How Long To Let Meat Rest?

We’ve all heard that resting meat is an important aspect of the process. But what happens if you rest the meat for too little or too long?

If you don’t let the meat rest long enough, it will become dry, tough, and chewy. In contrast, if you dont rest meat long enough, you will end up with cold meat. So, how long should you let your meat to rest?

Should You Rest All Meat After Cooking?

It makes no difference whether you’re cooking a tomahawk steak on a natural gas grill or smoking pig butt in an electric smoker. Always allow meat to rest after removing it from the fire.

Resting meat has three key functions. First, it allows the meat to reach the proper temperature. Second, it redistributes the meat fluids, and third, it enhances the taste.

When it comes to preparing meat, temperature is everything. For safety reasons, the meat must be cooked at a specified temperature. Consuming undercooked meat and being unwell is avoided by cooking it to the proper temperature.

As a result, you should always use a thermometer to guarantee that the meat reaches a certain temperature.

Because of carry-over cooking, resting the meat is critical. The internal temperature of the meat increases when it is removed from the fire.

This is why, particularly for bigger chunks like brisket, most recipes recommend removing the meat a few degrees before it reaches the desired temperature.

Resting the meat allows the fluids to redistribute back into it. Some say that resting meat is unnecessary since the juices would be lost regardless.

The percentage of juices lost will be smaller than if you cut into it immediately after it comes off the grill.

The protein links contract when the meat cooks. The fluids are attracted to the meat’s surface.

As a result, if you slice the meat as soon as it comes off the heat, a pool of liquid will form on the butcher block.

In contrast, leaving the meat to rest allows the protein linkages to relax, enabling the meat’s fluids to return to the flesh.

In terms of taste, slicing into the flesh soon after taking it from the fire results in a dry, chewy steak. This is due to the fact that all of the liquids instead run out of the flesh.

Allowing the meat to rest, on the other hand, allows the fluids to stay in the flesh, giving it a luscious, tender, and moist taste.

How Long To Let Meat Rest 

Allowing meat to rest results in a juicier and more delicious piece of meat. The key is to not let the meat sit for too long.

The length of time to rest meat varies on its size, thickness, and kind.

Roasts, for example, will need more rest time than steaks or chops. A whole chicken will need more rest than chicken bits.

Thinner meats like fish, eye of round steak, ribs, and chicken tenderloins need little to no resting time.

These thin pieces of beef aren’t thick enough to retain a lot of heat. Because there isn’t much leftover cooking, the meat might rapidly get cold. The usual guideline is that 1 minute every 100 grams of meat should be rested.

Allow 5-10 minutes for chicken parts grilled or smoked between 225F-250F, such as chicken breasts or thighs. Rest chicken for 5-10 minutes after roasting @ 350°F.

Resting time for a grilled or smoked butterflied or entire chicken smoked at 225F-250F or roasted at 350F is at least 15 minutes.

A whole turkey grilled or smoked at 225F-250F or roasted at 350F, on the other hand, will need 20-30 minutes to rest.

Pork ribs, such as baby back ribs, St. Louis ribs, and spareribs smoked at 225F and 250F, must rest for 10-15 minutes.

Smoked pork butt, brisket, hog shoulder, and prime rib may rest for 2-4 hours at temperatures ranging from 225F to 250F.

Even if you partly smoke the meat then finish it in the oven, it must rest for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

Remember that since they are huge slices of meat, they will need to rest for a longer period of time.

Thinner steaks, such as sirloin steaks, should rest for 5 minutes after cooking over high heat. Thick pork chops and steaks an inch or thicker, as well as small roasts, will need to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Should You Cover Meat When Resting?

It might be difficult to decide whether or not to rest meat. Depending on the size of the meat, you may not need to rest it for long.

For example, if you let a steak sit for 5 minutes, you may not need to cover it. However, if you don’t wrap it, there’s a danger the meat will go cold.

However, there are several disadvantages to wrapping meat while it is resting.

If the meat is wrapped too tightly, for example, steam will be created, softening the crisp peel on your brisket or pig butt. As a result, if you’re going to wrap the meat, do it lightly.

How Do You Know When Meat Is Done Resting?

Using a thermometer is the simplest and most effective method to detect whether your meat has finished resting.

By looking at or feeling the meat, you cannot determine whether it has rested long enough. When your beef reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, it has completed resting and is ready to consume.

Final Thoughts 

Resting meat is just as important as handling and preparing it correctly. If you don’t rest the meat, it will be dry and rough; but, if you rest it for too long, it will be chilly.

Nonetheless, the shorter the resting period, the thinner the meat. The longer the resting period, the thicker the meat.

If you follow the criteria for resting meat, you will get juicy and tender meat.