Plastic wrap to wrap with?

[Alsta]

Morning all,

I follow a smoking group on FB for the MB gravity smokers - Last night I saw an unusual post about someone using Seran (plastic ) wrap after the cook when resting a shoulder. They claimed that it helps maintain heat and juices when holding for an extended amount of time.
Quite a few in the comments said that they did this and it worked well

I figured before I tried something potentially icky that I would check in with those that I know what they are doing.

 

[mr_whipple]

I don't but a friend of mine does for an hour at least before pulling/shredding. I've never had a problem chowing down the pulled pork he shares.

 

[chopsaw]

helps maintain heat and juices when holding

That's my go to for doing briskets . About an hour rest on the counter . As the meat cools it draws the plastic tight to the meat , which I think causes it to pull moisture , some of it condensed steam back into the meat . I actually did it the first time just to keep the grease / juice off my towel . I really liked the effect of it , and have used that on the last 3 briskets , all with positive results .
Cover with plastic ,

Then a towel .


After resting you can see the plastic sucked down tight .

Really added to the tenderness .

 

[02ebz06]

I wrap in butcher paper and beach towel.
Would think too much heat would escape with just plastic wrap.

 

[bill1]

I wouldn't be too quick to put it on. Some is made of polyethylene which can have a melt point as low as 220F. If there's any chance (e.g. out of a kitchen oven) you meat could be that hot, I'd wait a couple minutes before putting it on. But I frequently let it get hot and shrink. Adding towels on top keeps the heat in. The fact the wrap is so thin doesn't then hurt a bit.

Chopsaw's pictures, using a pan and the wrap sucking down to it, look ideal.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Well looks like you have some opinions here and it's a trial-and-error deal for you now to see what works best for you.

Warren

 

[mneeley490]

I wouldn't be too quick to put it on. Some is made of polyethylene which can have a melt point as low as 220F. If there's any chance (e.g. out of a kitchen oven) you meat could be that hot, I'd wait a couple minutes before putting it on. But I frequently let it get hot and shrink. Adding towels on top keeps the heat in. The fact the wrap is so thin doesn't then hurt a bit.

I wouldn't use regular plastic wrap, either. The kind I use is a commercial grade, bought at a restaurant supply store, and is supposed to be good for up to 400°. I haven't tested it at that temp, but I do wrap pastrami out of the smoker in it to keep the steamy moisture inside. Works like a champ.

 

[bill1]

...good for up to 400°...

almost certainly isn't polyethylene wrap then but a more expensive Teflon-like product. Anything out of a smoker is going to less than than 400F, but then again sometimes I grill a steak. If meat is sizzling, it's boiling oils, which means it's over 550F. So just a reminder, compared to metals, any plastic is a low temperature material. It's always a good idea to know the temperature of what you're handling and the usable heat range of the tools and materials you're using on it.