Shock cooler

Can someone tell me what a shock cooler is and how it works? Do they come in different sizes and what can I expect to pay for one. I have looked for the term shock cooler at several restaurant supply sites to no avail.

Thanks
Dan

What are you trying to us the "shock cooler" for? Is it for quick freezing or to drop the temp of a food product fast. There is shock cooling which is when you cook something like green beans and want to instantly stop the cooling process by submerging it into ice water. Then there are freezers that are subzero and freeze food very quickly. RJF

I am trying to drop the temp of bbqed meat fast to comply with local health codes.

lonestar

try googling

Blast Chiller

You will find all the information you will need.

quote:

Originally posted by lonestar
I am trying to drop the temp of bbqed meat fast to comply with local health codes.

Read the health code your county or city is using. There are some strange rules about cooking smoked food, including the coolng process.

If you're in a rush to get a sauce, soup, meat product, or stew from hot to not so hot, so that you can put it in the fridge for storage, the best thing to do is get it out of the pot, smoker, or oven that it was cooked in and into a wide, shallow receptacle, such as a baking dish or large bowl. Don’t dump 3 or 4 pork shoulders into the same pan. This increases the surface area, thereby speeding cooling. If you care to further fast-forward cooling, surround the food-filled receptacle with some ice water in the kitchen sink and rotate or stir the contents occasionally. Once cooled, the contents can be transferred to a storage container and put into the fridge.

Now there’s more:

Stainless steel is attractive, non-reactive, lightweight, and relatively durable. It's also a poor conductor of heat. Cool food down properly before storing, is simple: One of the most common mistakes when storing cooked food is to wrap it hot and put straight in the refrigerator. This is bad for two reasons: The food cannot cool down quickly enough when it is wrapped tightly, and the hot food warms up the rest of the refrigerator. This is particularly relevant with soups, stews, whole cooked or smoked large chunks of meat like pork shoulders or hams that hold heat much longer than other foods. Let hot foods cool down at room temperature first, before wrapping them and storing them in the refrigerator. To speed things along, portion the item into several shallow containers, loosely covered to let steam escape, and cool more quickly. For a pork shoulder pull the bone and tear the rest of it into smaller chunks. You’ll be shocked at how quickly it will cool.

It’s funny most health departments pay no attention to this what so ever. I have some other notes on this but I can’t seam to locate them at this time, maybe because it's beer thirty. LOL. If I run across them in the next day or two I’ll post them. But you do not need special refrigeration equipment in order to be safe in this area.
Jack@DrofBBQ.com.

PS. One other thought, it’s common practice to wrap a pork shoulder or brisket in tin foil and then in bath towels or newspaper and hold it in a cooler for several hours in BBQ competitions. But I’ve never heard of a health department complain about it. WHY? Do they think it’s not falling (temp wise) into the danger zone? Of course some of them do. Been there done that. LOL

Sometimes after I have pulled it and need to chill it quickly

Portion into gallon ziptop bags and drop in the ice chest with water ice and salt.

The zip top bag can also double as the boiling bag, remove portion you need, place in pot of water and bring to a boil.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr of BBQ

PS. One other thought, it’s common practice to wrap a pork shoulder or brisket in tin foil and then in bath towels or newspaper and hold it in a cooler for several hours in BBQ competitions. But I’ve never heard of a health department complain about it. WHY? Do they think it’s not falling (temp wise) into the danger zone? Of course some of them do. Been there done that. LOL

That's probably one of the reasons that most competitions aren't allowed to permit competitors sell to the public.

quote:

Originally posted by davebugg

quote:

Originally posted by Dr of BBQ

PS. One other thought, it’s common practice to wrap a pork shoulder or brisket in tin foil and then in bath towels or newspaper and hold it in a cooler for several hours in BBQ competitions. But I’ve never heard of a health department complain about it.

That's probably one of the reasons that most competitions aren't allowed to permit competitors sell to the public.

You may well be correct on the sales angle but they are allowed to give it away to any one that walks by, and we do at competitions.
In fact at the world championship we gave away pounds and pounds of brisket, pulled pork, smoked fish, crab,and pork tenderloin.

Health department rules are meant to protect the public and that's cool but most health department inspectors don't have any background in food service.

Jack

Jack

Thanks to all that replied. I found out what I needed to know.

Dan

quote:

Originally posted by lonestar
I am trying to drop the temp of bbqed meat fast to comply with local health codes.

Ok gang, here is the irony of the Health departments requirements and recipes that are all over the web and in many, cook books dealing with BBQ.

Here is a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated (which I think is a credible source) but certainly not a BBQ authority.

Barbecued Pulled Pork on a Charcoal Grill
Pulled pork can be made with a fresh ham or picnic roast, although our preference is for Boston butt. Preparing pulled pork requires little effort, but lots of time.
Plan on 10 hours from start to finish:
3 hours with the spice rub,
1 hour to come to room temperature,
3 hours on the grill,
2 hours in the oven, and 1 hour to rest.

Wood chunks help flavor the meat; hickory is the traditional choice with pork, although mesquite can be used if desired. Serve the pulled pork on plain white bread or warmed buns with the classic accompaniments of dill pickle chips and coleslaw. You will need a disposable aluminum-roasting pan that measures about 10 inches by 8 inches as well as heavy-duty aluminum foil and a brown paper grocery bag.

Step 3 calls for the following: 3. At least 1 hour prior to cooking, remove roast from refrigerator, unwrap, and let it come to room temperature.

Step 7 calls for the following procedure: 7. Slide the foil-wrapped pan with the roast into a brown paper bag. Crimp top shut; rest roast 1 hour. Transfer roasts to cutting board and unwrap. When cool enough to handle, "pull" pork by separating roast into muscle sections (see illustration, below), removing fat, if desired, and tearing meat into thin shreds with fingers. Place shredded meat in large bowl ; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce. Serve with remaining sauce passed separately.

Jack@DrofBBQ.com