Help Please

[glenwood]

I am thinking of buying a Bradley Smoker.  Over here in the old country smoking is a lost art and to get anything good you have to do it yourself.  This forum is really making up my mind for me and the new smoker will arrive soon.  It might seem daft to all you happy smkers but could somone please tel me what is meant by FTC. I see it many times in the forum but my small brain cannot work out what it means.
Many thanks,
Glenwood

Nil Ilegitmate Desperandum

[car54]

Wrap the meat in aluminum foil, wrap a towel around it and put it in a cooler so the heat is retained and it can continue to cook. This is done for at least an hour. If you just want to hold the temperture and serve later it will stay warm for hours. Some people pour a little apple juice in the foil fot added moisture.

[nsxbill]

Hello Glenwood,

Welcome to the list. There are variations to the FTC thing.  You can wrap in saran, then foil, then cooler, but bottom line is that when doing larger cuts of meats, ribs, etc, the time spent resting in the cooler allows the meat to rest and the collagen breaks down even further, thus leaving you with more tender and juicy product.

I just did 12 sides of BB ribs this weekend.  Smoked 4 hours, and because I was bumping up against a time deadline, I wrapped each side in foil after adding some BBQ Sauce and 1/8 cup of apple juice to each foil packet.  I finished them to 190°F in a 300° oven, and then into the Towel and cooler.  Unbelievable tenderness!  I did 16# of Pork Butt the day before but just FTC no saran.  It really makes a difference.  I do a minimum of 2 hours!

The ribs were still too hot to handle 6 hrs later as an FYI, when people were going back for seconds.

Don't forget to allow for that step in your smoking ventures.  You won't regret it.

Bill

<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>