Holding BBQ


 
M

MikeCairnsUK

New member
Hi, (My first post) This past weekend I did some pork butts on the smoker. But, as time got on I didn't have chance to let everything rest long enough, and it all felt a bit rushed. Still tasted great and everyone enjoyed it, but I felt It could of been better. Also with being rushed, I didn't have as good of a time.

I've watched a few videos on YT that has shown top chefs holding food in what are basically ovens. So I was thinking if they can do it, why can't I.

My game plan for next time is something like this. Times are approximates, just did give the idea. I have a Bullet Smoker and a Electric Smoker.

10pm - Put the pork butt on the Bullet smoker at 225f.
7am - After the stall wrap the butt and transfer to the electric smoker at 225f. (I don't see the point in wasting charcoal once it's wrapped, so I use the electric smoker as an outdoor oven. Wife hates the house been filled with the smokey smell.)

10-11am once the butt is up to temp, and I've tested and know it's ready. Turn the electric smoker down to 150f and let it rest in there until time to serve, between 2 and 3pm.

Does this seem like a viable idea or am I missing something? I read that I need to keep the meat above 140f, and if it drops in to this zone it needs to be served and/or refrigerated within 2 hours.

In my head it seems to be a no brainer, but I'm no expert.


Thanks, Mike
 
That will work, you can pull it out and rest 30 minutes before you unwrap and pull, might help keep moisture in the meat a little better. I bought a 5 finger puller that you use on a drill , works great when you have several butts to pull and I like that it is easier to portion out when making sandwich's
 
Mike, welcome first! But, I think you’re making more work and worry than is necessary. What I have had best success with is simply start the smoke as early as is reasonable leaving three to four hours between removal of butts from the smoker and serving time. When butts (or brisket) has reached desired temp (and probes like buttah) I remove, let the temperature begin to break, wrap in two layers of foil, over wrap that with towel and drop the product in a cooler.
Let it rest for at least an hour, the last double butted feast worked perfectly, the first butt pulled clean and fully free from the bone (2hours after taking off the smoker) and that fed everyone enough to get the line down and gave me a chance to have some time off from kitchen duties to be a better host.
About four hours in, I decided that I should pull the other one I lifted the bone out and the meat was perfect for pulling, I really feel that it was the better of the two, even more moist and succulent. Yes, it’s safe to say that I ate more as soon as I saw the longer wait was the way to go. Safety was clearly not an issue, easily keeping above the 140 zone.
So, short version, start early, allow for a long rest, and relax a bit whilst getting the rest set out for guests.
I only needed a couple of regular large meat forks, it pulled so easily, I don’t care for the drill unit, unless you are doing ten butts, I think they break the beautiful threads when one has worked hard to get them.F8490009-A67F-4289-BA30-261C535F6B1C.jpeg
 
I start as early in the a.m. as I can. Light the chimney when I have a glimpse of sunlight.
I also like to smoke my pork higher than most, low and slow tends to be the trend. I like at least 250 up to 280.
Cooler for as long as I have time for.
I have put a brisket in the cooler before, then left on a river canoe cruise for around 4 hours maybe more, came back removed it from the cooler and it still was steaming. The cooler is a thick Coleman, it says 7 days on the outside.....it's seriously thick. Works good as long as it stays shut.
 
"So I was thinking if they can do it, why can't I." You absolutely can!

Everything Timothy said is spot on, in my opinion. The only thing I would add is FTM. 😁
Timothy recommended FTC (foil, towel, cooler) and that works perfectly. But sometimes I am too lazy or forget to get
the designated cooler ready, so then I just foil, towel, microwave. The microwave (off) serves as a perfect little cocoon
for the butts and works just as well as the cooler - assuming you don't need to use it for something else.
Like Timothy said, with this method you can give yourself hours to get things done - and I agree that it does taste
even better, also.
 
I usually use one of those foil lasagna trays, put the butt in that and then double foil.
Towels on the bottom of the cooler then the tray then more towel(s) on top.
Close it. Set it and forget it.
Keeps any sort of leak possibility out of the question.
I also leave it wrapped in the pink paper when I put it in the aluminum tray.
I don't know why it's just what I do. Keeps lots of the moisture next to the meat.
 
MikeCairnsUK said:
Thanks, I do have a big cooler. So you'd taken one of the butts off and had it in the cooler for 4 hours before serving?

Cheers
Click to expand...
Yep!
I use an old “Omaha Steak” foam cooler, I suppose I could get four butts in that. I’ve not done more than two but, it’s been a pearl for holding butts or brisket for me.
Typically, I do overnight cooks (I hate getting up early!) that last big cook was in very unfriendly conditions, driving rain, lots of wind but, I set up the screen and an “EZ up” so, I was prepared. Started the cook even earlier than usual, around 17:00 Friday night. Butts were probe tender about 13:00 Saturday. Started serving about 16:00. Steaming hot dining for all.
 
I've held 2 briskets in a picnic cooler for 6+ hours and they were still way too hot to handle without insulation. Especially with brisket, I'm convinced that at least a 2 hour rest is required, and 4 is better.

Minimize opening the cooler once it's loaded. Every time you open it you're going to lose a lot of heat. You can also preheat the cooler with hot water (be careful, both foamed polystyrene and a thermoformed picnic cooler can and probably will deform with boiling water,) or by a couple of foil wrapped bricks you've heated up a little (maybe wrap those up in a towel to further protect the insulation.)

One of the commercial ovens you're thinking about has the trade name Alto-Shaam. My local tavern has a couple of them, they're used both for holding food at safe temps, 140 F or more, as well as long low temp roasting, like 225 F.
 
Darryl - swazies said:
I usually use one of those foil lasagna trays, put the butt in that and then double foil.
Towels on the bottom of the cooler then the tray then more towel(s) on top.
Close it. Set it and forget it.
Keeps any sort of leak possibility out of the question.
I also leave it wrapped in the pink paper when I put it in the aluminum tray.
I don't know why it's just what I do. Keeps lots of the moisture next to the meat.
Click to expand...
This is how I learned to do it also. I have a bunch of garage towels that I use when washing cars that I use .
 
Active hold is the way to go. I'm absolutely convinced. If the Masterbuilt can hold 150 absolutely do that. I'd verify that with a remote digital thermometer. I almost want to buy a used one to use as a holding oven. What you need to do, though, is let the meat rest before you put it back in at 150. I'd let the meat drop to 170 or 180 at the absolute most before putting it in there. It's almost a necessity on a stick burner if you want to get some sleep. My last brisket I smoked the brisket all day and held it 18 hours in a turkey roaster to serve the next day. I slept like a baby that night. If you are careful you can dial in one of those to hold between 140 and 150 pretty easily. I put a temp probe in it and got it dialed in to where it was cycling constantly above 140.

18 hours might be a bit extreme for pork. Beef fat doesn't oxidize as fast so you can get away with it more. Fat will continue to render (at least to some degree) at 140 to 150 which is a big advantage on a prime brisket.

For a hold anywhere up to 5 hours, the faux cambro (wrapped in towels in a cooler) approach works great but I still am inclined to go with the roaster. For a butt you are going to shred it's not as big a deal, but for a brisket I want the temp around 140 before I slice it.
 
One thing I learned the hard way is to not be in too much of a hurry to go from smoker to faux cambro. Leave the butts sitting at room temperature until they start to cool a bit. I did two (maybe three?) butts and went straight into the cooler for four or five hours. The cooler was so efficient the butts stayed above 150F the entire time. IOW, they continued to cook. Virtually all the collagen rendered, and, trust me, this is not the good thing it might sound like. Almost all the meat was like mush. It tasted okay but the texture was like baby food.

The thing to remember is there is "resting" and there is "holding". These are different. Resting is when it stops cooking, begins to cool down a bit, and the muscle fibers relax and start to re-absorb some of the juices that were squeezed out. Holding is keeping the rested meat at a safe temperature prior to serving.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about it getting too cold when it's still whole and wrapped. A big piece of meat like that cooked to ~200F is going to stay plenty hot for a long time. I would let it rest at room temp until the internal temp has dropped to 170F or a little less and then move it to whatever you've decided to use for holding.
 
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