Need to bring a cooked brisket 350 miles

[majorflv]

I'm planning on smoking a brisket for our family reunion and serving it for dinner as everyone arrives, cutting it around 6pm. The problem is that the family reunion is being held 350 miles away from where I live (6 hour drive) and I'm not sure what the best way to store it would be to make sure that it's still good when I get there. I plan on leaving my house at 9am, arriving at the reunion at 3pm and cutting the brisket at 6pm for a total of 9 hours of resting time. Would wrapping the brisket in butcher paper & a towel + putting it in a cooler work fine? Should I cook the brisket in advance and let it sit in the fridge and reheat it during the 3 hours of leeway before serving? Interested in what you guys think would work best, the cut is a 17lb choice brisket if that changes anything. Thanks!

 

[noboundaries]

I understand a lot of the pro places rest their smoked briskets up to 12-14 hours. I've done 5 for both briskets and butts. Some folks think that a long rest will overcook the meat, but that 5 hour rest performed magic. Sliced nicely and melt-in-the-mouth tender. 9 hours should not be a problem at all.

I'd go straight from the smoker to the wrap to the cooler. Put the butcher paper wrapped brisket IN a double HD foil wrap for the trip. Definitely include any juices. Wrap in towels/blankets, top, bottom, and sides in the cooler.

Drive safe and DO NOT CHECK ON THE BRISKET WHILE DRIVING. You wouldn't want to wake it up by releasing its snuggle heat.

If you do it in advance, smoke it, rest it for 3-5 hours, refrigerate it, and cool it completely. Keep it cold on the drive, then reheat in the oven. Make dang sure the oven will be available. Nothing worse than having a $100 prize-cut of meat that has to wait on $5 green bean casseroles and potatoes au gratin.

 

[DougE]

I think it will make the 6 hour drive time just fine in a cooler with lots of towels for insulation, but it'd be best if you can find an oven to put it in once you arrive, that's what I'd do. I'd feel fine with a 6 hour rest time, but 9 is pushing it, IMO.

 

[TNJAKE]

Agree with both above. I've gone 7hr in a cooler foiled and packed with towels and it was still hot as hell

 

[gmc2003]

The next variable in the equation is: What if the brisket isn't done by nine?

Personally I'd fully cook it a day in advance and reheat at the party. Cooking a brisket all night then driving 6hrs and enjoying yourself at the reunion. There's a whole lot of things that can go wrong in that plan. I'm not sure what type of smoker you have, but even if it's electric or a pellet smoker your still not going to sleep like a baby while it's cooking. At least I wouldn't be. If it's a charcoal or stick burner then it's even worse.

Chris

 

[TNJAKE]

I'm planning on smoking a brisket for our family reunion and serving it for dinner as everyone arrives, cutting it around 6pm. The problem is that the family reunion is being held 350 miles away from where I live (6 hour drive) and I'm not sure what the best way to store it would be to make sure that it's still good when I get there. I plan on leaving my house at 9am, arriving at the reunion at 3pm and cutting the brisket at 6pm for a total of 9 hours of resting time. Would wrapping the brisket in butcher paper & a towel + putting it in a cooler work fine? Should I cook the brisket in advance and let it sit in the fridge and reheat it during the 3 hours of leeway before serving? Interested in what you guys think would work best, the cut is a 17lb choice brisket if that changes anything. Thanks!

This isn't your first brisket is it? Not being a jerk just asking

 

[majorflv]

The next variable in the equation is: What if the brisket isn't done by nine?

Personally I'd fully cook it a day in advance and reheat at the party. Cooking a brisket all night then driving 6hrs and enjoying yourself at the reunion. There's a whole lot of things that can go wrong in that plan. I'm not sure what type of smoker you have, but even if it's electric or a pellet smoker your still not going to sleep like a baby while it's cooking. At least I wouldn't be. If it's a charcoal or stick burner then it's even worse.

Chris

I'm cooking on a WSM, so yeah it would not be any type of plannable cook, unfortunately. Luckily the reunion is in about 2 weeks that's why I'm trying to plan this all out now. What would your advice be then? Are there any well-tested methods for cooking a brisket in advance and reheating it without it drying out? noboundaries wrote a few sentences about it earlier in this thread but I am curious how that would come out and if anyone has tried it.

This isn't your first brisket is it? Not being a jerk just asking

Haha no, it's not, I probably should have said it in the post but I've smoked a few briskets before. The most recent one was a few weeks ago, I did an 8-hour rest so I'm familiar with resting briskets for "long" periods of time but I used an oven @ 170°F instead of a cooler like I currently plan on using for this cook. Also, even if I didn't use an oven for that previous cook I still had the option of using one if all else failed, that's why I'm a bit sketched out about driving 6 hours with a resting brisket and having no way to heat it in case it drops to an unsafe temp before I arrive.

 

[gmc2003]

There's no true consensus on the proper way to reheat brisket. However I think keeping it whole and slicing it up when your ready to reheat it works best. Slice the brisket and reheat the slices in an oven set to around 200* or slightly lower if possible. Reheat the slices in a covered pan with some of the juices until about 170*(serving temp). You can reheat it whole if you want, but it will probably take much longer.

Chris

 

[indaswamp]

I agree with all the advice you have been given. One suggestion if you will hold and rest for that long is to pick up a cheap child sleeping bag. I got one at goodwill for $2 dollars, but can find them at wally world for $15 or less... use that for your insulation-not towels for a hold longer than 5 hours. Also-I highly suggest pre warming the ice chest... use a 9" x 13" pirex dish...preheat in oven to 250*F to heat the pirex dish. 20 minutes before you pull the brisket off the smoker, put the hot pirex dish in your insulated ice chest. Pull it when you put the brisket in. This will add 2-3 hours to your hold time keeping the heat above 160*F....

 

[gmc2003]

A naturally aspirated WSM equals very little sleep on an overnighter. I nuke brisket leftovers at work and it still comes out good. Not as good as freshly sliced or oven reheating but still great.

Chris

 

[bigfurmn]

Drive faster???

 

[Hijack73]

I've used a hairdryer to heat up a chest also. Just drop it in the bottom and turn it on for a few minutes with the lid closed. It should shut off when it overheats (ask me how I know) but don't walk away from it.

Er'body else gotcha covered.

 

[noboundaries]

Are there any well-tested methods for cooking a brisket in advance and reheating it without it drying out?

A dry brisket is an underdone brisket because the collagen hasn't melted. An overcooked brisket will crumble when sliced, but still be tender. People think dry is overcooked. If it didn't crumble, they are wrong.

I use a 22" WSM, naturally aspirated, and do overnight briskets and butts. That said, whether I'm smoking or not, I wake up every 3-4 hours, so it's easy to check if a minor adjustment is necessary or not.

I smoke full packers for just me and my wife, vacuum-freezing leftovers into meal portions. Thaw in cold water, nuke, serve. Tastes like it just came out of the smoker.

I've got to run right now, but I'll share what I'd do from light to finish if the OP is interested.

 

[majorflv]

A dry brisket is an underdone brisket because the collagen hasn't melted. An overcooked brisket will crumble when sliced, but still be tender. People think dry is overcooked. If it didn't crumble, they are wrong.

I use a 22" WSM, naturally aspirated, and do overnight briskets and butts. That said, whether I'm smoking or not, I wake up every 3-4 hours, so it's easy to check if a minor adjustment is necessary or not.

I smoke full packers for just me and my wife, vacuum-freezing leftovers into meal portions. Thaw in cold water, nuke, serve. Tastes like it just came out of the smoker.

I've got to run right now, but I'll share what I'd do from light to finish if the OP is interested.

I use the 18" WSM, would appreciate it if you shared an average brisket cook from light to finish whenever you've got some time! Very interested now in possibly cooking it a day in advance, putting it in the fridge, and bringing it in a cold cooler to reheat at the reunion.

 

[3montes]

This is where Cambro’s are a life saver. I purchased two on Craigslist list for cheap. I just held two briskets for about 14 hours two weekends ago. They still probed at 120 but they tightened back up. Threw them in the oven at about 200 for a couple hours while they were still covered until they loosened back up and probed at 190 or so.

Back in the Cambro they go for a short drive to the party. Sliced and in the steam table for serving. They survived just fine. Brisket is a tough piece of meat to start with and there is a lot more forgiveness to them than one thinks. They stand up to a lot of holding and reheating. We have been programmed to be anal with them. Again another one of those over thinking things scenario.

I would keep them whole and rewarm and slice just before serving that’s what I did. As soon as you expose those slices they start to dry. Rewarm with some beef stock or dark beer.

 

[anglerman]

Do it a day or two before during the day, rest slice a cool in a steam pan. Refrigerator until the trip and buried in ice during the trip… reheat when you get there.

 

[noboundaries]

I use the 18" WSM, would appreciate it if you shared an average brisket cook from light to finish whenever you've got some time! Very interested now in possibly cooking it a day in advance, putting it in the fridge, and bringing it in a cold cooler to reheat at the reunion.

I only smoke packers and points. Not a flats-only fan, so keep that in mind.

Do you use briquettes or lump? It's an important question that will determine how to proceed. I generally use briquettes for longer smokes, but have a lot of experience with lump, too.

 

[majorflv]

I only smoke packers and points. Not a flats-only fan, so keep that in mind.

Do you use briquettes or lump? It's an important question that will determine how to proceed. I generally use briquettes for longer smokes, but have a lot of experience with lump, too.

Funnily enough, I actually have one bag of briquettes and a bag of lump as well, so I can use either one for the cook.

 

[noboundaries]

Funnily enough, I actually have one bag of briquettes and a bag of lump as well, so I can use either one for the cook.

Perfect! You'll use both.

Start:
Time TBD by you.

Clean out the ash. Save the used but still intact charcoal from a previous smoke for a shorter, different smoke.

Put down a single layer of briquettes. It will keep the smaller lumps from falling through the grates.

Add four fist-sized chunks of your wood of choice. Spread them evenly across the briquette bed.

Overfill the charcoal basket with lump, burying the chunks.

Make a dimple in the center of the pile, one large enough to hold 8 briquettes.

Light 8 briquettes in a chimney and let them ash over about halfway, then add them to the dimple.

Assemble the WSM. No water. Top vent full open, bottom vents open no more than 1/8th inch. You are starting a slow fire to preheat the wood chunks and maintain steadier temps.

Walk away for 1.5 to 2 hours. Temp will rise slowly over that time. The wood will preheat and start to carbonize without flaming.

Do you need a brick? If your packer is long, two options. One, trim off some of the flat so it will fit. Two, place a brick in the middle of the grate to heat with the smoker. You'll drape the packer over the brick so it will fit when it's time to start the smoke.

Trim:
While the smoker is preheating, trim the brisket. Common guidance is trim fat to 1/4 inch. I like more fat and only trim the discolored fat and hard stuff, leaving the rest even it it is thicker. You'll trim off about a lb that way. Trimming to 1/4 inch or less can remove up to 3 lbs. Waste of money.

Rub:
Your choice. Avoid sugar. Salt and pepper is fine. 2 parts salt, 2 parts pepper, 1 part granulated garlic (not powder), and 1 part granulated onion is another choice. Montreal Steak Seasoning is easy. Paprika is optional, but it is not a favorite of mine on brisket. I don't inject anything but turkey.

Load meat.
When the smoker temp is rising slowly and is between 200°F and 225°F, and the smoke is thin, add the meat fat side down toward the fire or you'll have a stringy, overcooked bark on the bottom. Do not stick a meat probe in the meat. Save that for later.

The chamber temp will drop A LOT when you load the meat, but don't touch your vents. The colder meat is a heat sponge and is absorbing heat energy as the laws of physics state. The fire is still burning exactly as it was before you loaded the meat and climbing slowly toward a steady state. As the meat warms, the chamber temp will climb. There's a physics reason why that happens, but think of a warmer brisket like a sponge nearing saturation: it absorbs less available heat energy per unit of time.

Progress.
Between 3-5 hours after loading the meat, it will have warmed and the chamber temp will have recovered. Decide if you need to open or close the bottom vents no more than 1/16th inch at a time. Your WSM should settle in between 225-275°F and you will not have chased temps. That's the major benefit of a slow fire and why I sleep on overnight smokes.

You can insert a meat probe in the center of the flat at this time if you want. Ignore the thicker, fattier point. It will fool you into acting too soon when you think the brisket is done. Plus, you might have the probe tip in a fat seam, which will fool you even more.

Remove the brick (if used) once the meat shrinks.

Finish:
At any point in-or-near the end of the 3-7 hour stall (depends on chamber temp) you can decide to paper or foil wrap the meat. Add a cup of HOT (not cold) beef broth if foil wrapped. Once wrapped in either paper or foil, open all the bottom vents all the way. Stick the meat probe back in the center of the flat right through the foil. It will finish in 1-5 hours, once again, depending on chamber temp.

Once the meat reaches 200°F, probe the flat for tenderness. I like a little resistance that will melt away during a rest. What do I mean by a little resistant? The probe doesn't stop or require pressure to advance. That usually happens between 200°-205°F, but I've had briskets reach 207°F and still give a little more resistance than I like.

I stick the wrapped brisket in a pan then into a 140-170°F oven (my oven is 170°F). I leave it there for 3-5 hours before turning off the oven. Then it's onto the counter until cool enough to stick in the fridge and chill completely.

Have fun. Trust the heat, the brisket, and the sense in your fingers, and your WSM won't let you down.

 

[BBQ Bird]

Perfect! You'll use both.

Start:
Time TBD by you.

Clean out the ash. Save the used but still intact charcoal from a previous smoke for a shorter, different smoke.

Put down a single layer of briquettes. It will keep the smaller lumps from falling through the grates.

Add four fist-sized chunks of your wood of choice. Spread them evenly across the briquette bed.

Overfill the charcoal basket with lump, burying the chunks.

Make a dimple in the center of the pile, one large enough to hold 8 briquettes.

Light 8 briquettes in a chimney and let them ash over about halfway, then add them to the dimple.

Assemble the WSM. No water. Top vent full open, bottom vents open no more than 1/8th inch. You are starting a slow fire to preheat the wood chunks and maintain steadier temps.

Walk away for 1.5 to 2 hours. Temp will rise slowly over that time. The wood will preheat and start to carbonize without flaming.

Do you need a brick? If your packer is long, two options. One, trim off some of the flat so it will fit. Two, place a brick in the middle of the grate to heat with the smoker. You'll drape the packer over the brick so it will fit when it's time to start the smoke.

Trim:
While the smoker is preheating, trim the brisket. Common guidance is trim fat to 1/4 inch. I like more fat and only trim the discolored fat and hard stuff, leaving the rest even it it is thicker. You'll trim off about a lb that way. Trimming to 1/4 inch or less can remove up to 3 lbs. Waste of money.

Rub:
Your choice. Avoid sugar. Salt and pepper is fine. 2 parts salt, 2 parts pepper, 1 part granulated garlic (not powder), and 1 part granulated onion is another choice. Montreal Steak Seasoning is easy. Paprika is optional, but it is not a favorite of mine on brisket. I don't inject anything but turkey.

Load meat.
When the smoker temp is rising slowly and is between 200°F and 225°F, and the smoke is thin, add the meat fat side down toward the fire or you'll have a stringy, overcooked bark on the bottom. Do not stick a meat probe in the meat. Save that for later.

The chamber temp will drop A LOT when you load the meat, but don't touch your vents. The colder meat is a heat sponge and is absorbing heat energy as the laws of physics state. The fire is still burning exactly as it was before you loaded the meat and climbing slowly toward a steady state. As the meat warms, the chamber temp will climb. There's a physics reason why that happens, but think of a warmer brisket like a sponge nearing saturation: it absorbs less available heat energy per unit of time.

Progress.
Between 3-5 hours the meat will have warmed and the chamber temp will have recovered. Decide if you need to open or close the bottom vents no more than 1/16th inch at a time. Your WSM should settle in between 225-275°F and you will not have chased temps. That's the major benefit of a slow fire and why I sleep on overnight smokes.

You can insert a meat probe in the center of the flat at this time if you want. Ignore the thicker, fattier point. It will fool you into acting too soon when you think the brisket is done. Plus, you might have the probe tip in a fat seam, which will fool you even more.

Remove the brick (if used) once the meat shrinks.

Finish:
At any point in-or-near the end of the 3-7 hour stall (depends on chamber temp) you can decide to paper or foil wrap the meat. Add a cup of HOT (not cold) beef broth if foil wrapped. Once wrapped in either paper or foil, open all the bottom vents all the way. Stick the meat probe back in the center of the flat right through the foil. It will finish in 1-5 hours, once again, depending on chamber temp.

Once the meat reaches 200°F, probe the flat for tenderness. I like a little resistance that will melt away during a rest. What do I mean by a little resistant? The probe doesn't stop or require pressure to advance. That usually happens between 200°-205°F, but I've had briskets reach 207°F and still give a little more resistance than I like.

I stick the wrapped brisket in a pan then into a 140-170°F oven (my oven is 170°F). I leave it there for 3-5 hours before turning off the oven. Then it's onto the counter until cool enough to stick in the fridge and chill completely.

Have fun. Trust the heat, the brisket, and the sense in your fingers, and your WSM won't let you down.

Great write up. Sounds like you've got it dialed in.