holding your meat in a cooler

BTG

After a low and slow cook many foil their meat and put it in a cooler wrapped with towels and newspaper. I've been thiking, why add the towels or newspaper, just more thermal mass to steal heat from your meat since the cooler provides the insulation. I usually don't add anything to the cooler for this reason but I haven't studied it as the Whiz has. Please comment on what you think.[p]I just realized this post has stump response potential. LOL[p]BTG

Porkchop

<p />btg,
this hearkens back to an old timey form of slow cooking/camp cooking known as "hayboxing". the stew is brought up to a boil (212 deg.; bbq temps!), removed from the fire, and put in the haybox. the following is excerpted from the link below.[p]
Haybox Cooking
The hay box is an ideal way of cooking dishes that need to be simmered for a long time such as stews.
It has the big advantage that it is only necessary to bring the stew to the boil and to put it in the hay box. It then cooks itself, without any other attention. If you put the stew in the hay box at the beginning of the day, you can then go on a hike or expedition and a nice hot meal will be ready to be served when you return. [p]To make a hay box you will need a large box, which maybe made of wood or cardboard, and some insulating material such as hay, straw, polystyrene or newspaper. [p]First pack a layer of the insulating material in the bottom of the box, and then stand a billy on this layer while you pack more of the hay, straw or paper around it. Pack the insulating material nice and tight. When the contents of the box are level with the lid of the billy prepare a lid of the material that can be placed directly on top of the billy. [p]Gently remove the billy from the box, and a well will be left in the straw or newspaper that you will be able to slide the billy back into. [p]In order to prepare a stew using the hay box, simply make a stew in the usual way in the billy and bring it to the boil on the fire. Then place the billy quickly into the well in the hay box and put the lid of material carefully and firmly in position on top of the billy
(remembering to put the lid on the billy first) The heat contained in the boiling stew will not be able to escape through the straw or newspaper, and so the stew will continue to simmer and cook for several hours. by log
[p]
[ul][li]Camp Cooking[/ul]

The Naked Whiz

btg,
Towels aren't thermal mass, they are more insulation. That would be like saying you should only have 3" of insulation in your walls because 6" is more thermal mass to steal heat from your house. Using that argument, we can get rid of the 3" too. [p]TNW

Haggis

btg,[p]Another question, posed by my wife, is "how the hell do you get the pork smell out of the cooler after its all done?" [p]Anyone got thoughts on that?

Dos Huevos

Haggis,[p]I would counter with this one:[p]"Who would want to?"

Smoked Signals

Haggis,
Lysol wipes or 409 gotta get all that grease out of the inside.

I have also switched to styrofoam containers one labeled brisket the other pork. Easy peasy. You just can't put a 200F foiled pork bomb in directly on the foam. Line with newspaper or towels like you said.[p]Doug