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FTC?

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flexfusion
flexfusion Posts: 240
in EggHead Forum
What does this mean and how could I have found the definition from this forum?  Thank you!
Auburn, Alabama
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  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
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    Foil, Towel, Cooler


    Just ask! 

    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
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  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    edited October 2015
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    Foil, Towel, Cooler. It's a way to hold food product at temps above the "danger zone" of 40-140. Most often used relative to the forum with slow-cooked meat like pulled pork, ribs, or brisket. 

    just google "FTC BGE" or "FTC egghead forum".
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  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
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    Hmm, I thought it was Fear Terror Carnage?
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
    edited October 2015
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    @Flexfusion From the BBQ Dictionary:

    Foil, Towel, Cooler aka FTC is a method for resting or holding cooked meat.  The meat is wrapped in foil (often straight out of the cooker but sometimes vented for a few minutes and rewrapped tightly), then wrapped in towels and placed in a cooler (no ice).  Cooked meats can often be held for 6 hours or more in the cooler and still be too hot to handle when you take them out.

    Foil Towel Cooler

    The added rest time is often considered critical to a good product for pork butt or shoulder and brisket but with all things BBQ it is subjective to your own personal theories and preferences.  A 30 minute rest would be a minimum goal and a 2 hour rest would be a good mark to shoot for if you have time, but use the FTC to your advantage – if your meat is done earlier than planned all will be cool (or coolered) and it makes traveling with your cooked Q easy and it will be ready when you get there.

    A tip for using FTC in cold weather is to add a couple gallons of hot tap water to your cooler prior to using it to hold the meat.  Let the water rest in the cooler for a half hour or so to get the cooler temperature up and then drain the water and wipe dry; it is now ready to hold your cooked meat and will hold it for a longer period of time.

    Towels or blankets are often placed in the bottom of the cooler and then again on top of the meat to fill the empty space adding an additional insulating effect.

    The FTC technique is not to be confused with the Texas Crutch which is a technique using foil during the cooking process.

    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
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  • jak7028
    jak7028 Posts: 231
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    I am the the group that is indifferent on resting meat FTC if you are ready to eat.  Usually, just let the meat cool down a little on the counter still wrapped in foil or butcher paper, then slice or pull and serve. 

    When I do cook, I plan to be ready about 3-4 hours early to give myself room for error.  That is when I plan on using FTC to store the meat until we are ready to serve.  If the meat takes longer than expected, I am still good, just no need to FTC.  

    I also use FTC as my primary way to transport meat to peoples houses.  That way it is kept at a safe temperature, and you can then slice or pull right before serving.

    Be careful putting the meat straight into the cooler at hot temps.  The meat will continue to cook it is insulated so well.  It can take a perfectly cooked brisket to overcooked.  I let the meat cool to almost serving temperature when possible before FTC.  
    Victoria, TX - 1 Large BGE and a 36" Blackstone
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
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    FTC is great when you have to hold it hot for a while, like if it is done too early. 

    But the idea of 'resting' makes no sense for a piece of meat that has had most of the water driven from it and taken to near-boiling temps. At 200-205 internal, you are driving the water out of the meat. It will never be more moist than if you serve it right away. Witness how steamy and damp the cooler is when you open it. Where did that steam come from?

    i use a smaller cooler, sized for a six pack. And don't bother with towels. The towels are colder than the meat, and steal heat from it. If the cooler is sized small enough, the little air that is in it will take longer to heat up than the towels will, and the meat stays hotter longer. Strange but true. Plus, wih all you guys so panicked about what he wife thinks, she'll be happy no to have to launder bbq'd towels. ;)
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • hoofaloos
    hoofaloos Posts: 242
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    also, F The Cowboys
    XLBGE- Napa, CA by way of ATX


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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,399
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    Regarding towels or not, I use garage quality towels that I heat up in the dryer to fill the void space if I'm in the 4hr + hold window (has happened too frequently of late with high speed briskets).   FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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