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How long to let brisket sit
If you were wondering how long you should be letting your brisket sit, you have come to the right place. For starters, resting is essential for any brisket that you have just pulled off the smoker. It allows for adequate rendering down of the collagen and also allows the moisture to begin soaking back up into the meat.
You generally will want to rest a Brisket anywhere from 3 to 12 hours. That should give it plenty of time to reach 165° in internal temperature as well as ensure that the moisture content is not very hot.
Let’s quickly examine what resting a brisket actually does.
What does letting brisket sit and rest do?
In a very broad sense, resting Briskets just ensures that the collagen that had previously rendered down has a chance to decrease back to a servable internal temperature.
That means that when you pull the brisket off the smoker, everything is piping hot at about 200°F.
By letting it sit somewhere and rest for an adequate amount of time, you let the temperature reach a stable point to where the brisket can actually be sliced without evaporating any of the moisture within it.
Want to know why you should be letting your brisket sit around for a period of time? Keep reading!
Why should you let a brisket sit around?
Since letting Brisket sit around allows for the moisture and collagen within the meat to come down to a servable internal temperature, you can then ensure that any slice you make upon your piece of brisket will not dry it out or produce an overcooked or undercooked piece of barbecue.
In fact, when the moisture has come all the way down in temperature to around 165°F or below, you can also ensure that the consistency will be very juicy and tender. That is exactly what you want in any type of meat, especially brisket!
Who should be letting a brisket sit out?
If you are concerned about how long you should be letting your brisket sit out, then you should know the types of PitMasters that should be letting it sit out for a period of time.
In all honesty, every PitMaster should consider letting their brisket sit out over a very extended period of time, just to allow the redistribution of moisture throughout the brisket.
That is why if you are the type of PitMaster to lose a lot of patience throughout the overall smoking process, then you should quickly learn to realize that you need to work on producing amazing Brisket results.
The only way to produce amazing Brisket, is to have a significant level of patience alongside calculated planning that can ensure every slice you have is juicy and moist.
Slicing Briskets they have not rested or have sat out long enough, will not have these properties.
How long to let brisket sit after seasoning
If you happen to be wondering how long you should be letting your brisket sit out after you have completely seasoned it, then you should know that it should not really sit out much longer than about 30 minutes.
Having your piece of BBQ rest on the counter for a period of time after you have applied seasoning to it, does not really accomplish too much, and in fact can only serve to really slow down your overall smoking process.
There isn’t any further added flavor being imparted onto the meat by letting it sit on a countertop for about 30 minutes or so. That’s why it’s always important to just pull the brisket out of the refrigerator, season it, and then place it directly onto the smoker to begin cooking it.
How long to hold brisket after smoking
Let’s say you have just taken a Brisket off the Smoker, and are wondering how long it should exactly be holding it for. This is basically another term for resting brisket.
Depending on the type of warming or storage device that you have, you should consider resting your brisket for anywhere from 3 to 12 hours in total. It can be a lot easier to adequately rest of brisket inside of a Warming oven but can also be accomplished using an ice cooler.
With warming ovens, you have the ability to manually control the ambient temperature that you are holding or resting your brisket at. It can be very easy to just set the temperature to around 165°F and let it come to that regarding the internal temperature.
This can take anywhere from 3 to 12 hours, much like it can for brisket being held in an ice cooler. Whichever one is of your preference, go ahead and use your preferred storage method.
It can be noted however, that depending on the specific temperature range you set for your warming oven, the brisket can be finished resting quicker or even slower than it would in a traditional ice cooler.
How long to let brisket sit before smoking
Before actually smoking your brisket, you should always try to expedite things. That means promptly pulling it out of the fridge, seasoning it, and then directly placing it onto the smoker. This whole process should not take longer than 1 hour.
If it does take longer than 1 hour, it may be useful to understand why it took so long, and try to shorten that timeframe during your next go around.
How long to let brisket rest before putting in fridge
When considering how long brisket should be sitting out or resting before putting it in the fridge, you may be basically asking how long to let it rest before attempting to do anything further with it.
The process is always the same, and you should be letting the brisket sit in a cooler or warming oven for a minimum of 3 hours before you either slice or place it directly into the Fridge for further resting.
Final Thoughts
Letting brisket sit or rest for about 3 to 12 hours is more than enough time to let the internal temperature of the meat come down to around 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a recommended temperature for slicing any particular brisket you may have.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.