Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

FTC - what type of towel?

nick50
nick50 Posts: 49
in EggHead Forum
Another newbie question, I'm afraid.  Just foiled up my brisket at 160, and getting ready for the (eventual) FTC part of the process.  What type of towels do you use - wasn't sure whether it is the bathroom towel type or a couple of thinner "tea towels" (the kind you use to dry dishes with)?

Thanks
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«13

Comments

  • hoosier_egger
    hoosier_egger Posts: 6,808
    I use beach towels. The more insulation the better 
    ~ John - Formerly known as ColtsFan  - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, Med BGE, BGE Chiminea, Ardore Pizza Oven
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • epcotisbest
    epcotisbest Posts: 2,176
    edited April 2017
    Really? Bathroom towel, kitchen towel, hand towel, beach towel whatever you got handy. Blanket, quilt, fiberglass batting, extra furry puppy, it don't really matter what you use (ok, maybe not fiberglass batting). Just have fun and enjoy the meal. I don't FTC at all, just let it sit for a while, pull it and eat it.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    I use a bathroom type towel and dampen it and nuke it for a minute or less I think. Steaming hot towel. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nick50
    nick50 Posts: 49
    Thanks guys - think I'll use more of a thick towel then.  Thanks for your help

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    I use a bath towel warmed in the dryer.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmokingPiney
    SmokingPiney Posts: 2,319
    bgebrent said:
    I use a bath towel warmed in the dryer.
    That's exactly what I do. 
    Living the good life smoking and joking
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JethroVA
    JethroVA Posts: 1,251
    @nick50 my method is F(TB)TC where (TB) is a clean, unscented kitchen trash bag.  The foil will likely leak and the TB prevents a messy towel and/or cooler. 
    Richmond and Mathews County, VA. Large BGE, Weber gas, little Weber charcoal. Vintage ManGrates. Little reddish portable kamado that shall remain nameless here.  Very Extremely Stable Genius. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Smokin_Trout
    Smokin_Trout Posts: 506
    A clean towel that you never plan on using for anything but BBQ. I have a few that the foil tore and got a little juicy goodness soak into. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,723
    I think many folks are confused about the role of the towel in this. In a decent cooler it's not there to better insulate the meat.  It's there to protect your cooler from the heat.  
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,936
    I've heard some people prefer tube socks.  Just something I heard.
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
    I use a thicker beach towel. Just make sure it's not one your wife will get pissed at you because there is brisket juice all over it. 
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,762
    I use garage grade towels and pre-warm in the dryer if it's gonna be a protracted ( > 3-4 hrs) FTC.  The key is to fill the void space.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,723
    lousubcap said:
    I use garage grade towels and pre-warm in the dryer if it's gonna be a protracted ( > 3-4 hrs) FTC.  The key is to fill the void space.  
    Except that in a decent cooler, the air is a better insulator.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,762
    Once you have warmed the stagnant air.  BTW- I use either an el cheapo Igloo cooler or the SRF shipping coolers for FTC.  Nothing fancy here.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,723
    lousubcap said:
    Once you have warmed the stagnant air.  BTW- I use either an el cheapo Igloo cooler or the SRF shipping coolers for FTC.  Nothing fancy here.
    It doesn't have to be fancy, just something that is well insulated and doesn't allow the air to circulate.  The everyday Coleman-type cooler will work perfectly fine.  No need to heat the stagnant air either, frankly, as its thermal mass is so small relative to the cooler's.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 19,166
    I use any towel that my wife doesn't b!tch at me for using. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    JohnInCarolina said:
    lousubcap said:
    I use garage grade towels and pre-warm in the dryer if it's gonna be a protracted ( > 3-4 hrs) FTC.  The key is to fill the void space.  
    Except that in a decent cooler, the air is a better insulator.
    Isn't hot air from a steamy towel better than a cold cooler from your garage? The same idea as pre-warming the cooler with warm water prior to FTC? No matter, it all works fine.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
    Just make sure the towels have bold stripes.  This can aid having a pronounced smoke ring.  Jk

    All your doing is insulating.  Anything  work. I use a smaller cooler so I don't have to use too manu towels.  A 20 works perfectly.

    Phoenix 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,367
    edited April 2017
    Should be from the Martha Stewart Collection.™
    Anything else is just gauche.  
     

     
     

    “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”

                  - Mark Twain 

    Ogden, UT, USA


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,723
    You can do a whole host of things that will maybe extend your hold a few minutes more beyond the hours the cooler will provide without any additional steps.  It's kind of silly, but knock yourself out.  Then there are steps that are actually counterproductive.  The beauty is that the science of heat transfer doesn't care what you believe.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    JohnInCarolina said:
    You can do a whole host of things that will maybe extend your hold a few minutes more beyond the hours the cooler will provide without any additional steps.  It's kind of silly, but knock yourself out.  Then there are steps that are actually counterproductive.  The beauty is that the science of heat transfer doesn't care what you believe.
    Understood. Thanks John. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,762
    Above true-but starting with a warmer ambient temperature (regardless of how you get there) means more energy available to slow the cool-down rate assuming (hate that word) the heat transfer coefficients are constant.  The degree of hold-time extension could be calculated but the number of variables is way beyond my ability to sort out.  
    Enjoy the brisket.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    I only use pink Egyptian/Turkish cotton blend.  70/30 if I remember correctly.  I've tried others, but this yields just the right bark texture.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,762
    @Ozzie_Isaac - where's the engineering behind that statement??  ;)
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,723
    lousubcap said:
    Above true-but starting with a warmer ambient temperature (regardless of how you get there) means more energy available to slow the cool-down rate assuming (hate that word) the heat transfer coefficients are constant.  The degree of hold-time extension could be calculated but the number of variables is way beyond my ability to sort out.  
    Enjoy the brisket.
    I think the question is whether or not you're better off just using the air in the cooler as an insulator or filling the space with towels (ostensibly warm ones I guess) and then paying the price of the higher heat flux courtesy of conduction.  

    I doubt there's a huge difference either way to be honest.  But like I wrote above, knock yourself out.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    edited April 2017
    @lousubcap

    The pink is so I don't mix it up with my other blends.

    Egyptian cotton has a slightly narrower structure than turkish cotton so it allows the the cotton to form to my brisket.  The stiffer/coarser turkish cotton provides just the right rigidity so the cotton does not clump and crush (which 100% egyptian will do with a little moisture and heat).  I find to much turkish cotton actually damages the bark and to much egyptian steams it like a pastrami.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    @lousubcap

    The pink is so I don't mix it up with my other blends.

    Egyptian cotton has a slightly narrower structure than turkish cotton so it allows the the cotton to form to my brisket.  The stiffer/coarser turkish cotton provides just the right rigidity so the cotton does not clump and crush (which 100% egyptian will do with a little moisture and heat).  I find to much turkish cotton actually damages the bark and to much egyptian steams it like a pastrami.
    Do you use a specific thread count? 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    edited April 2017
    pgprescottsaid:
    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    @lousubcap

    The pink is so I don't mix it up with my other blends.

    Egyptian cotton has a slightly narrower structure than turkish cotton so it allows the the cotton to form to my brisket.  The stiffer/coarser turkish cotton provides just the right rigidity so the cotton does not clump and crush (which 100% egyptian will do with a little moisture and heat).  I find to much turkish cotton actually damages the bark and to much egyptian steams it like a pastrami.
    Do you use a specific thread count? 
    Nope.  I use grams per meter of fabric.  Its a more honest measure.  You don't need. 900GSM, I can tell no difference once I'm above 600GSM.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    pgprescottsaid:
    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    @lousubcap

    The pink is so I don't mix it up with my other blends.

    Egyptian cotton has a slightly narrower structure than turkish cotton so it allows the the cotton to form to my brisket.  The stiffer/coarser turkish cotton provides just the right rigidity so the cotton does not clump and crush (which 100% egyptian will do with a little moisture and heat).  I find to much turkish cotton actually damages the bark and to much egyptian steams it like a pastrami.
    Do you use a specific thread count? 
    Nope.  I use grams per meter of fabric.  Its a more honest measure.  You don't need. 900GSM, I can tell no difference once I'm above 600GSM.
    Good to know for sure.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bhedges1987
    bhedges1987 Posts: 3,201
    edited April 2017
    Step one to making good BBQ is to stop overthinking things. 

    When your to a point debating the type of towel used for FTC, your probably way overthinking other parts of the cook. 

    Kansas City, Missouri
    Large Egg
    Mini Egg

    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories