the_drew•13d agoMost Upvoted

Talking to an old pitmaster changed how I think about brisket rest times

I was at a comp in Kansas City last weekend and got to chatting with a guy who's been cooking since the 80s. He told me he rests his briskets for at least 6 hours in a dry cooler, no towels or anything fancy. I always thought 2-3 hours was plenty, but he showed me his temp chart from 40+ cooks. The carryover cooking kept the internal temp stable for way longer than I expected. Has anyone else tried resting that long or is this guy just old school?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.jamie13d ago

Wait you met a guy who actually has data to back it up? That's the kind of thing I wish more people would share instead of just guessing. I started doing 5-6 hour rests a couple years ago after I kept ending up with dry edges on my brisket no matter how careful I was with the cook. The first time I tried it I was half expecting a cold hunk of meat but it came out the best brisket I'd ever made. The fat rendered way better and the whole thing stayed hot all the way through service. Now I won't even slice a brisket until it's been resting at least 5 hours. I think that old timer knows exactly what he's talking about.

shane_park9212d ago

100% agree with @the_brian on the cooler thing... I wrap mine in a towel and toss it in a yeti for like 6 hours and it's still too hot to touch when I finally slice into it. That long rest changed everything for me too.

the_brian13d ago

Yeah but are you resting in a cooler or just on the counter? Makes a world of difference.