What is the purpose of the cooler?

[TahoeMick]

What is the purpose of foiling the brisket, wrapping it in a towel and throwing it in a cooler? Do you do the same thing for ribs and boston butts? I did it last night for my brisket and an hour and 45 minutes later it was still hot.

 

[Browser]

The much more experienced brethren will be along later to answer this better, but the idea is (I believe) to continue the cook without and heat source, so that the process of breaking down the collagen in the meat, which gives slow-smoked que it's legendary tenderness, can continue without the outer surface of the meat drying out or burning.
Or summat like that anyway:biggrin:

 

[Thawley]

I thought it was to keep your beer warm like the English do...

 

[eagle697]

You pretty much summed it up. I do that with pork and brisket. THe buts i cooked yesterday sat in the cooler for about 6-7 hours. I check the temp and don;t let it get below 140. I try to stop it at 150. Really helps with your texture and moisture.

 

[bigabyte]

Also, the slower cooling method seems to help the juices redistribute more evenly throughout the meat than jsut letting it sit and do it in the open.

 

[Crüe-B-Cüe]

Because after a long day of being smoked, it's tired and it needs to rest for a little while. It also helps redistribute the juices and helps you get a better finished product.

 

[Browser]

I thought it was to keep your beer warm like the English do...

Unfotunately, most pubs and beer brands have got it into their heads we're advocates of that annoying American habit of chilling their beer to a temperature approximating that of liquid nitrogen before serving

Civilised beer is served either slightly chilled or at pub beer cellar temperature:tongue:

 

[TahoeMick]

I put it in the cooler last night at about 10:45pm and took it out at 12:30am. I thought about letting it sit overnight but was afraid the bugs (bacteria) would get it. Another thing I have to figure out is the whole timing aspect of things. Needless to say, it wasn't ready for dinner time

 

[Harbormaster]

Mick,
The coolering thing is all about finishing the cook and resting the meat.
When I do a brisket or butss, after I pull it from the cooker I'll lay it on some heavy duty aluminium foil, add some berry fruit juice (just a little) and wrap it up in the foil. I put it in an old Omaha Steaks styrofoam cooler. Some will say it actually continues to cook in the cooler, completing the breakdown process (I have never checked temps to see) then as the meat starts to cool and rest, some of it's own juices and the fruit juice will be re-absorbed into the meat itself.
I have actually left butts like this in a cooler, forgotten 'bout them overnight, and they were still nearly to hot to pull in the morning.

 

[Puppyboy]

I have held butts in a cooler for 4 hours and they were still to hot to pull bare handed. The cooler was packed with towels leaving very little dead space.

I generally only cooler butts and briskets. Everything else sets on the counter for about 10 minutes before eating.

 

[eagle697]

If you have a good cooler (5 -7 day) and line it with foil and towels to take up extra space you should be fine on temps for overnight. I have a probe thermometer in the top but just to be sure. if it drops too low i'll go ahead and pull it. Don't open the cooler, as this will cause the temp to drop. As far as the meat continuing to cook, any large hunk of meat will carry over a few degrees even after it's been removed from heat. At the low temps most of us smoke at this shouldn't be but 3-5 degrees. (at least thats all i've ever seen) then again, this is just my .02.

 

[RichardF]

I cooler to compensate for the time between the food being finished on the smoker and serving. Because of the variability in cooking times with Q, I always shoot to be finnished a couple of hours prior to serving, that way if there are any delays, I don't have to push back meal-time. Nothing is worse than staring at the outside of the smoker waiting for food to break thru a temp plateau when guests are wondering when they are gonna eat. If done early, coolering (hot-boxing) keeps the meat at serving temperature until i'm ready to serve. If i'm gonna wrap in foil to cooler, i wrap in plastic wrap first :wink:

 

[Papa Hogg]

If i'm gonna wrap in foil to cooler, i wrap in plastic wrap first :wink:

Excellent...foil should never ever come in contact with meat! If it does you could end up like this:

or worse yet like this:

Consider yourselves warned

 

[Dr_KY]

Unfotunately, most pubs and beer brands have got it into their heads we're advocates of that annoying American habit of chilling their beer to a temperature approximating that of liquid nitrogen before serving

Civilised beer is served either slightly chilled or at pub beer cellar temperature:tongue:

I just had a bunch of that.:grin:

 

[TahoeMick]

I really appreciate everyones responses. I have a couple of other related questions.

First, my brisket took about 13 hours to cook and then time to rest. Do you guys cook overnight. I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to brisket (in case you couldn't tell )


Second, I foiled my brisket at about 165F and then took it up to 180F. Should I have wrapped it in plastic and then foil? What is the melting point of the plastic?

 

[Kenny 13]

I have actually left butts like this in a cooler, forgotten 'bout them overnight, and they were still nearly to hot to pull in the morning.

I know what you mean there. Been there, done that :lol:

 

[KC_Bobby]

1) To keep the beer cold
2) To keep the food warm

Easiest to achieve when using 2 different coolers.

 

[Bigmista]

I really appreciate everyones responses. I have a couple of other related questions.

First, my brisket took about 13 hours to cook and then time to rest. Do you guys cook overnight. I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to brisket (in case you couldn't tell )


Second, I foiled my brisket at about 165F and then took it up to 180F. Should I have wrapped it in plastic and then foil? What is the melting point of the plastic?

I would take it to 190.

 

[FatDaddy]

Ive never wrapped my briskets or butts in plastic before foil. im still as normal as i ever way. *twitch* i take my briskets to about 190* before i pull and cooler. i cooler mine for as long as i can stand it.

 

[Neil]

I really appreciate everyones responses. I have a couple of other related questions.

First, my brisket took about 13 hours to cook and then time to rest. Do you guys cook overnight. I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to brisket (in case you couldn't tell )

I always cook butts and briskets overnight. Depending on how much meat I'm cooking, many times I load the UDS or 'dera up just before I go to bed. If I'm using the Bandera, I make sure I'm up in five hours:biggrin:. If it's the UDS, it doesn't matter when I wake up.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


Second, I foiled my brisket at about 165F and then took it up to 180F. Should I have wrapped it in plastic and then foil? What is the melting point of the plastic?

Can't help you on this one since I've never used plastic wrap, just foil. I, like Mista, wrap in foil at 190*. I then wrap the briskets in newspaper before coolering. I used to use towels but they would get all greasy and messy and the stains never come all the way out when you wash them. Butts get wrapped in foil at 200* and will remain in cooler up to 8 hours and even longer. I pull the butts when they reach 160*.