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My pork shoulder stalled for hours, so I tried wrapping it in a beach towel
I was cooking a 9 pound shoulder for a family thing in Phoenix, and it hit 160 degrees and just stopped. After 4 hours stuck there, I got desperate. I pulled it off, wrapped it tight in foil, then wrapped the whole thing in a thick towel and put it in a cooler. Two hours later, it was at 203 and perfect. Has anyone else used a cooler rest as a rescue move for a stubborn stall?
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oscarw831mo ago
Hah, been there. My last brisket stalled hard at 170. I just shut the smoker off, left the meat wrapped inside, and let the whole thing cool down together for a few hours. The carryover heat pushed it right through. Sometimes you just gotta stop fighting it and let the residual heat do the work.
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simonp471mo ago
Oh, that's a smart save. I've done the cooler trick too, but before the cook was even done. My last brisket just would not push past 175, no matter what. I finally pulled it, wrapped it in butcher paper, then a towel, and let it sit in a cooler for almost three hours. It kept cooking from its own heat and finally got tender. Sometimes the fire just gives up, but the meat's own heat can finish the job.
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ross.felix1mo ago
Yeah, it's like when you gotta step back and let things finish on their own time. Works with more than just meat, I mean.
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