How to pack your cooler for competition meats?

[TwilightChrome]

I was wondering how everyone packed their coolers to store their competition meats during the comp weekend? I seem to remember seeing somewhere that during meat inspection they may take a surface temp on your meat. I'm sure you want the meat to be 40 degrees or below at all times to remain food safe. I watched these videos about packing a Yeti cooler, but I don't think raw meat in between the two foam layers would stay cold enough. Priming the cooler and using ice blocks seem like good ideas, but I am guessing you'd have to surround the meat in loose ice cubes as well to keep it 40 degrees or cooler?

http://yeticoolers.com/pages/maximizing-ice-retention/#

How do you all do it?

 

[kenthanson]

Two bags ice laid flat in the bottom of the cooler, meat laid down on top of that, ice layer on that, meat on top of that and ice on top of that. Always ice on the very bottom and on the very top.

 

[cpw]

We just stuff all the meat in the cooler, and cover with ice. Once it's trimmed it goes into a cambro with ice. Of course, we've never had anyone temp the meat before.

 

[Shiz-Nit]

I trim at home then vacuum seal the meats place back in fridge. When packing up I put in a cooler and pack with ice. Once at the comp, meat has been inspected and at a certain time I inject and brine.
I then Fill 2 foil pans up full with ice and place in the bottom of both cambro's. I then place each meat in zip lock bag (different size per meat) and then in a foil pan.
Cambro 1 has Pork and ribs.
Cambro 2 has brisket and chicken
When ready to rub I pull the pan and pull the meat from the zip lock bag and back in the foil pan to add the rub, then back in the Cambro IF needed to rest and rehydrate the rub.

 

[TwilightChrome]

Two bags ice laid flat in the bottom of the cooler, meat laid down on top of that, ice layer on that, meat on top of that and ice on top of that. Always ice on the very bottom and on the very top.

To clarify, your ice cubes remain inside the bags in the bottom of the cooler? And in the middle and the top as well? Or are you pouring the cubes out of some/all of the bags over the meat (assuming the meat is cryo'd or otherwise protected from the water)?

 

[BMerrill]

If possible pre-chill the cooler with Blue ice packs or frozen gallon jugs of water. Its typically 0°F coming from the freezer.
When ready to pack, empty cooler. Place new ice packs at both ends. Pork goes on the bottom, then brisket, then ribs. Chicken goes in the basket. (Yeti 125's have baskets). Ice packs are laid on the ribs and then topped off with ice. If I have room, the Cambro rack space ice pack goes in the meat cooler, else its in the drink cooler. Got to love ice packs.

 

[Roast Beast]

I transport meat in the Cambro, with two camchillers in the top slot. Keeps it plenty cold, and you actually have to be careful not to freeze the meat directly underneath the chiller.

 

[Elancer]

We just put the meat in the cooler and throw a couple of bags of ice on top. We may add one more bag of ice when we get to the competition and we've never had a problem at meat Inspection. As long as the meat is covered in ice you should not have a problem.

 

[dmprantz]

Of course, we've never had anyone temp the meat before.

I did an MBN competition earlier this year where the inspector saw my meat, covered in ice, and then stuck a Thermopen right through the plastic to check the temp, not caring where it went. I asked him if he at least cleaned the probe between sites, and he said "If your meat is cold enough, you don't have to." It took a little bit of effort to bite my tounge that day....

dmp