Butts done to soon, what to do?!

[JackM]

So, I'm kind of in a predicament here. I'm cooking 2 eight pound butts for some friends. Was planning on having them done around 8:00 AM tomorrow morning(sat), letting them rest a couple hours, then pulling them at 10:00 AM and start serving right after.

Well, I wanted give myself 16 hours for them to cook. Figured they would probably be done around 12 hours, but thought a couple extra hours in a cooler with towels would be fine. Started them at 4:00 PM earlier today (friday).

Fast forward 8 hours to now (12:00 AM) and these things are practically done!! So now I have 2 butts that are fully cooked and don't need to be pulled for another 10 hours!

What's going to be the best thing to do with these to keep them good? I don't want to keep them in the smoker and overcook them, but I also feel by the time they cool down and I put them in the fridge it will be time to take them back out and reheat!


Thanks for looking fellas! Sorry about the long post, just kind of panicked when I stuck the probe in there and they were almost done!

 

[landarc]

Pull them off. Cool them down. Split into chunks to cool faster, after they rested for an hour. Refrigerate and grab a nap. Reheat in oven or cooker for 1 hour, rest for 20 mins. Then pull and serve

 

[JackM]

Great, thanks! About to chunk them up now.

 

[Skip]

If you can ramp down your temp into the 170 or 180's your won't do damage and you could sleep and wake at normal time and rest them.

 

[BigBellyBBQ]

if you would have wrapped in a blanket (not a cooler) that would have stayed nice and toasty and would not cook...I have held them in a blankets for 6 to 10 hours and they stll steaming hot, safe temp, then pull em... or previous info ramp them downworks good also...but if you chunk them and cool them, will be big mistake, it will be hard to pull and also lots of time wasted....

 

[Gore]

I've had them go eight hours wrapped in a towel and they were still too hot to pull when I unwrapped them. I would not hesitate to do that for 10 hours. I'd much rather do that than cool and reheat.

 

[BigBellyBBQ]

I've had them go eight hours wrapped in a towel and they were still too hot to pull when I unwrapped them. I would not hesitate to do that for 10 hours. I'd much rather do that than cool and reheat.

yeeuup...cooling down big mistake..I have done it and flavor was lost along with how hard it was to pull apart..

 

[-HAZARD-]

When you say wrap them in a blanket, do you mean that litterally?

As in take the foil wrapped pork and wrap them in a blanket that I would lay on my couch with? Do I then put that inside a cooler?

 

[whitelightnin92]

Yes. In an actual blanket. Juices will leak so make sure its not a fancy.blanket. Then place it in a cooler.

 

[rob_stang2000]

So waht is a safe temp? Do you think they will hold for longer than 10 hours?

 

[HBMTN]

135 degrees or hotter, yes they will hold in a cooler that longer for sure. I have never help wrapped in a blanket more than 4 hours but I guess others have and talk like it works good.

 

[BigBellyBBQ]

be carefull when using a cooler...meat will get that poached look, however it will hold a ong time...the blanky lets the steam escape..however be sure to wash it before you give it back to the wife..
so, I have 4 or 5 that i use just for cooking brisket or butts..

 

[Jarhead]

Foil some bricks, stick them in the oven @ 180 or less to preheat.
Double fold a towel on the bottom of the ice chest.
Lay in the bricks.
Cover with another double folded towel.
Close the lid to preheat the cooler.
Foil your butts and stick em in.
Fill as much of the chest up as possible with crumpled newspaper, more towels, blankets or whatever is an insulator.
They will still be at 180 or so after 10 hours.
They are not as good as fresh off the smoker, but still good.
Pull and it's chow time.
Just saw this was posted 2 weeks ago. LOL. Too late now.