How long is it safe to hold a cooked brisket pulled at 200 in my cooler before serving it?

winojeff

My 8.5 pound brisket flat is cooking so fast...I've turned down the smoker's temp, but it's gonna be ready at 200 degrees far too early. How long is it safe to hold it in a cooler and wrapped in towels, before serving it for dinner? 

TEXASBGE2018

winojeff said:

My 8.5 pound brisket flat is cooking so fast...I've turned down the smoker's temp, but it's gonna be ready at 200 degrees far too early. How long is it safe to hold it in a cooler and wrapped in towels, before serving it for dinner? 

What kinda cooler? If a yeti then probably 8hours+. If an igloo probably 4hours with warm towels

winojeff

Thanks. Phew!!

TEXASBGE2018

I like to rest mine for at least 2-3hrs in a cooler when possible. It actually makes it that much better.

winojeff

Thanks. I'd not exceed 3 the way it's going. Perfecto! Time for a couple extra brews before the company arrives!

lousubcap

@winojeff - briskets are finished when the thickest part of the flat probes like buttah, independent of temperature.  Whenever you declare victory give it a good 15 minutes (more if a larger cut) rest on a cooling rack (stop carry-over cooking) before FTC. 

And regarding how long with FTC-it depends as noted above but even with an el cheapo cooler pre-warmed with hot water I've gone 6 hrs.  Give the search function a look when not in extremis and you will find lots to read over.  FWIW-

caliking

As stated above, it will be fine for a good few hours in a cooler .

Prewarm the cooler, run some towels in the dryer to warm them to wrap it in, and fill any empty space with more warm towels or even newspaper. 

GATraveller

Like @lousubcap I've held for 6 hours.

TexasisBestest

Hypothetically as long as the brisket does not drop below 140 degrees it's considered "safe". Also depends if you're wrapping with foil or peach paper, towels or not, etc. You kinda can't go wrong honestly.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

TexasisBestest said:

Hypothetically as long as the brisket does not drop below 140 degrees it's considered "safe". Also depends if you're wrapping with foil or peach paper, towels or not, etc. You kinda can't go wrong honestly.

Actually it would have to be below 140 for more than 4 hours to be considered "unsafe" in the food service world. It's still fine well beyond that but if you want to play it by the book, the book says 4 hours in the danger zone

Ozzie_Isaac

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

TexasisBestest said:

Hypothetically as long as the brisket does not drop below 140 degrees it's considered "safe". Also depends if you're wrapping with foil or peach paper, towels or not, etc. You kinda can't go wrong honestly.

Actually it would have to be below 140 for more than 4 hours to be considered "unsafe" in the food service world. It's still fine well beyond that but if you want to play it by the book, the book says 4 hours in the danger zone

Does the time spent during cooking between 40 and 140 count? I thought I read the 4hrs is cumulative, but don't know if the cooking side of the equation counts.

Dwdude102

I would think not since that bacteria would not survive above 140. As some of our cooks here near 4 hours to get to 140, you would have no serving time! :(!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Ozzie_Isaac said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

TexasisBestest said:

Hypothetically as long as the brisket does not drop below 140 degrees it's considered "safe". Also depends if you're wrapping with foil or peach paper, towels or not, etc. You kinda can't go wrong honestly.

Actually it would have to be below 140 for more than 4 hours to be considered "unsafe" in the food service world. It's still fine well beyond that but if you want to play it by the book, the book says 4 hours in the danger zone

Does the time spent during cooking between 40 and 140 count? I thought I read the 4hrs is cumulative, but don't know if the cooking side of the equation counts.

No

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Dwdude102 said:

I would think not since that bacteria would not survive above 140. As some of our cooks here near 4 hours to get to 140, you would have no serving time! :(!

They actually won’t live above 130 but food service regs have always used 140 to be extra safe. Many municipalities have changed it to 130 and above now but the word has not trickled down to most civilians yet. 

winojeff

You guys are amazing, and I thank you. Too bad, 5 years ago, I hadn't consulted you re my honeymoon!

jtcBoynton

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Dwdude102 said:

I would think not since that bacteria would not survive above 140. As some of our cooks here near 4 hours to get to 140, you would have no serving time! :(!

They actually won’t live above 130 but food service regs have always used 140 to be extra safe. Many municipalities have changed it to 130 and above now but the word has not trickled down to most civilians yet. 

Which is why 130º is a popular temp for sous vide cooking.  The 140º does provide a safety margin when holding food for serving.  It is hard to be precise in a normal oven or a serving station.  Temps will vary a bit.