holding brisket/pork - 3 methods - which?

[early mornin' smokin']

if pre heated with boiling water, a cambro will stay hot for almost a day! They wont warp, can be used hot and cold, and are easy to clean. Sliding in hotel pans is great, 6 half pans fit in there perfect, and it really helps to be organized and have stuff right at your fingers.

 

[Chipper]

I got a couple from Craig's List a month ago and used them last week for the first time. A fine investment for sure.

 

[HalfSauced]

As far as "ramping" or hold temps on the cooker. I used to use an Alto-Shamm slow oven for roast beef and prime rib. Cook at 250 for whatever and then hold at 160. Worked great. So, holding in an oven is doable if you have a true hold oven that's not going to vary between 140-200 degrees while "holding".

The Alto-Shamm is also a very humid environment. Do not expect the same from your cooker, unless it is also a humid environment. The shamm has a very tight fitting door gasket with two small vents to control humidity. Without the humidity, moisture would be pulled out of the product as it is being held to replace the humidity inside the oven/cooker.

The Cambro would be my vote. We have several at the restaurant, couldn't cater without them. BTW... They lose about 4 F per hour. So load your meat at 190 and your safe (above 140) for a very long time.

 

[Plowboy]

The Alto-Shamm is also a very humid environment. Do not expect the same from your cooker, unless it is also a humid environment. The shamm has a very tight fitting door gasket with two small vents to control humidity. Without the humidity, moisture would be pulled out of the product as it is being held to replace the humidity inside the oven/cooker.

The Cambro would be my vote. We have several at the restaurant, couldn't cater without them. BTW... They lose about 4 F per hour. So load your meat at 190 and your safe (above 140) for a very long time.

I've held a full Cambro of butts out of the cooker for 24 hours.

I've seen Winston CVaps hold BBQ over 24 hours.

 

[musicmanryann]

I've held a full Cambro of butts out of the cooker for 24 hours.

I've seen Winston CVaps hold BBQ over 24 hours.[/quote]

What is this?:-?

 

[wheels61]

doesn't the bark get soft and mushy in the cooler or cambro.

 

[Scottie]

I'd take soft and mushy bark over hard and crunchy any day...

 

[WineMaster]

I'd take soft and mushy bark over hard and crunchy any day...

Gotta agree with that

 

[lwest99]

What model of Cambro's does everyone have?

 

[swamprb]

Just curious about using the Cambro as an ice chest for the meats- would ice in a 6" full size pan on the bottom and meats in trays be sufficient? Or would ice and frozen gelpaks be overkill? I haven't cooked that much quantity of meat to fill a Cambro since I got them and still use a styrofoam Omaha Steak box around the house. I've got 2 of the 400MPC Cambros.

 

[early mornin' smokin']

im not sure of the model, but its the standard black one, holds 6 half hotel pans. As far as cooling goes, pre cool it first, ice and cold water and let sit, after that keep a shallow tray of ice in the top rack and it'll keep cool. Biggest thing with the cambro is keep the door closed!! Its not an oven, only a cooler.

 

[DDave]

The same reason a dump truck is better for hauling gravel than a station wagon. Could you get it done in both? Sure, but one is made for the job and the other is compromised to make the job work...

Totally off topic . . . but that is without a doubt the best "correct tool for the job" analogy I have heard yet. :biggrin:

Caught me totally off guard. I'm still chuckling.

Bravo!!

Dave

 

[WineMaster]

Probably more like a Pick-up and a Dump Truck.
But if your only putting some rock around the bushes ???????????????

 

[Balls Casten]

The Cambros work better because there is less dead air or space to heat and cool.
You can place one pan on the top shelf and it will be as efficient as a full cooler.

 

[Poker Smoker]

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/for/1129737661.html

 

[DDave]

Probably more like a Pick-up and a Dump Truck.
But if your only putting some rock around the bushes ???????????????

Ah . . . but the station wagon made it much funnier.:biggrin:

Dave

 

[Divemaster]

Just curious about using the Cambro as an ice chest for the meats- would ice in a 6" full size pan on the bottom and meats in trays be sufficient? Or would ice and frozen gelpaks be overkill? I haven't cooked that much quantity of meat to fill a Cambro since I got them and still use a styrofoam Omaha Steak box around the house. I've got 2 of the 400MPC Cambros.

I also have two of them... Use one to keep the trimmed meat cold and the other to keep the hot stuff hot...

As for pre-cooling, I put a full hotel pan of ice on the top shelf with a half sheet pan under it for support... Pre-chill it for about 15 minutes and then put the meat in... I found that that same full hotel pan keeps every thing below 40* for up to 18 hours....