foil, towel, cooler

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

mballi3011

Gone but not forgotten. RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Mar 12, 2009
14,477
58
what's up with the foil, towel, cooler thing???
 
mballi - i've done this with pulled pork and what it does is allow the meat to stay hot and cook in itos own juices. the temperature keeps rising after you take them off the smoker and sealing them in like this allows them to get oh-so tender. the foil also seems to keep the meat from "burning" as it would if it were on direct heat any longer. i take my pork shoulder off at 190 degrees, let it sit for at least a half hour and the results are a little bit of heaven.

those are my experiences - someone who has been doing this longer will hopefully come along and explain it better.
 
Did a big rib roast that way just cause I was waiting on relatives. Took the hint from this forum. Worked great!
 
For one, it keeps the meat hot while re-absorbing the juices released by cooking. Try it, you'll like it!
icon_lol.gif
 
I actually pre-heat my cooler with hot water. Just allows me to get done earlier and not worry...even if I shouldn't be worried. I can't think of too many cooks in the last 9 or 10 months that I haven't used this tool. I kinda know my coolers now by how many racks of ribs they will hold!
 
I do the meat to finish about 2 hours before the time my wife says the meal is being served. Sometimes it goes into a stall and ruins my time table. By giving myself a 2 hour cushion I never have to ask guests to wait another hour because the meat did not co operate. Plus as mentioned rested meat is tender tender tender....
smile.gif


I have kept a hot pork butt in the cooler for 6 hours because our guests were delayed on the trip over the mountians. When I unwrapped the towells the foil was still too hot to touch and the meat was delicious. If you were to leave it in a warm oven the meat would dry out and toughen up. The cooler is your friend in need.
 
For the most part I agree with you Gnu. The last pork shoulder I did, I had to finish it in the gas fired metal box. When it hit the magic number I wrapped it in another layer of foil, shut the box off, and pulled the meat 5 hrs. later. It was still warm & juicy and not dried out. I know that the cooler is the prefered method, but it's not the only method.
 
Once you use this method... it really comes in handy. The picnic i smoked for Easter was wrapped in foil and a towel, layed in the cooler at 12 noon on Sunday. The loins finished up about 3 oclock and I wrapped them up the same way. We didn't eat until almost 7:30 and the picnic was still hot enough inside to burn your fingers.... and juiceeee. That's over 7 hours. Pulled the foil and it was actually smokin. Great way to get a meal smoked and layin there waitin for everybody to sit down.
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Hot Threads

Clicky