keeping food warm

[Greg Hlavaty]

What do you folks use to keep your food warm? Monday, I smoked two butts for everyone at work, and they turned out great! I was last in line to eat (12th), but by the time I got to the pork it wasn't very warm. I pulled, covered with foil, put the pan back in the cooler, and it was warm when served. I have a few ideas for the next time once on the table (crock pot, sterno cans, electric skillet), but I was just wondering what everyone else uses. Don't want to dry it out either. So, any tips or advice are appreciated.

 

[JSMcdowell]

Greg,
The trick is to set yourself aside some while you are pulling. Then you don't care what order in line you are!

An electric griddle works great. You can put just about any type of pan on top of it and very easily control the temperature. As long as it stays sealed up when not being served, this will help with it not drying out.

Another easy thing to do is serve the meat in multiple foil pans. That way only 1 is left open at a time, while the others stay sealed up and warm.

 

[Greg Hlavaty]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The trick is to set yourself aside some while you are pulling. Then you don't care what order in line you are! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL, I deserved to be at the back of the line cuz of the amount I had to test while pulling...but I had to make sure it was edible.

 

[Lew]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Greg Hlavaty:
What do you folks use to keep your food warm? Monday, I smoked two butts for everyone at work, and they turned out great! I was last in line to eat (12th), but by the time I got to the pork it wasn't very warm. I pulled, covered with foil, put the pan back in the cooler, and it was warm when served. I have a few ideas for the next time once on the table (crock pot, sterno cans, electric skillet), but I was just wondering what everyone else uses. Don't want to dry it out either. So, any tips or advice are appreciated. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>2 butts for 12 people? Must have been a hungry bunch!

I usually keep it warm in an oven at about 160 degrees. If there wasn't an oven and I knew it would sit for a while, I would divide it into smaller portions and take it out a little at a time as needed, leaving the rest to stay warm in the cooler.

 

[TravisH]

Agree with Josh!

"The trick is to set yourself aside some while you are pulling."
Yeah, you gotta keep a special 'cook's treat' pan handy.

"An electric griddle works great. "
For pulled pork, I use a large electric roaster (Crock Pot's discontinued BBQ PIT roaster) if power is available. You can get a $50 18~22qt roaster at Wal-Mart.

"Another easy thing to do is serve the meat in multiple foil pans."
With no power, I use multiple half-size service pans and coolers.

To prevent dry-out, mix in a little 'finishing sauce' when you pull and then a little more later on if needed.

 

[Ken Keating]

A crock pot/slow cooker set at warm works well also.

 

[Tom Hinkle]

If you have electricity available, it's tough to beat a crock pot. Next on the list would be a microwave. A catering pan with sterno would also work.