How long to hold my Brisket

[Andre A]

I was curious, if I cooked my Brisket to 205, pulled it, and cut off the point to make burnt ends, what is the best way to hold my brisket. And by holding, I mean, I understand that the Brisket can and will hold for hours but I do not want it to still "cook" and get it to soft while holding. So after I pull the brisket off the smoker, what should I do next.

Thanks

 

[Cody]

First you want to cook until its probe tender. Then what I do when it is probe tender I bring it in the house and let it sit unwrapped if you foiled it until it reaches 170 IT. Then cut the point from the flat. Wrap the flat up in foil and put it in a cooler with towels, it will stay warm for a few hours. Then make your burnt ends.

 

[Andre A]

First you want to cook until its probe tender. Then what I do when it is probe tender I bring it in the house and let it sit unwrapped if you foiled it until it reaches 170 IT. Then cut the point from the flat. Wrap the flat up in foil and put it in a cooler with towels, it will stay warm for a few hours. Then make your burnt ends.

So to confirm, I pull after it is probe tender, and let it sit unwrapped until it drops to 170, then cut the point off and cook. Then wrap the flat and leave it in the cooler until I am ready to eat. Doing it this way, I can ensure that I my brisket does not over cook when holding.

 

[Bob Bass]

That is correct, Andre. In the past, some have also pre-heated the cooler so as to lessen the heat loss while in the cooler.
Once you hit the 170 degree mark, you are pretty well assured that cooking has stopped.

 

[Mache]

Wrap the re-foiled brisket in old towels before you place it in the pre-warmed cooler. You can pre-warm a cooler by rinsing it in boiling water.

Also don't cook brisket to a preset temperature like 205. Start checking for probe tender around 185 and pull it off the smoker right when it becomes probe tender. There is a narrow window to a great smoked brisket and you can definitely overcook it.

-- Mache

 

[Cody]

Just as the other two gentlemen said pre heating a cooler never hurts and your brisket will stay warm for hours. I think the longest I left one in a cooler was maybe 5 hrs and it was still warm. Cutting the point from the flat isn't hard either because there is a layer of fat that separates the 2. I'm sure you could you tube it and find a video.