Holding Butts - Need Help

[Patrick Sullivan]

I did an overnight cook and it is now 8:30am and my butts cooked much faster than I expected. They are at 185 now. Guests are arriving at 5:00pm. How long will they hold, wrapped in aluminum and towels in a cooler safely? Any advice on how I should handle? Should I reheat them a couple times during the day to keep them warm?

 

[K Kruger]

Check for tenderness. 185 is usually (not always) not yet done - if you are making the pork for pulled pork. Too, 185 is often a second plateau point, meaning that you might have hours to go before they are done.

When tender, remove, wrap in HD foil, then place in a cooler packed with towels. They will hold hot enough till the time you will need to remove them for pulling.

 

[Patrick Sullivan]

Kevin, what is typically your finished temp?

 

[K Kruger]

I don't often temp but I'd say mid- upper-190s. Some here report 200-205.

The meat will feel very tender when done and the bone, if bone-in, will be loose.

At low cooktemps I often have butts that plateau a second time in the mid-180s.