Long hold for pork butts?
- Thread starter jeffshoaf
- Start date
Hoss
Quintessential Chatty Farker
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- Dec 31, 2009
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- Hernando,MS
Yep.It works. 3-4 hour hold on butts seems to help it to me.Have not gone longer.Vent the butt first for a few minutes before rewrapping and holding.My experience.
patrickd26
Full Fledged Farker
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- Aug 1, 2017
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- Fremont, NE
Like Hoss said. Vent, and wrap. If you are going to hold that long, then keep it at a safe temp. Pork gets nasty in a hurry if not held correctly.
I do 4 to 5 hours in a good cooler fairly regularly; I'm hoping someone has experience with a 24 hour or long hold. I'm afraid the cooler won't hold it in the safe zone that long - I could monitor, but if it dropped below 140° too soon, I'd need to move it somewhere else and that would defeat the whole purpose.
Yes, I agree - that's why I'm asking if anyone has experience on 20+ hours heated hold. I don't really care if it improves flavor/texture - I'm wanting to know if it impairs flavor or texture.
My oven ranges between 170° and 200° when at it's lowest setting so it's of limited use for testing since I wouldn't use it for the big (for me) cooks due to its location. I'm looking for a used electric smoker to use as a holding oven but was hoping someone had already tried it and could share their experience.
I have done for 14-18 hours in my Turkey roaster -
After pulling off smoker I let temp come down to 160 or so - rewrap - and into my turkey roaster at 145-150
After pulling off smoker I let temp come down to 160 or so - rewrap - and into my turkey roaster at 145-150
I assume you wrapped in foil. Did you notice any difference in texture from a shorter rest?
Thanks!
Yes - wrapped in foil - I actually do my butts in a foil boat - after I pull from smoker I let it sit on counter until IT drops to 160-165 - about an hour - then wrap the butt and foil boat in a piece of foil - and into turkey roaster
Just as moist and bark kept it’s integrity
Maybe a long hold for family and/or friends, but not for paid gigs. Though it may be done successfully, I think for paid events, you introduce risk unnecessarily. Maybe I'm old fashioned or just paranoid. You might consult a local health inspector for feedback. They are there to be a resource as much as code enforcement. It's been a few years since I've cooked professionally and surely things have changed. I would also pose the question in the catering/professional threads and see what feedback is offered. Sorry to be negative about the idea. But, we can still be Brethren :-D
TXArmy
Knows what a fatty is.
Many times with great success. 18-24hrs easy with 5+butts and yeti cooler. My opinion is it improves texture of final product. Quick rundown:
1. Yeti preheated for an hour with hot water
2. Towels/blankets preheated in drier
3. Meat right off smoker on 2 sheets of foil, 5min
4. Quickly, dump water, line yeti w/towels
5. Tightly wrap meat, toss probe in 1 butt, cooler
6. Fill remaining cooler space with hot towels
7. Close lid, don’t open till pullin time
1. Yeti preheated for an hour with hot water
2. Towels/blankets preheated in drier
3. Meat right off smoker on 2 sheets of foil, 5min
4. Quickly, dump water, line yeti w/towels
5. Tightly wrap meat, toss probe in 1 butt, cooler
6. Fill remaining cooler space with hot towels
7. Close lid, don’t open till pullin time
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2014
- Location
- Detroit...
nothing wrong with checking with the health inspector but a long hot hold is how the professionals do it.
Thanks for the responses! I don't do commercial gigs but I do have a a big (for me) cook for my extended family each year where I do 3 or 4 butts and grill chicken (5 or 6 spatchcocked chickens on the big Santa Maria but flipping the whole birds last time bothered my carpal tunnel so will probably switch to chicken parts). I'm thinking about doing one of two more similar sized or larger cooks this year.
I've been smoking the butts overnight and using the cooler method to hold until meal time, then getting someone to pull the butts with a little supervision while I man the grill. I'm smoking the butts in a Southern Q Limo Jr. with a temp controller but I don't sleep well while keeping an ear out for a pit temp alert; add all the prep work that has to be done the day-of and I'm exhausted by meal time.
I'm considering smoking the butts overnight a day prior and then holding them 24+ hours so I can get a better night's sleep and be less tired so I can enjoy the event more. I'm uncomfortable holding that long in a cooler so I'm looking at getting an electric cabinet smoker just to hold the butts (and maybe briskets if the price ever comes down a bit) in the 150°-ish range for those 24+ hours.
This would also open up the option of me scratching the stick burner itch since I could do a hot and fast smoke the day before and hold until the event.
I've been smoking the butts overnight and using the cooler method to hold until meal time, then getting someone to pull the butts with a little supervision while I man the grill. I'm smoking the butts in a Southern Q Limo Jr. with a temp controller but I don't sleep well while keeping an ear out for a pit temp alert; add all the prep work that has to be done the day-of and I'm exhausted by meal time.
I'm considering smoking the butts overnight a day prior and then holding them 24+ hours so I can get a better night's sleep and be less tired so I can enjoy the event more. I'm uncomfortable holding that long in a cooler so I'm looking at getting an electric cabinet smoker just to hold the butts (and maybe briskets if the price ever comes down a bit) in the 150°-ish range for those 24+ hours.
This would also open up the option of me scratching the stick burner itch since I could do a hot and fast smoke the day before and hold until the event.
TXArmy
Knows what a fatty is.
Fair, I was the same way when I attempted. 12 butts came off between 2130-2300. Used cooler method above. Butts were still at 150-152 at 1830 the following day. Daunting to consider, I know, but gave me all the confidence I need to leverage the process and get sleep!
seattlepitboss
is one Smokin' Farker
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2009
- Location
- Seattle, WA
I have a party coming up to which I will be bringing Q. My plan was to partly cook the butts and ribs, let them cool and pack them like that, then finish on site in an oven. Figuring after they are in the smoke 2-3 hours they won't need much more. What do you think?
TXArmy
Knows what a fatty is.
Ribs are different animal, pun intended. Butts-easy to cook and hold for long time. Never tried with ribs. Believe they would toughen or soften too much but only one way to find out. Do a test run!
How long between the cook and the eat? I've used the cooler hold for smoked pork ribs for 5 or 6 hours. Foil wrapped right after pulling from the smoker, packed in a good cooler with the extra space filled with towels and get were still too hot to handle when I unwrapped. Its been several years back but I think they were spare ribs.
I asked a similar question last year, and this year I am planning on a pork butt (among other things) for super bowl party. I planned on smoking Saturday, and holding in my turkey over OR my SV setup until time to eat Sunday (2-3ish; game is at 4:30)
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=298697&highlight=pork
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=298697&highlight=pork
