Brisket is a tough cut of beef that requires long, slow cooking to become tender and delicious. When cooked properly, brisket becomes fall-apart tender and full of flavor. One popular method for cooking brisket is to smoke it slowly for many hours. However, this requires maintaining a constant low temperature in a smoker for up to 18 hours. For home cooks without a smoker, an easier method is to braise the brisket in the oven. Braising involves cooking the brisket in liquid for several hours, often with some foil wrapping to help retain moisture.
When braising brisket in the oven, a key factor is determining how long to let it rest after cooking. There are a few considerations when deciding how long to let a foil wrapped brisket rest before serving.
Why Resting is Important
Resting the brisket after cooking serves a few purposes:
- It allows time for the juices to redistribute. When sliced immediately after cooking, a lot of the juices can run out of the brisket, making it dry. Resting gives the juices time to reabsorb back into the meat.
- It allows the meat to relax. The brisket fibers will be tight and tense right after cooking. Resting gives them time to relax and become more tender.
- It evens out the cooking. The internal temperature will equalize during the resting time, so no parts are over or undercooked.
- The broth redistributes. Resting lets the braising liquid permeate the meat evenly.
For these reasons, a good resting period is essential to ensure the brisket turns out juicy, tender, and flavorful.
How Long to Rest Brisket
So how long should you let a foil wrapped brisket rest after cooking? The general recommendation is:
- 1-2 hours for a 3-5 lb brisket
- Up to 3 hours for a 10-15 lb brisket
The larger the brisket, the longer the resting time needed. A huge full packer brisket requires more time for the juices and temperature to equalize. Smaller briskets can be sliced after just an hour or so. Here are some more specific resting time guidelines:
| Brisket Size | Minimum Rest Time |
|---|---|
| 3 lbs | 1 hour |
| 5 lbs | 1.5 hours |
| 10 lbs | 2 hours |
| 15 lbs | 3 hours |
Step by Step Process
Follow these steps for properly resting your foil wrapped brisket:
- When the brisket is done cooking, remove it from the oven, re-cover tightly with foil, and allow it to rest undisturbed.
- For a 3-5 lb brisket, let it rest 1-2 hours. For a 10-15 lb brisket, let it rest 2-3 hours.
- Place the wrapped brisket in an empty cooler, on the counter, or back in the turned off oven to keep it warm during the resting period.
- Do not unwrap or slice into the brisket during resting.
- After the minimum resting time, unwrap the brisket and slice or shred against the grain of the meat.
- Serve immediately, or return sliced or shredded meat to sauce and keep warm until serving.
Resting Tips
Here are some extra tips for getting the most out of brisket resting time:
- The foil wrap should seal the brisket tightly during resting. If needed, double wrap or tighten the foil to prevent steam from escaping.
- For extra moisture, you can wrap the brisket in a second layer of parchment paper inside the foil.
- Let the brisket rest undisturbed in a warm, draft-free area. Placing in a cooler helps maintain temperature.
- Save the drippings! The braising liquid makes an excellent sauce base after defatting.
- Resting for longer than the minimum time is fine. Over-resting won’t hurt.
- Once sliced, the brisket stops absorbing juices. Serve any au jus or sauce with the meat.
Common Mistakes
To get the most out of brisket resting time, avoid these common errors:
- Skipping or shortening the resting period. This leads to dry, tough meat.
- Letting the temperature drop too much. The brisket should stay warm while resting.
- Leaving the foil wrap loose. This causes moisture loss.
- Poking or prodding the brisket. Don’t puncture it until after resting.
- Slicing too soon. Cutting into meat right after cooking loses juices.
- Slicing across the grain. Always cut perpendicular to the grain for tenderness.
Resting Different Cuts
While this technique is focused on brisket, the same general rules apply when resting other large, tough cuts of meat like pork shoulder and beef chuck roasts. The tenderizing effect of collagen breakdown during slow cooking requires ample resting time for best results. Cuts like ribs, steaks, chicken, fish, etc. do not need as much resting time since they cook more quickly at higher heat. Still, allowing 10-30 minutes rest is ideal for any proteins to absorb juices.
Conclusion
Allowing brisket ample resting time is absolutely crucial after braising it in the oven. A good rule of thumb is 1-2 hours minimum rest for a 3-5 pound brisket, and up to 3 hours for a huge 15 pound brisket. Let the tightly foil wrapped brisket rest undisturbed in a warm environment during this time. Resist the urge to unwrap early – patience during resting leads to juicy, tender meat. Now that you know how long to rest brisket after braising and the technique involved, you can look forward to enjoying perfectly cooked brisket any time.