Holding (Cambro)

A Cambro (technically a brand name that's become generic, like Kleenex) is an insulated food-holding cabinet designed to keep cooked food at safe serving temperatures for extended periods. In BBQ, it's used to rest briskets, pork shoulders, and other large cuts after they come off the smoker.

Why It Matters for BBQ: Large cuts of smoked meat need extended rest periods — 2-6 hours for brisket, 1-4 hours for pork shoulder. During this time, muscle fibers relax, moisture redistributes, and collagen continues converting to gelatin. A Cambro maintains the meat above 140°F (the food safety minimum for holding) while this process happens.

The Poor Man's Cambro: Don't want to spend $200+ on a commercial Cambro? A regular cooler works great: 1. Wrap the meat in butcher paper 2. Wrap the paper-wrapped meat in an old towel 3. Place in a cooler (no ice) 4. Close the lid

A good cooler will hold a wrapped brisket above 150°F for 4-6 hours. I've seen briskets come out of a cooler after 5 hours still at 155°F — perfect slicing temperature.

Professional Cambros: Commercial Cambros are superior to coolers — they're designed for this exact purpose. They maintain temperature more precisely, hold multiple items, and are NSF-certified for food safety. Competition teams and BBQ restaurants typically use the Cambro 300MPC or similar models.

Key Tip: Pre-heat your Cambro or cooler by filling it with hot water, letting it sit for 15 minutes, then dumping the water before adding the meat. A warm vessel holds temperature much better than a cold one.

Every brisket I cook rests in a holding cabinet. The rest is not optional — it's the step that separates good brisket from great brisket.