Smoked Brisket with a Long Hot Hold (Inspired by Steve Gow, Smoke Trails BBQ)

Steve Gow of Smoke Trails BBQ dug into the science of how collagen renders to answer one question: how do you hold a brisket after the cook so it comes out juicier and more tender, not dried out? His answer flips the usual rule – pull the brisket a few degrees underdone, around 195°F, then finish it with a long, low hot hold at 150°F. That hold is where the magic happens, and it is the same trick the legendary Texas joints use to serve perfect brisket hours after it comes off the pit. Below is our own write-up of the method, with a calculator that schedules the whole thing – smoke, wrap, and hold – backward from when you want to slice.

Schedule this cook to the minute

This is a long cook: roughly 8 hours of smoke, a few hours wrapped to the 195°F pull, then up to an 18-hour hot hold. Set the time you want to serve and the calculator plans every stage backward for you.

What you’ll need

• 1 whole packer brisket (about 12 to 14 lb)
• Coarse kosher salt and 16-mesh black pepper (a classic Texas-style rub), or your favorite beef rub
• Yellow mustard or hot sauce as a binder (optional)
• Post oak (or oak) for smoke; unlined butcher paper for the wrap
• A holding oven, sous vide bath, or an oven that will hold a steady 150°F for the long hold
• A reliable instant-read thermometer – the pull temp is the whole game here

How to smoke a brisket with a long hot hold

1. Trim. Square up the brisket, leave about a quarter-inch of fat cap, and take off the hard lumps of fat. A tidy brisket smokes and slices more evenly.
2. Season. Coat all over with a heavy, even layer of coarse salt and pepper (a light smear of mustard or hot sauce helps it stick). Let it set while the smoker comes up to temperature.
3. Smoke at 225°F over post oak. Fat side up, run it about 8 hours – until the internal temperature reaches roughly 165°F and the bark is set and won’t smudge.
4. Wrap and take it to 195°F. Wrap tightly in butcher paper and return it to the smoker. Pull it at about 195°F – intentionally a few degrees under the usual 203°F, because the hold is going to finish the job.
5. Hot hold at 150°F. Move the wrapped brisket to a holding oven, sous vide bath, or low oven set to a steady 150°F and hold it there for up to 18 hours. During this long, gentle hold the remaining collagen keeps rendering into gelatin – that is where the extra tenderness and juiciness come from.
6. Slice against the grain. Separate the flat from the point (their grains run different directions). Slice the flat about pencil-thick against the grain, then turn the point and slice or cube it. Serve straight from the hold – no long rest needed, because the hold already relaxed it.

Why this works

Brisket gets tender because tough collagen slowly melts into silky gelatin, and that happens over time at temperature, not just at one magic number. By pulling at 195°F and then holding at 150°F for many hours, you keep rendering collagen well past the point where a normal cook would stop – without ever pushing the meat hot enough to squeeze out moisture and dry it out. Pulling underdone is the key: if you took it all the way to 203°F first and then held it, the long hold would carry it too far. 150°F also sits safely above the 140°F food-safety line, so a hold this long stays safe.

Credit and gear

This method comes from Steve Gow of Smoke Trails BBQ, who tested it against the collagen science – it is worth watching his full breakdown. You can find his rubs, classes, and more at smoketrailsbbq.com.

Disclosure: some links may be affiliate links. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Smoke Trails BBQ; we credit the creator and link back so you can support their work directly.

Frequently asked questions

Why pull the brisket at 195°F instead of 203°F?

Because the long hold finishes it. Pulling a few degrees underdone leaves room for the collagen to keep rendering during the 150°F hold. Pull at 203°F and the same hold would take it past tender into mushy and dry.

How long can you hold a brisket?

At a steady 150°F you can hold for up to about 18 hours and it only gets better. The rule is simply to stay above 140°F the whole time so it never drops into the danger zone.

Is holding a brisket this long safe?

Yes, as long as the hold stays at 150°F or above – comfortably over the 140°F food-safety threshold. That is exactly why the target is 150°F rather than something cooler.

Do I need a special holding oven?

You need something that can hold a steady 150°F for many hours: a commercial holding oven, a sous vide bath with the wrapped brisket bagged, or a home oven that will sit at 150°F. A cooler-and-towels hold won’t stay hot enough for 18 hours.

Is this the Smoke Trails BBQ recipe?

The method and the science come from Steve Gow / Smoke Trails BBQ; the write-up here is our own. Watch his original video for the full breakdown.

How much brisket do I need to buy and cook?

Cooking this for a crowd? Set your headcount and get the raw weight to buy.