Purpose of wrapping meat?

[medicine man]

I see in a lot of threads that people wrap a butt in towels and put it in a cooler for an hour or longer. When I grill steak I let it rest to reabsorb the juices, but only for 10 mins or so. Is the idea the same, or is there another reason? Also, do you do this w/ other things, like ribs?

Thx!

 

[squeezy]

Basically the same, lets the juices redistribute for larger cuts like butt or brisket.

During cooking, such as ribs using the 3-2-1 method, the foil wrap tenderizes and moisturizes by braising.

Hope that helps.

 

[watery eyes]

I do it mainly with pieces that I am going to pull and feel that wrapping it in the cooler preserves the heat and keeps in the moisture that would try to evaporate. The temperature of the meat comes down very slowly and the meat continues to cook and moisten.

I'll tell you this much....it always works.

 

[deejaydebi]

There are also some very tough piece of meat to deal with and the slow steamy rest helps break down the tissues and acts like a tenderizer.