Thermoelectric coolers. Legal for competition?


 
J

John Noble

TVWBB Member
So after umpteen hours on the wsm we wrap our brisket or pork shoulder in foil, some towels, and stuff them in a cooler.

This next few hours seems to help. So far so good.

Thing is, one of my coolers is one of those thermo electric ones. Plug it into a cigarette lighter and it will keep cool. But, you can run it the other way and it will keep things warm. Up to 150F.

So, I am thinking, this is great. The meat will still cool down from 190F onward, but the little bit of heat being added by the "cooler" will assist a bit in keeping things warm.

And what's so nice about the 150F number, is that I know the meat will be kept above 140F, which seems to be the bottom end safety hygiene temperature that the competition rulebooks talk about.

But then wait a minute. Am I cheating? Is this more than a "warmer"? Is this "cooking?". Because cooking is only allowed with charcoal.

The ongoing breakdown of connective tissue happens in a cooler, regardless of whether a bit of electric heat is going in or not. Even if I never plugged this in, some "cooking" effect would be ongoing, if we want to call this, "cooking".

Interesting question. What does everyone think?

I would still plug it in when doing this at home, as I think it's a helpful idea. If it was a problem with the rules at a comp, I'd just leave the cord and plug at home and just use it as a bare cooler.
 
This is a VERY good question. It also gets me to thinking about how I keep the meat warm. I use hot water to warm up the inside of the cooler before putting the meat in. I'm wondering if my hot water is the same issue as your thermoelectric warmer.

My thought is that since the meat temperature is well above the internal temperature of the warmer, that it isn't 'cooking' the meat.

I guess it would be the same thing as the plug-in Cambros.

Russ
 
John, I would think that would be against KCBS rules to put the meat in the cooler if it is plugged in. If it isn't plugged in, then no problem.

You could even plug it in to get it warm. But unplug it before meat is put into the cooler.

This is similar to using a propane assist burner to get a smoker going. But the propane must be turned off before any meat is put into the smoker.
 
Russ, I don't think there would be any problems about using hot water to preheat the inside of the cooler. You wouldn't be leaving the water in the cooler when you put the meat in, so you'd be fine.
 
I think you would be ok with using the power since the meat has come off the cooker and for all intents and purposes the cooking is done. We all know that the meat will continue to cook above certain temps even when in a cooler or cambro. I would suggest asking a KCBS rep, or asking on CBBQA or similar state competiton forum. I also have called KCBS and asked for rules clarification but bottom line is the local KCBS rep will have to interpret the rules at the site of the comp.

Mark
 
Actually, I do leave the water in there. I built a couple of wooden stands to put the aluminum pan on top of so that it's not sitting in the water.

I'm cooking at Jesup in 2 weeks, I'll ask one of the reps what he thinks about thermoelectric, plug-in Cambro, etc. as far as the rules go.

I just re-read the official FBA rules and they don't say anything about it yea or nay.

Russ
 
Thanks guys.

I asked this question on pacific northwest bbq association, the competition listserve.
Unanimous response was that it's illegal. One guy said he was setting up to try it and a judge had clearly told him it was an immediate disqualification.

You are still using "the application of heat". Connective tissue breakdown is still happening, even down at 160F and electricity is now contributing to that process. Therefore illegal.

So it looks like the answer is don't use it in comps.

I'm going to keep this unit though. Nice to heat up the water and interior before adding meat, then just unplug it and pack away the cord to avoid argument.

And at home, if I need to take the meat off at noon and keep it warm for a dinner that evening, it's nice to know that it can't drop below 150F. Again, 140F seems to be code for meat safety bottom temp. Not a necessary tool of course, but I'll keep it.

Thanks again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top