if want slice same day all need is 20 minute wait for meat rest and it is easier to cut when the meat it is still soft.

I would cook and serve and not try to cool it way down, then go and heat it up shortly after.

Of course, give the meat a good rest. Maybe you can adjust the sauce to your liking while the meat rests: strain, reduce etc.

My strategy would be to pull back on the cooking time just a tad so that I get tender beef, but am able to slice it without it falling apart. If you have the "flat" cut, there's a good chance your slices will hold together nicely. The "point" lends itself more to "pulling" and being stringy.

If your slices fall apart a bit, oh well. Just put them back together and arrange beautifully on the plate.

Remember what Julia would do ;-)

Thanks everyone! My idea was to cook it in the morning. Cool, put it in the fridge like I usually do, but slice it late that night.

My answer is the same as Linda's. A few hours in the fridge should be fine unless you have a whole 10 lb. brisket, which would take more like 5-6 hours. Most people make a half, or even a third, which is a great portion for a normal family, and means you don't have to deal with three different directions of the grain while slicing. The point or first cut all goes the same direction. If the pan you cooked it in is an insulator (glass, cast iron), transfer it to a cool pan or container first. You might also be able to speed up the cooling if you chill the meat and the juices separately. Another benefit of cooling is that it makes it much easier to skim off the excess fat.

May be the next day.

For Jewish Holiday Brisket, typically the brisket is stewed in sauce.

Let the brisket stay in the sauce overnight to soak in more flavor.

dcarch

The trick on that is to pour the juice between each of the slices after you've put them in the pan for the final cook. Before it's sliced, only the edges will absorb the juice. The slices stick together, and the juice still sometimes doesn't get in. Separate them one by one and spoon in the juice, big difference. It only takes a couple of minutes, and is worth the trouble.

As long as it is cool, you can slice it the same day. It just needs to be cold enough that you can slice thinly. I usually cook one day, refrigerate overnight and slice and reheat the next. Since it is a long cook, the two day works. However, you could cook all night. Stick in the refrigerator the next morning for 3 to 4 hours and then slice and reheat in time for dinner.

"My idea was to cook it in the morning. Cool, put it in the fridge like I usually do, but slice it late that night."

Totally thinking letting it chill all day would be adequate & comparable to overnight.

i cut my brisket with an electric knife while it is still warm. So, I don't have issues with uneven slices

The electric knife is one of those great kitchen tools that seems to be out of fashion now, but like the Crock Pot, is an essential, imo.

I might treat myself to one before Turkey Day. I've been doing OK with a 14-inch slicer in the meantime ;-)

With new better battery and motor technology, cordless carving knife is worth considering.

No more "Where is the extension cord!!!"

dcarch