Have you ever miscalculated and got your barbecue done too early? Or needed to finish early for some reason?

The danger zone where harmful bacteria can multiply is between 40 and 140 degrees F. So leaving your meat in the danger zone too long could be bad news. Handle your meat with care and try to keep it hot until it’s time to eat it.

What is the best way to keep your meat hot and juicy?

Our favorite way is to wrap it in aluminum foil and place it inside an ice chest. If you’d like, you can wrap it in heavy duty plastic wrap first to keep more of the heat and moisture inside.

When grilling chicken, you can take the chicken off the grill about an hour before it’s time to eat and place it in an ice chest lined with aluminum foil, letting the chicken cook with it’s own heat. This works for different kinds of meat, but it generally works best with meat off the grill than off the smoker since meat off the grill is usually hotter.

We prefer to use foil and an ice chest to retain the heat in the meat rather than letting the meat cool off and reheating it. If you’re one of those still learning your timing or just want to get done early for some reason, aluminum foil is the way to go!

Do you have any other ideas for keeping barbeque hot and juicy? If you have a bbq tip to share, please leave a comment.

Lavern Gingerich

PS. Don’t miss our bbq tips in the articles and videos section. There’s some juicy stuff over there!