Talked to an old timer at a comp in Kansas City and now I'm rethinking everything

I was at a small backyard comp in Kansas City last weekend and got paired up with this guy who's been doing competition BBQ for like 40 years. He said his secret was to pull his brisket off the smoker earlier than everyone else and rest it for way longer, like 4 to 5 hours in a cooler. I always thought hot and fast was the way but after trying his pulled pork that was stupid juicy I'm questioning my whole process. Has anyone else tried resting their meat for way longer than usual at a comp and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia31719d ago

Haven't tried it myself but wouldn't a longer rest let all that fat and collagen really settle into the meat instead of leaking out while it's still steaming?

miamitchell9d ago

I mean is it really that deep for a backyard comp though?

jones.anna19d ago

Patricia317 gets it right with that fat and collagen settling in. @patricia317, you're onto something there. I tried a 3 hour rest on a pork butt last month and it was way more consistent than rushing it to the table. The bark stayed crunchy too, which some folks worry about with long rests. That old KC guy probably figured out that the extra time lets the juices reabsorb into the meat fibers instead of just pooling on the cutting board.