How to use Cambro as cooler

[RX2006JE]

For those that use cambro for keeping comp meats warm after cook, how can I use the box as a cooler to,keep the meat cold on the way to the contest? Do I just put a bag of ice in the bottom of the box and is that sufficient enough to to keep the meat cold enough?

 

[Untraceable]

yep, I usually use ice in a steam pan on the top shelf (Cold air falls right? lol)

Care when driving, they are not water tight

Ive heard of people putting them on their back and filling like a normal cooler

 

[tonyb]

We put ice packs at the top and it keeps everything pretty cold.

We recently started putting an RV fridge fan in the cambro as well and that works pretty well. Everything stays nice and cold. This is what we use:
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[Porcine Perfection]

They are an insulator. Hot or cold doesn't matter. Like someone said, watch for leakage.

 

[K-Train]

Turn on it's end with the door up. Pt food in and pour ice over.

 

[Funtimebbq]

I use multiple reusable freezer packs, specifically 9"x11"x1"" bricks. I place 2 above and below each full pan. Much less messy than ice.

 

[POWERQ]

Full steam pan in bottom tray and a bag of ice, works good.

 

[MikeJ65]

I use two Cam Chillers. That is enough by itself, but I usually add a couple of ziplock bags in the pans with the meat just to keep the meat inspector happy. Don't put anything right up against the Cam Chillers or it will freeze a bit on the surface. It is nice to pull out butts or briskets, inject, and slide them back in. Much easier than a cooler where the meat you need is always at the bottom.

 

[didisea]

x2 On the Cam Chillers. They slide right into the pan groves and keep stuff cold. They are easy to handle and they fit in the freezer. No drippy ice.

 

[JD McGee]

I toss in a 10lb bag of ice in a hotel pan on the top shelf a couple of hours before meat preps. It is below 40° when I put the meats in to hold before they hit the pits. The next morning I put the leftover ice in the cooler and toss in a pan of boiling water to heat it up before the big meats come off...

 

[BasicPatrick]

I use a Cambro 400. On the bottom of the Cambro I place a full size aluminum pan with two blocks of ice that fill that pan. I put 12 thighs, 3 racks of ribs, 2 butts and a brisket all above the ice in hotel pans. That system has kept my meats very cold for 1-5 days regularly. Last year on one trip we even put frozen meat & the ice blocks in the Cambro and made the trip form Cape Cod to the Sams Finals in Bentonville. The ribs were still frozen 6 days into the trip when we reached Arizona.

I will say that we make our own ice blocks in our BBQ Freezer and ice made at home lasts orders of magnitude longer than bagged cubes.