Resting inside the smoker

[lakkdainen]

Lots of BBQ mentions pulling at a certain temp, then foil wrapping, covering with a towel, and letting the meat rest in a cooler.  Some people even fill the cooler with hot water to preheat it somewhat.  I just did a brisket, and it seemed like an odd step to me.  The Smokin-it basically is a large insulated box... why not just let it rest in there?  It's insulated, preheated, keeps moisture well. 

So, this time I when I hit my target internal temp, I just turned the smoker off and didn't open the door.  It "rested" for an hour or two while I monitored the temp probes just in case.  In the end I was very happy with the results.  Is there any downside to this method?  Am I missing something?

 

[old sarge]

Makes perfect sense to me.  However, wrapping the meat in foil when it is done helps retain moisture which. 

 

[Lonzinomaker]

The last 2 times I have done pork butts when they hit 195, I rested them in the smoker, opening the door only to verify they are done.  I do set my #3 controller to 140 deg just to be sure to keep the pork in food safe range.
The butts seemed as moist as ever (I also brine them). They pull really well.  The only down side is I can't clean the smoker as soon as the butts are done.

 

[TX Gent]

I've allowed many different cooks to rest in the smoker in the past and don't think it makes a huge difference one way or the other ... maybe small difference though in moisture absorption with the full foil wrap. This is the way I roll now with double wrap and a hold for minimum of two hours. I believe from my experiences a two hour minimum hold is more important than one box or another in the end.

Results do slightly vary from one smoke to the next ...

 

[pappabear]

I go either way, just depends on my mood. But I do wrap with foil. Resting in the smoker is just so much easier than moving it from one place to another.

 

[LuvMyQ]

I have begun foiling and resting in the smoker.  I’ll set the temp to 150 if resting for more than 2hours.

 

[mfatty500]

Perfect subject, my nephew just called me and asked the very same thing! perfect timing

 

[barelfly]

I have done both ways. Usually I just do the cooler and foil method, but a few times I’ve used the 3D set at 140, but still wrapped the food with foil. I went this route the times I had a longer wait time before eating. Did a Wagyu brisket once, and it got to temp much quicker than I expected. Like almost half the time, so in the smoker it sat for some time wrapped at 140.