Overheard a pitmaster talking about resting brisket in a cooler

I was at a comp in Kansas City last weekend and I overheard this old timer telling a rookie that he rests his brisket in a cooler for at least 3 hours before slicing. I always thought 45 minutes was plenty, but I tried it yesterday on a 14 pound prime packer. Wrapped it in butcher paper, tossed it in a preheated cooler with towels for 2 and a half hours. The bark was still crisp, but the fat rendered so much more evenly through the whole flat. I pulled it out and it was still too hot to handle barehanded. Has anyone else experimented with longer rest times in a cooler or am I late to the party on this one?

2 comments

2 Comments

kair6522d ago

My buddy Steve tried this same thing last weekend with a 12 pounder and he messed up by not preheating the cooler enough. The meat temp dropped 20 degrees in the first hour and he had to rush it to the smoker to finish rendering. Ever since then he swears by pouring boiling water in the cooler for ten minutes before adding the towels.

wade78022d ago

Danny ruined a brisket batch that way back in '21.