Pork Butt Cooler Time?

[prov1]

I am at about 160 degrees, 10:00pmEST......I would like to double wrap my pork butts and then catch a little shut eye......wake up when temp reaches 195 degrees, wrap them in towels and throw in the cooler....
I normally leave them in the cooler for about an hour and have left them in for about 2 hours a few times. Can anyone tell me what you would consider the "longest" you would recommend leaving them in the cooler?

 

[pignit]

I've left them in the cooler for 4 hours and they were hot enough to burn you when I took them out.

 

[Dutch]

The longest I've gone was 4 hours and even then the butt was still too hot to pull without first gloving up. However your mileage my vary depending on how well you wrap the meat and how well the cooler seals.

 

[Dutch]

Pig- great minds are thinking alike!!

 

[prov1]

Thanks......I wrap them well and the cooler seals up tight so I think I can throw them in and get 4 hours of sleep before pulling them!

 

[rio_grande]

I have gone as long as 6 hr because they got done early, steam was rolling out when I pulled them. As long as they don't sit below 140 for a period microbes are not an issue.

 

[b8h8r]

What they all said.

 

[mballi3011]

If you know that you are going to leave it in the cooler for alonger then usual time I make sure that the cooler is packed as tightly as you can and then it will last up to as long as 6 hours and it was at alittle under 140. But to be safe you might want to keep a thermo meter in the meat so it would get you into the danger zone.

 

[carpetride]

I'm sure you have already done what your going to do but for future reference...you can always pre-heat your cooler with HOT water if you think your going to need to leave it in there awhile. Like all others my meat always comes out to hot to touch, I also tend to pack a towel around the topside of the (foiled) meat as well.