Give it a rest already!

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pit 4 brains

Master of the Pit
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Dec 16, 2009
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Summerville, SC
The other day I did a pork tenderloin on my Weber gasser using indirect heat and my AMZNPS with a little oak smoke. I kept the temp above 250 and below 300 for times sake but I also wanted some good smoke time. I brought it to an internal of 165 and pulled it off. 

I recalled an experiment I wanted to do a while back and I thought this would be the perfect cut of meat for it since it is hard to screw up a tenderloin. Anyhow, I wanted to compare resting and not resting with the same piece of meat.

I tossed this loin onto the board and made 8 quick slices. I immediately wrapped with the rest with foil I had standing by and let it rest for seven minutes. Why seven? I felt five was too short and ten was too long (had to serve dinner to night-shift wife). I took the remaining loin and laid it back down in place and began to slice the rest. The results were rather remarkable. The first slices juiced out and took on a grainy texture while the rested section sliced up to perfection. Even the end where I stopped slicing came out better because of the resting. This is only one experiment that I did, but I can tell you that I learned the hard way about resting when it came to briskets. 

Here's the shots..


Notice the distinct difference in the texture..


I hope this helps the cooks that just can't wait to slice that hunk of meat up..

Happy smokin'...
 
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Of all the arguments I have heard for resting...this is the most profound!  Great pics showing the different meat textures.  Great job.
 
Is there a rule of thumb for resting meat?

15 min?

45 min?

X Min/lb.??
4-5 beers, or 1 whisky and coke....
beercheer.gif


Seriously, I just go by the size and how hungry I am, but never slice earlier than 15 min. for tenderloin or 1 hour for 5# chucky (wrapped and in a cooler).
 
Is there a rule of thumb for resting meat?

15 min?

45 min?

X Min/lb.??
Or is it a temperature thing? Obviously if the meat needs to cool to retain the moisture, the cooling will require some time. I'm just wondering how much cooling does the meat fibers need to get happy again. I should have left the probe in the darn thing..
 
Pit, morning....  that visual demonstration is aces....  Makes me a believer in resting.... Thanks....   Dave
 
Todd asked a great question.

I don't have an answer but I tend to let the size and dimensions of the meat tell me how long to let it rest. Turkeys rest longer than chickens. Roasts rest longer than steaks.

Just rules of thumb but they've worked for me so far.
 
One of the things about resting meat before slicing is the carry-over cook time that takes place after the meat has been pulled off the smoker or grill. I have seen temps rise an additional 5-10° on briskets and butts that I have removed from the smoker (I leave the thermo probes in place until I'm ready to slice). Once the temps begin to drop, the jucies in the meat is reabsorbed into the meat providing you with a moist and taste meat.

YMMV
 
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When I first met my wife she would make fun of me about letting the meat rest. That was 13 years now she gets onto the kids if they ever cook meat on the grill. The meat has to rest or it will be dry. Now if our middle daughter's husband cooks and meat won't have any juices let in them so he doesn't need to rest. It is VERY IMPORTANT to llt your meat REST
 
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Many years ago Dad was running late getting dinner on the table a took a perfectly cooked Med Rare Flank Steak out of the Broiler and sliced it immediately. After Mom reamed him for getting meat juices all over the floor, he brought a plate of what looked like Well Done beef to the table. It was so dry we could barely eat it. He and I never cut a piece of meat without a rest ever again.

Here is the Guideline I use and taught my Students...JJ

For 1-2" Steaks I go 10-20 Minutes

For 2-6" London Broils or Pork Loins and Chickens, 20-30 Minutes

For 6+" Roasts, Hams and Turkeys 30-60 Minutes
 
Now that we have shown evidence of the importance of resting, what is the best method to rest a standard roast-type cut of met?

Can it just set out on the cutting board? Should it be foiled? Foiled then insulated, etc...?

I typically just foil unless I need to hold for a time or transport, then i use the cooler.
 
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