Wrapping butts in foil when ready

Mop

I cooked a fair amount of butts this spring/summer and fall and have stumbled across what many of you prolly already know.[p]You all know that I cater with propane and many times I throw on a few butts to compensate for what the hog can`t provide in terms of the amount of meat needed for the different caters.[p]About half way through the summer I started to find out that my butts were getting done ahead of the pig so to keep them hot I would wrap them in foil when they hit 175- 180º, leave them on the cooker til they hit 200º and put them in the cooler til the pig was ready, sometimes close to two hours.[p]Now I know the wrapping of meat in foil is nothing new, several of you do it all the time.
My point is that when I went to take the butts outta the cooler to carve I noticed the foil was chock full-O-juice, nice brown juice that I could pour over the carved meat in the steam server.[p]I was never able to have that juice before, Now I use that method everytime I cook butts with a pig, it stays hot and makes a ton of great au jus.......I now put an aluminun pan at the bottom of the cooler to catch and preserve any liquid that escapes the foil....[p]I`m sure some of you might be snickering knowing this all along but for me it was a hell of a find....[p]Mop[p][p]
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Unknown

Mop,
I've been doing this for a while too.[p]However, you can trap a LOT more juices and get the butts done even sooner (if need be) by wrapping the butt in plastic wrap THEN foil. The heat will cause the plastic wrap to seal, not melt. The foil just retains the heat.[p]A full 55 quart cooler full of butts will stay hot for 6+ hours, provided they were cooked to 200-210 internal.[p]And Timmy...I frequent Ray Basso's forum more than here...and we too have been doing this for a long time. Misspelling someones name with the intent of being an ass isn't very funny. In fact, it's pretty much middle school thinking.

Mop

Thanks Steve, I`ll try it next time, I have another little private party to cater for in two weeks.[p]All kidding aside, are you finding this to be part of your routine butt cooking practice to do this now or do you just do it if you are running short on time?[p]Mop

djm5x9

Steve:[p]Are you saying you wrap the raw butts in plastic wrap and foil prior to the cook or are you doing it at some point after the butts have cooked for a while? I know many use this technique, I just do not know the details. Educate me.
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Unknown

djm5x9,[p]I think he takes them to 160, then wraps in plastic and foil.. Takes them off the cooker at 200...

Unknown

djm5x9,
Scottie got it.[p]Take them to 150-160...really doesn't matter.
Wrap tight in plastic then foil.[p]The dinner bell will ring before you know it.

djm5x9

Steve:[p]So is the resulting product significantly moister and less likely to dry out if it is on a serving table? Is the meat flavor improved to any degree? What benefits do you see from this technique?
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Mop

djm5x9, I never thought of the plastic wrap but the amount of juice alone from the butt in foil was incredible..
I can just imagine what it would be like held in tight with the saran wrap........
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Unknown

djm5x9,
Yes and Yes.[p]The other benefits would be that I have noticed a slightly higher % yield when doing this.[p]You retain more natural juices.[p]Easier to shred.[p]Cook WAY faster this way.

Unknown

Mop,
Give it a shot next time. Just be ready for your butts to be done even sooner.

Unknown

Mop,
Routine for catering only.[p]I do them the old fashioned way at home for myself.

Unknown

Mop,[p]I have found if you wrap in plastic and then foil, and hold in a cooler, you don't get all of that extra liquid... My thinking is the liquid stays in the meat...

Unknown

Scottie,
hmmmmmmmmmmm...interesting.....[p]On the two big charity cooks I've done in the past consisted of cooking about 12 cases of butts this way. Each one had a minimum of a cup to a cup and a half of juice in each one.[p]Can't say that I've ever had that much juice in just foil.
These butts were held from 2hrs to 8hrs as well.[p]Interesting.

Mop

Scottie, yeah but when you shred, pull or carve, the juices should be retained within the meat I would think....either way seems better than just leaving the meat open to the heat the full term of the cook.[p]I won`t say how long I take to cook butts..LOL, I might be called a name or two.......I will say this though, the difference in the butts cooked MY TIME with the foil and the ones that take a kazillion hours is VERY minute, if any....the quicker foiled ones MIGHT even be a little better.....I`m not really convinced on the super long times for cooking butts, I find there to be a fine line of doing ones best to low and slow and actually going way overboard.[p]This is not to knock anyone for taking the 20 plus hours to cook a butt, I have done all different ways and to be honest, see no benefit...more negative really, way more charcoal etc...[p]but HEY, thats just me..[p]Mop
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Mop

Steve in KC, its amazing how the temp can be held when the butts are stacked one on top of the other in the cooler.....oh and the aroma when you open the cooler......heaven.....[p]Mop
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Unknown

Mop,[p]That's my thinking, is the juices stay in the meat, so no need to add them back again... To me, it seems more "natural" for the chunk of meat...

Unknown

Steve,[p]I don't get near that amount of liquid.. IF anything, I add a little to the plastic wrap to get some of the flavoring off of it.. I maybe get 2-3 tablespoons. I let them sit for at least 2 hours, and I think that lets the meat and juices settle...

Mop

Scottie, true enough...[p]Hey, Fed Ex me down a great Chicago Pie and I`ll ship you out a box of great beer.......LOL[p]talk to you later Scottie, gotta get ready for work.....[p]Mop
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Unknown

Mop,
oh yeah baby.....good stuff.[p]We packed one of those big 150 qt coolers FULL on our last gig. They stayed above 200 for 8 hours. Aside from the juice in the plastic, there was probably 3/4 of a gallon of it that leaked into the cooler.[p]LIQUID GOLD I SAY!!! LIQUID GOLD!

Mop

DO you guys find any difference from a fresh to a frozen butt in terms of quality of finished product?[p]Mop
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Mop

Woo Hoo, that sounds MINT![p]Mop
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Unknown

Mop,
Never cooked a frozen one, so I couldn't tell ya.

Unknown

Mop,[p]I usually buy them by the case... If I have a big order I will cook them all up. I also freeze them, and have never noticed any difference in the texture of the meat... I get a lot better deal buying my butts by the case, so that's why I cook up 8-10 at a time...

Unknown

Scottie,
What kind of discount are you gettin' when you buy by the case??

djm5x9

Wade:[p]Here in Atlanta I do not get a discount, I just pick them up in the case for freezer stock at $0.69, $0.79, or $0.89 for the freezer. This is for personal consumption and depends on a butt sale coinciding with freezer space being available.

Unknown

Mop,[p]Never thought foil would do so many great things to a butt. thanks for the tips!