I'm bored and heading to the store to pick up my first brisket

Always FTC

BigGreenVOL said:

The brisket is at 180-185 depending on where you stick it. What's the play here if I plan on eating in 4 hours or so? How long does it need to rest?

I would rather eat a good meal late than a bad one in time. Tell friends to grab a drink and it will be ready when it is ready. Let it ride to 195 then start probing. You want no resistance. Most importantly, cut against the grain. You can always bump up the temp to punch her home

@The Cen-Tex Smoker 

probably your probe got wet.  The unit's guts are pretty water resistant.

Lmidkiff said:

Always FTC

I disagree with this statement.  I believe FTC can push a brisket to much.  Its not like a pork shoulder.

If it is jiggly I would either serve or let it cool a bit then FTC if you need it to keep for a while.

Don't know where you are in the cook but you can easily FTC for four+ hours in a pre-warmed el cheapo cooler  then foil wrap and fill the void with warmed towels.  As mentioned, if the brisket is "loose" and probing like buttah then let it rest for around 15-20 mins before the FTC.  When ready to eat then slice against the grain and enjoy.  FWIW-

I will let @cazzy or @nolaegghead answer about briskets.  I have limited experience (2).

 I did one brisket that was perfectly jiggly and I FTC right away no cooling.  When I removed from the cooler it was no longer jiggly I sliced it, it was a bit dry and not as tender as I hoped.

A second brisket I left in on the counter no FTC for 30 minutes and sliced it.  It was still jiggly, tender and juicy.  Be careful the sliced pieces will dry out quick.  A brisket is a finicky mistress.

Now pork shoulders and butts I have a ton of experience.  I've gone bare the whole cook and served, I've FTC'd for 1 - 6 hours.  I've done turbos and low and slow.  I have never had FTC push a shoulder to be dry or crumbly.

My current method, through lots of trial and error, is to aim for 275-325.  The first temp my egg stabilizes at in that range I run with it.  I foil once the bark gets to the color I want.  I aim for a little crustier than you would think because it will soften in the foil.

Once it probes like butter or the bone wiggles out with little effort (I've had this happen at temps as low as 195 and as high as 205) I put it right in a cooler with towels.  The longer the better.  It seems to infuse the pork with more flavor the longer it rests.  The texture has never been much different, but the flavor is a lot better.

I proved that to myself once by preparing 2 butts identically (both from same Costco pack) and cooked on the egg.  I foiled when the bark was where I wanted.  One I pulled after 1hr of FTC the other I pulled after 5hrs.  The 5hr shoulder was better.

Also, when I foil I do not wrap it.  I put it in an aluminum pan (small one from Costco) and wrap the top.  I don't double or triple wrap, don't aim for super tight, just leave it in the foil pan and single layer of foil.  When I pull I pull it right in the same pan and mix the juices in.

The key with shoulders is not texture or pull (pretty hard to screw up), it is to get the meat all evenly and thoroughly flavored.

Sorry for the long response, what I was trying to say in a round-about way is my views on FTC are based on experience, I cannot explain the science behind it.

Yup pan wrapped in foil goes in the cooler.