraps and coolers in an effort to keep the meat hot till serving time and also to allow the redistribution of internal juices that happens during resting to occur. But this redistribution does not start quickly in this scenario and it also takes longer than one might think. This is because the wrapping, toweling and coolering keeps the heat up for a while. Redistribution of juices doesn't effectively start till some cooling has occurred (and this is why it is often felt than longer holding time in the cooler is preferable).

In the other scenario, cooking to cool and reheat for later service, it is not necessary to prolong the rest. So long as one has cooked till done residual cooking is unnecessary--but redistribution of juices is. By not wrapping and coolering this redistribution starts sooner as the meat cools sooner. Something the thickness of a brisket only needs about 20-30 min of time for juice redistribution; a butt about 45-60 min tops. The other issue in this circumstance is getting the meats cooled fairly quickly, an importantance in terms of food safety.
 
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