Heard a local comp cook say something at the meat market that stuck with me

I was grabbing brisket at Piggly Wiggly in Topeka last Saturday and overheard a guy who places at KCBS events tell his buddy that he rests his meat in a cooler for exactly 6 hours no matter what. That got me thinking about how I rush the rest every time and end up with dry flats. How long do you guys usually let a pork shoulder sit before pulling it apart?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_seth20d ago

Man, idk if a six hour rest is some kind of magic bullet or just a dude flexing his routine. I've pulled shoulders after like 45 minutes wrapped in towels and they were still juicy enough. Maybe it's just me but I think people overthink this stuff sometimes - as long as you let it rest at all you're probably fine.

wyatt_green20d ago

My buddy Sean once tried a 4 hour dry brine on a brisket and ended up with shoe leather, but his pork butt with a 45 minute rest came out perfect. I've seen the same thing with chuck roasts where the longer rest dried them out but a quick towel wrap kept them juicy. So yeah, maybe that six hour thing is just someone's personal science experiment that doesn't apply to everyone.