Brisket in Cooler - longest time

JMCXL

Sorry of this, How long can a brisket rest in a cooler. It came off at 10am and we are eating at 6:30pm...

Thanks

GrateEggspectations

I have no real insight to offer, but I’ve definitely gone more than 6 hours before with no trouble. Personally, I’ve felt like the results are more tender with longer rest times. 

Was considering this question myself in relation to pork butts this morning, as I cooked a few that came off the Egg around noon for serving at 6:00pm or so tonight. Purely anecdotal, but when I read up, I saw posts from individuals who claimed to have FTC’d for 10 hours without issue, though that seems longer than what I recall having seen on this forum. 

🤷‍♂️ 

JohnInCarolina

I think @The Cen-Tex Smoker once held a brisket for 8 or 10 hrs, and as far as I know nobody died.  There are likely a few things you can do to help hold the temp.  I seem to recall something a member here once said about replacing the towels with ones fresh from the dryer or something like that.  Good luck!

GrateEggspectations

JohnInCarolina said:

I think @The Cen-Tex Smoker once held a brisket for 8 or 10 hrs, and as far as I know nobody died.  There are likely a few things you can do to help hold the temp.  I seem to recall something a member here once said about replacing the towels with ones fresh from the dryer or something like that.  Good luck!

Note to self - only cook briskets or pork butts on laundry day. 

lkapigian

If you heat the cooler, should be fine........Or put in low oven for a couple hours then cooler to get you over the hump

JMCXL

thanks everyone

fishlessman

if im keeping it in the cooler, i dump a big pot of boiling water in first, let it steep 10 minutes, dump it out and put the brisket in. sometimes theres a bean pot full of beans in there, it will stay hot for a really long time

TEXASBGE2018

Lately If I have to let briskets rest longer than 4hrs I take it off the smoker and throw it in a foil pan in the oven and set my oven to warm which is like 170. I let it sit in there at that temp covered until my 4 hour rest time starts. Then I go to the cooler. That keeps it from cooking at the high temp and lets it gradually lower the internal temp without overcooking. 

Legume

If you take the inside to 200F, what is going to be alive inside the whole muscle of a brisket or pork butt that is going to become a health risk if the temp eases down to below 140 over hours when wrapped? The outside might be more of a risk, but that was heated to the temp of your smoker environment for hours and hours and if wrapped and in a cooler, nothing new will be introduced.

Any microbiologists or food safety experts that can comment?

JohnInCarolina

TEXASBGE2018 said:

Lately If I have to let briskets rest longer than 4hrs I take it off the smoker and throw it in a foil pan in the oven and set my oven to warm which is like 170. I let it sit in there at that temp covered until my 4 hour rest time starts. Then I go to the cooler. That keeps it from cooking at the high temp and lets it gradually lower the internal temp without overcooking. 

This is not a terrible idea.  I assume you have it in a foil pan and you cover it in foil as well?  My only concern otherwise would be drying it out.  

TEXASBGE2018

JohnInCarolina said:

TEXASBGE2018 said:

Lately If I have to let briskets rest longer than 4hrs I take it off the smoker and throw it in a foil pan in the oven and set my oven to warm which is like 170. I let it sit in there at that temp covered until my 4 hour rest time starts. Then I go to the cooler. That keeps it from cooking at the high temp and lets it gradually lower the internal temp without overcooking. 

This is not a terrible idea.  I assume you have it in a foil pan and you cover it in foil as well?  My only concern otherwise would be drying it out.  

Yes, I wrap in Butcher paper when I take it off the egg and then in the pan covered with foil.

bbracey21

@JMCXL so how did it turn out and how long did you keep it in the cooler?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

JohnInCarolina said:

I think @The Cen-Tex Smoker once held a brisket for 8 or 10 hrs, and as far as I know nobody died.  There are likely a few things you can do to help hold the temp.  I seem to recall something a member here once said about replacing the towels with ones fresh from the dryer or something like that.  Good luck!

It was one of the best I have ever done. 

JMCXL

bbracey21 said:

@JMCXL so how did it turn out and how long did you keep it in the cooler?

I ended up putting it in the over at 175 for the final 3 hrs and all was good. We eat at 6:30pm and it came off around 10am