The 4am brisket wrap at that Kansas City contest changed my whole timing

Last October I watched a guy at the American Royal pull his brisket at 4am, wrap it in butcher paper, and let it rest in a cooler for 7 hours before slicing. It came out so tender that I ditched my usual 2 hour rest the next weekend and it won me a second place at a local cookoff in Wichita. Has anyone else tried resting way longer than they normally do?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_fiona11d ago

Ha, you really think 7 hours in a cooler is the secret? That's just a brisket taking a long nap, not some magic trick. Look, I've seen more than one good piece of meat turn into lukewarm mush because someone got cute with the rest time. You won second place in Wichita, congrats, but that's a small pond with a light breeze. The real risk is you're trading that nice bark and hot, fresh slice for a texture that reminds me of pot roast. I'll stick to my 90 minutes, pull it, slice it, and serve it while it still has some fight left. That American Royal guy probably had a whole setup and scheduling game you're not accounting for, so don't go changing your whole routine off one lucky cooler.

the_evan11d ago

Haven't you ever had a long rest just wreck a perfectly good bark?