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Big cook with my 1st brisket


 
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BenjaminW

TVWBB Member
Hello all. I am planning a big cook for next weekend and I have a question. Im gonna start friday night with pork butts and a brisket. Once the brisket comes off im gonna throw some b.backs on the top shelf while the pork butts finnish off. Now my question come in here...Since im gonna take the brisket off, most likely, 6 or so hours before im gonna serve it, do yeah think I could take it off the smoker at 165 or 170, let it cool down, then an a little while before I want to cut it, put it in a 300 deg oven to finnish cooking up to an internal temp of 200 or 205??? Think that will dry the meat out??? Im trying to avoid serving cold brisket, but if I have to I will. Thanks for the help
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Benjamin:
Hello all. I am planning a big cook for next weekend and I have a question. Im gonna start friday night with pork butts and a brisket. Once the brisket comes off im gonna throw some b.backs on the top shelf while the pork butts finnish off. Now my question come in here...Since im gonna take the brisket off, most likely, 6 or so hours before im gonna serve it, do yeah think I could take it off the smoker at 165 or 170, let it cool down, then an a little while before I want to cut it, put it in a 300 deg oven to finnish cooking up to an internal temp of 200 or 205??? Think that will dry the meat out??? Im trying to avoid serving cold brisket, but if I have to I will. Thanks for the help
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I would 'get the brisket done' while it's on the smoker, then let rest in foil for 30 minutes. Open the foil and let rest/cool for 30 more minutes to cool down, then slice and place the slices in a pan and pour the juices over the slices, cover with foil and refridgerate the cooled meat. 2 hours before you're ready to serve put the covered pan on the counter for 1 hour, then into a preheated 350º oven JUST UNTIL the meat is warm, NOT hot. If it's over heated it will significantly increase the chance of a dry brisket.

If I'm cooking brisket to serve the same day or the next day, this is how I do it. If it's for a longer period of time after the cook, I'll vacuum seal and reheat in hot water.
 
only thing i would add is do not partially cook meat on a smoker then re-cook to "finish" it. that just leads to food borne illness. fully cook all the way till done then chill and reheat for later never half way it. you dont want to make your guests ill or kill them.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">do not partially cook meat on a smoker then re-cook to "finish" it. that just leads to food borne illness. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Not necessarily. In fact, not usually at all unless 'partially' cooked means not very cooked at all.


Though I quite agree with Larry and would cook till done on the first go, this has more to do with cooking convenience than anything else. A brisket taken to 165 will be well pasteurized. The issue, then, becomes what happens after cooking. As long as the brisket is cooled relatively quickly, then stored chilled, it can safely be further cooked. The very same thing applies to meat cooked fully in advance. The thing is to then go for quick and thorough cooling after cooking. The meat can then be safely reheated when needed.

The key issue here is contamination by Staph. aureus, something that can occur after cooking, especially if meat is handled, when cooling is not quick enough or thorough. Staph. grow best when not competing with spoilage and other bacteria (cooking eliminates these) so, if the temps are right (the meat is not thoroughly cooled or has taken too long to get cool) Staph. grow and, when the populaton is high enough, produce heat resistant toxins -- that even very high heat won't touch.

As long as the food in question is properly cooked and then properly cooled it can undergo further cooking (or reheating) when the need arises without issue. Still, again, I'd cook the brisket all the way, at first.
 
I would finish it in the smoker, then wrap in a few layers of HD foil and put in a small cooler. It will easily stay hot for 6 hours.
 
I would plan on cooking the brisket to an internal temp of 160 and foiling it. Then finish it in the oven WHILE you are cooking your ribs. If it gets done 2-3 hours prior to the ribs being done, wrap it in a large bath towel and place it in a cooler to hold. After it is foil, your meat gains no benefit from being in the smoker. This will allow two things:

1) You can save 3-5 hours of overall cooking time since you will be cooking two items in a "concurrent" fashion as opposed to a "linear" one.

2) You won't have an overly long period of time to hold your brisket, It should stay at a safe serving temp in foil, in a towel, in a cooler for at LEAST three hours.

If you are adverse to foiling, don't be. It saves juices that are delicious. I do it EVERY time. Good luck. Woodman
 
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