Emergency response needed. Cooking time

[Meat Monster]

13lb brisket is at 205° 3hrs early. Do I lower the temp and try to hold 205°, go ahead and put in the cooler for 3hrs, or any variation of the two.

 

[KraZ440]

Since you haven't gotten a reply yet, I'll put in my 2 cents.

Go ahead and put it in the cooler. A 13 pounder will stay hot for quite a while in a cooler. I'll defer to any expert opinion, though.

 

[CMTiger]

wrap and put it on the cooler now. It’s actually needed

 

[Murphy's Law]

I am by no means a pro so take this with a grain of salt.

First - always cook to temp and not time. 3 hours early or 3 hours late doesn't matter one bit. Your internal temp will determine when the cook is done.

Ok, that said...what are you using to take the temps and do you trust them? If you're using the Traeger temp probe and then a third party thermometer to take IT then you could have cooked hotter which would explain the faster cook.

Traeger temp probes are usually off so make sure you are taking the IT with a trusted device. If you trust the device and it's 205 then it's done. Proceed as you normally would once the cook is done is my opinion.

 

[CMTiger]

I am by no means a pro so take this with a grain of salt.

First - always cook to temp and not time. 3 hours early or 3 hours late doesn't matter one bit. Your internal temp will determine when the cook is done.

Ok, that said...what are you using to take the temps and do you trust them? If you're using the Traeger temp probe and then a third party thermometer to take IT then you could have cooked hotter which would explain the faster cook.

Traeger temp probes are usually off so make sure you are taking the IT with a trusted device. If you trust the device and it's 205 then it's done. Proceed as you normally would once the cook is done is my opinion.

Murph I don’t think you answered his question lol

 

[Meat Monster]

Thanks guys. I lowered the temp to 165°, seems to be holding, but I think I’ll wrap it and put it in the cooler. Maybe eat a little sooner. It’s just the wife and I so most of it will go in the freezer for the winter.

 

[RemE]

Once at 203ish, probe the meat for doneness, it should be like butter in terms of resistance.

I have wrapped and rested for up to 4 hours and it was still almost too hot to hold.

I recently read that it's a good idea to pull the meat, let it rest out until 165, then into cooler for the longer rest. I haven't tried it.

I have to say, vac sealed leftovers still taste amazing!

 

[RustyJake]

Once at 203ish, probe the meat for doneness, it should be like butter in terms of resistance.

I have wrapped and rested for up to 4 hours and it was still almost too hot to hold.

I recently read that it's a good idea to pull the meat, let it rest out until 165, then into cooler for the longer rest. I haven't tried it.

I have to say, vac sealed leftovers still taste amazing!

I have been taking mine down to 180 after taking it off at probe tender around the 203 mark, before the cooler. Seems to help with it not ending up like a pot roast from steaming in it's juices

 

[Meat Monster]

I went ahead and wrapped the Brisket in a towel and put it in the cooler. Opened 2 1/2 hours later and it was still steaming hot. You could cut it with a fork. Thanks all.

 

[CMTiger]

Great! Any pics?

 

[Meat Monster]

 

[wjtwomey]

13lb brisket is at 205° 3hrs early. Do I lower the temp and try to hold 205°, go ahead and put in the cooler for 3hrs, or any variation of the two.

Are you using a good instant read thermometer? The Traeger probe is going to read hot, sometimes by 15+ degrees. Also if you're cooking Wagyu, it will go a lot faster and will usually never stall at all. Once I got the Thermapen MK4, I stopped having these panic attacks about the brisket appearing to run hot and invariably being pulled way too soon.

 

[Don G.]

I have similar occurrences with my briskets.
After measuring the grate temps, I find the drip pan radiates more heat than the air temp. It is literally cooking faster from the bottom. Try using a buffer of some kind, like an upside-down roasting pan to lift the meat up.
Time getting to temp is also important. Getting to temp fast does *not* mean all that should melt will melt.

 

[Randy]

13lb brisket is at 205° 3hrs early. Do I lower the temp and try to hold 205°, go ahead and put in the cooler for 3hrs, or any variation of the two.

If you are sure it’s really 205 you need to go to the cooler