Foil, towel, cooler, Whoops!

williamadamsesq

Cut the cry ovac off of the 5 1/2 lb butt (which had a sell by date of 8/12) and the smell of pork gone bad filled the air. To the office for the receipt, back to Walmart and exchanged the butt for a 71/2 lb butt. Had it and a chicken covered with mustard and rub by 10pm. My wife made Myron Mixon's cole slaw and we went to bed. Up for espresso at five, had the LBGE rolling and at 250 at 6, and tossed the butt on. Added the chicken at 9. Chased the temp from 220 to 280 on the dome all morning, but things were going well. Foiled both a little after noon. Popped the temp probe of the Maverick in the butt, running the wire over the plate setter. 165 when I closed the dome on the foiled butt, but I must have been at the end of the stall when I foiled it as the temp ran steadily up to 205 at 2. Popped them off and set them in the cooler, covered with towels and let them rest an hour. Unfortunately, none of the posts I've read mentioned that the bottom of the cooler would have a bunch of juices in it, and I managed to liberally cover my kitchen with hot goo when I pulled the meat out of the cooler! And I've got big aluminum pans! So my lesson of the day is FTPC, the p is for pan! Well. A little extra rest time did the meat no harm, and a lot of that stuff needed washed anyway. I was perfectly happy with my pulled pork, though!

Black_Badger

That does look good. I've attained the hell out of a few towels, but never had THAT much juice after ftc. From what I can see it all worked out in the end. Congrats!

B_B

The Cen-Tex Smoker

FWIW- the "Pork gone bad smell" in cryovac is very common. Even the kind that clears out he room for 30 minutes to an hour. I know it's hard to imagine eating anything like that but in almost all cases it's totally safe and will not affect the quality of the meat at all. The real bad guy with cryo-vac meat would be botulism, which is tasteless and odorless. anything smelly that would make you sick would actually discolor the meat. I don't know what it is about pork (and chicken) that creates this smell under vacuum but it's well known that it happens......................................... Not really giving you advice on how to handle it, just wanted you to know that if you rinse it and come back in 15-20 and the smell is gone or going away, you will be fine. If it's rancid, the meat will be greenish and slimy and the smell will get worse the longer it sits out. . I owned a meat market and cracked dozens of stinky cryo-packed pork/chicken/beef sub-primal cuts that cleared the joint out.Not one of them were bad. We had the distributors in, sent stuff back, but over time, I became more comfortable with the fact that tis is common in cryo packed meats. 15-20 minutes in open air and all was good. It happens at home from time to time as well but I've never had a bad one after a little time in the air. i'v had to leave the kitchen at times but they've all been good in the end................................. This may be a little much for most to deal with but it's true. the food you eat at most restaurants smells like that from time to time...................so take it FWIW, but I would have cooked and eaten that butt and served it to you and your kids (and mine) and we would have all loved it.

The Naked Whiz

Not sure why you had goo on teh bottom of the cooler.  If you wrapped the butt in foil adequately, it should not have leaked.  Did I miss something?

Aquacop

Its like I am around the GODFATHERS, shhhh,  its awesome! I am a student, please educate me!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Aquacop said:

Its like I am around the GODFATHERS, shhhh,  its awesome! I am a student, please educate me!

I assume you are talking about The Whiz. We all feel that way. Some of us talk a lot and know a little. Some of us talk a little and know a lot )

williamadamsesq

I see what you mean- they weren't leaking when they were cooking. I wonder if the hole left when the Maverick probe came out could have done it, or if I should've have refoiled after cooking? There was a cup or more of juices in the cooler.

Black_Badger

I never foil during a cook but I think most people unfoil for the final part of the cook to firm up the crust then refoil again once the cook is done. I have seen pics with lots of juice in the cooking foil, but I've never had that much just doing standard post cook ftc.

henapple

Place the wrapped butt in a pan... Pack towels under and over... I usually double wrap... Commercial hdaf

Eggcelsior

Like henapple said, make sure you double foil. You may have already mentioned that, but I am drunk. Errybody in da club gettin tipsy...

Black_Badger

Haha, haven't heard that one in a while @Eggcelsior. Gonna have to fire that up now. Got the new Roku playin' Slacker radio while I get temp stabilized.

yzzi

I usually triple foil. Never had any leaks.

henapple

Eggcelsior said:

Like henapple said, make sure you double foil. You may have already mentioned that, but I am drunk. Errybody in da club gettin tipsy...

I must be old... "da club"? That's how I got my wife. Mancave.. Caveman.

macboy

Can you tell me about the foil/towel/cooler thing? (I think I JUST figired out what FTC stands for  ) )

I pulled my pork off this morning and put into a cooling down 100 degree oven for an hour before pulling. I imagine FTC does the same without the electricity bill?

henapple

FTC... Fondle the cook.

SmokeyPitt

Nothing wrong with a little added insurance of a pan under the butts wrapped in foil.  I have nastified my cooler once before as well with 27 lbs that I didn't do a good enough job wrapping.  

JRWhitee

macboy said:

Can you tell me about the foil/towel/cooler thing? (I think I JUST figired out what FTC stands for  ) )

I pulled my pork off this morning and put into a cooling down 100 degree oven for an hour before pulling. I imagine FTC does the same without the electricity bill?

Just double wrap the Butt in heavy duty foil and surround the wrapped butt with towels in a cooler and it will stay for upto and maybe longer than 4 or 5 hours.

The Naked Whiz

JRWhitee said:

macboy said:

Can you tell me about the foil/towel/cooler thing? (I think I JUST figired out what FTC stands for  ) )

I pulled my pork off this morning and put into a cooling down 100 degree oven for an hour before pulling. I imagine FTC does the same without the electricity bill?

Just double wrap the Butt in heavy duty foil and surround the wrapped butt with towels in a cooler and it will stay for upto and maybe longer than 4 or 5 hours.

Longer:

Cookinbob

I do foil and a giant zip-loc bag. Never a mess but I don't get a lot of juice.

JRWhitee

Thanks Whiz I have never needed more than a couple hours but good to know.