How long can you keep a brisket hot

[DPeterson]

i am smoking my first brisket. The recipe said to cook it around 18-20 hours. I put it in at 7:00 pm last night. It is up to 150 degrees at 8:00 AM so it is going to done way before our meal at 6 tonight. I plan on resting it in a cooler but then what? Do I turn the smoker down to 140 and put it in there. Or put it in the fridge and then re heat it?

 

[dave schiller]

Wrap the brisket in foil, put it on a tray or plate to catch any juice leaks. Then put it in a cooler wrapped with old terry cloth towels for additional insulation. Should stay hot/warm for several hours.

 

[gmc2003]

Sounds like your smoking it at 225* to me. You haven't hit the stall yet so your brisket may not be done as early as you think. If it does finish early then you can double wrap in foil, place it in a cooler and cover it with towels. It should remain hot for a few hours.

Good luck and enjoy your meal.

Chris

 

[texomakid]

Yep I agree with Dave - I typically wrap the brisket in foil, then I take a cooler and put a towel in the bottom, lay the wrapped brisket on the towel and then I put another towel on top of it. This "resting" process will hold the meat for a while. It's recommended to do this for at least a couple of hours if possible to allow all the juices to distribute evenly within the brisket. I've kept them there for 4 or 5 hours wrapped in foil & towels and the meat was fantastic when we served. If your IT is at 150 depending on what temp you're cooking at you've still got several more hours of cooking to get that IT up to 203 degrees. You're around the stall point of 160. It takes a while to break through that barrier. Good luck. I bet it will be good.

 

[schlotz]

Depends on what you do next, ie either wrap at the stall or let it be. Wrapping helps power through the stall. Remember finished IT is only a guideline, each brisket can be different. You're looking tenderness with little to NO resistance (like butter) when probing the thickest part of the flat.

 

[DPeterson]

Well it turned out great at 3:00 it reached its temp and I wrapped it in foil and put it in a big blanket in a cooler until 6:00. Everyone raved about it I don’t eat dead cow so I don’t always feel like I know what I am doing when I cook it. I had time to turn up the temp and smoke some chicken legs I had marinating all day and they turned out fine. Thanks for all the help it gave me confidence.