Help! Brisket finished 8 hours early!


 
PeterD

PeterD

TVWBB Super Fan
So I had a nice 15 pound Angus packer that I put on at 230° last night, used a Stoker and pit temps stayed perfect. I'd expected it to be done sometime between 11 and noon. It's now 9am and the brisket is perfect. I need to keep it that way until service at 5pm. I'm kinda freaking out. Any thoughts on how I should proceed?
 
You could let it rest, slice it put it in the fridge them reheat in the oven before you plan to serve. Reheat at like 325 covered for 30 minutes.

I'll also reheat brisket in a pan on the stove with just a bit of water with good results. When I do this it's normally just 1-2 servings but I don't see what it wouldn't work for more. It may not look as nice when your done.

Not sure these are your best options but I have done both and they work fairly well.
 
Rinse out a cooler with very hot water. Place some towels in the cooler. Double wrap the brisket in HD foil. Let rest forup to 4 hours
 
Maybe you can hold 140 to 170 in your pit with a stoker? Leave in there for a while. It's going to be tough to hold in a cooler for more than 5. You might preheat the cooler with hot water and leave the cooler out in the sun. You don't want the meat to drop below 140
 
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I can hold it here until 1pm, then it has to go to a party, and sit until 5pm (the host won't serve food before 5).
 
OK, so here's what I've done so far. Pulled it when probe tender, let it rest for about 15 minutes while I pre-heated a small cooler with 125 degree water. Emptied the water, put in two beach towels, the brisket wrapped in 3 layers of heavy duty foil, and two more beach towels on top. I figure this is good until I get to the party.

What should come next? I will get there about 1:30 and the brisket will have been in the cooler since 10:30. It will need 3-1/2 more hours of holding and I'm afraid it's going to turn into shoe leather.
 
As long as you let the meat cool down to the point it's no longer cooking -- ~160F -- you can wrap it tightly and hold it in a good cooler for a very long time. The larger the piece of meat, the longer it will stay warm. As long as it has stopped cooking there's no reason for it to turn to shoe leather.

The last few years at holiday time I've warmed up the ham in a very low oven until it hit just above reasonable serving temp. Holding this is a bit trickier because there's very little excess thermal energy in the ham. To make up for this I've put several foil-wrapped patio blocks in the oven to heat along with the ham. I put about half an inch of newspaper on the bottom of the cooler, then the patio blocks, then the ham, and covered it all with several bath towels.

If you need to hold the meat for an exceedingly long time you could try something like that. The more thermal mass you can get in the cooler, the longer it's going to maintain serving temp.
 
Aaron Franklin rests his briskets for a LONG time in 140 degree holding oven. So do some other joints that try to emulate him. If anything the meat benefits from a long rest. Keep the cooler in the hot sun. I've heard some people can hold low temps with a a stoker in a wsm. I would have probably tried to hold it wrapped in there at 170 after venting to let the temp of the brisket get down to 170. Then put it in the cooler when you leave. Chances are you may be ok with just the preheated cooler.
 
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Relax. It's not going to turn to shoe leather. If anything, it will be overly tender and falling apart. People will be raving about it's tenderness. As others have said, use the cooler, then put in warm oven to hold at just above 140 degrees. if the oven won't go that low, then you have to play around and cycle it. Let's say the lowest you can set the oven is 170, do that and put the brisket in. If it's a nicer oven, the read out will tell you the oven temp as it makes it's way to the set point. When the oven says 160, turn it off and let the brisket sit there for 30 to 45 mins. Then, turn the oven back on and set if for 170 again. When it hits 160, turn it back off. Rinse, repeat.
 
I agree with the cooler hold mentioned above. If all else fails, do what we have done with brisket that logistically had to be cooked a day or two ahead. Slice it for serving now. Fridge it until 90 minutes before needed. Then put it in a crock pot on LOW with enough beef broth (or Better Than Bouillon) to cover the bottom of the crock 1/4 inch. It will be fine taste wise, although you'll lose your smoke ring. I have foud that this keeps the brisket more moist than the low oven method.
 
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