Letting Your Meat Rest-

I talk a lot about barbecue with my work associates. Most are unrepentant carnivours. Not necessarily unreformed, but unrepentant. We love meat, even those of us who are being compelled to cut back due to weight and high cholesterol.

One of my associates, Kevin Fisher, shared something he has been doing to rest his meat. Ahem. That is, to let the meat rest for a time after taking it off of the fire and away from the source of heat. This purportedly allows the juices to even out through the meat and improve the flavor.

The tool he uses is an Igloo cooler. Lined with aluminum foil, the cooler becomes a hot box when meat is placed inside and the lid closed. Using the Igloo in this manner allows the meat to be cooked and then to rest in the hot box. Other meats may be prepared, and later added to the insulated box. It all stays hot until ready to serve.

Brilliant!

Kevin claimed to have learned this from a friend while attending a barbecue. This friend used a different colored box for different meats, and always used the same box for the same kinds of meat. Inexpensive, and a very good idea.

Keven even said he could do the meat, then grill the vegetables and get the sides all ready while the meat rested in the Igloo. The grilled vegetables could be added to the meat to stay warm until time to serve.

I really like this idea. One of the problems with low-and-slow cooking has been coordinating the cooking times. Now it will be easy!