OH my gosh. How long can I hold this Brisket?


 

Rob O

TVWBB Pro
Oh my gosh! Had a packer I expected to take at least 15 hours finish in 8. Measured in the flat it's up to 190* Using a guru pit temp never got above 250*


How long do you think I can hold this thing?

Right now it's in the pit (215*) running on ramp mode and I'm basting every hour.

GULP was planning to pull it at 6AM eastern and hold it till lunch at Noon Wednesday......
 
Hey Rob, I would recommend go ahead and slice it and reheat. I am not sure how to reheat brisket being I haven't cooked one yet, but when I reheat my PP I just spay down with apple juice in a bowl and go low heat in my microwave....works GREAT.


Big Al
 
That microwave technique works on sliced brisket, too-- arrange in a dish, cover with wax paper, 30% power, a minute at a time, a couple tablespoons of whatever, per serving, for added moisture.
 
Well I threw in the towel so to speak.

Heated a belgian block (big granite brick) at about 550 for 45 minutes in my gasser. Put it in my cooler with a wet towel along with the foil wrapped brisket.

It's holding it's temperature at 187 at the moment.

I'll check it again at 3AM when I go to turn my ribs. Then I'll either warm it in the pit or leave it alone.
 
Trying to hold it by continuing to supply a heat source other than the meat's own residual heat is the same as continuing to cook-- you risk ending up with pot roast.
 
Thanks Doug, For whatever reason it turned out OK. Possibly since the temp in the cooler never got above 210.

Around 3AM the temp of the brisket was down to 150 so I put it back in the pit. (still wrapped in four layers of foil. At 6AM it was 187. Pulled it at 6:30 layed it across a new heated belgian block covered in a wet towel put the brisket back on the towel then layed 2 racks of ribs (foil wrapped) on top.

I served at 12:30 the brisket was down to 159. It was a little bit drier than I'm used to. (maybe the brisket was lean and that's why it cooked fast?) but nowhere near pot roast.

Given I had to hold this piece of meat for nearly 16 hours it wasn't bad at all. There was nothing left.
 
Good that it worked out okay. So many factors are at play during an extended hold period.

Fwiw, when Doug said 'pot roast' I doubt he had the word moist in mind. What happens when one continues to apply heat during a roast's resting phase is that it continues to cook. Normally, when meat rests, the juices that were forced into the center of the roast are able to migrate back toward the edges as the proteins reconfigure during resting.

When heat is applied during the rest this process can be altered or arrested, depending on how high the applied heat is and what the temp of the roast is when pulled from the cooker. If the heat is high enough the roast just continues to cook. At a lower temp of applied heat the protein reconfig thing happens but, as heat continues, the proteins lose their ability to maintain this structure and juices leak out of the meat (the same thing that happens in overcooking). For brisket, this can give you a finish much like overcooked pot roast, fibrous but dry. When (and how much) this will occur is a crap shoot; it depends on several factors but the line is much finer with already lean meats. You can extend the amount of time you can rest the meat with applied heat if the heat is lower than the temp of the roast when pulled (but above the 'danger zone' of 140, of course). This is an alternative if faced with having to hold meat for an extended period; or pull and rest 20-30 min uncovered, cool quickly in the fridge, wrap, and reheat later. (For brisket, turkey breast, and other leaner meats, I find it better to reheat whole.)
 

 

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