I don't compete but am helping a friend in our 1st comp.  MWBA fund raiser.  They supply meat..just ribs and butt.  Maybe only 1 butt.  I'm doing the butt. Cooked tons for eating just never competition style.  My 1st test with two butts turned out great actually.  Problem was keeping the MM warm after pulling.  They were pretty small and I may have trimmed them out to much so they got done quick.  Plan was to split at wrap time and cook separate.  I had to separate them earlier.  I wrapped and took them off for 1/2 hour to slow.  I pulled at 185 and they still got done way earlier than butts.  I wrapped in multiple towels in cooled but they still cooled to 150 before the butts were done.  I just put them back on and took back to 185.  When butts were done I put them next to butts and they stayed warmer. Still put them back on after saucing to warm back up before slicing.  I can see this happening a couple times. It sure worked great for me.  They sliced great, nice and tender and tasted great.  Pretty proud of my 1st 2 test boxes.   Is that legit or what anyone else does?  Just keep warming them back up?....or is there a better way to keep them warm?  It sure worked and as far as I know there are no regulations against that...  Anyway sorry for the long post I know everyone does there different.  Just want to keep this fun and what I did worked but would love to hear opinions.

Who is sanctioning the Competition?

MWBA  Midwest BBQ Assoc.  More laid back, simpler rules from what I can tell...….. and I think all their comps are fund raisers.  Pretty new.

No idea, ask them for a copy of them to make sure.

I will but my question is about process in regard to what others do, not the rules.  I know KCBS allows separation after it's cooked to 145 and returned to the smoker but must be held at 145 after that.   I'm curious for those that remove the money muscle during the cook, how and when they do it and especially, how they keep it warm..and if my method is good enough I that situation.   I have read many different methods but was hoping to get a conversation going here.

If your running a pellet grill, in the past we have typically located the coolest spot on the second shelf as long as it's below 190*, lately we just use a GMG DC or DB as hot hold set at 165* mainly because the health dept can be a pain when doing public sampling and we don't want meat temps to drop below 145*. You can also try wrapping them with a heating pad (They are hot holding not cooking) inside a cooler or cambro if rules allow.

 

I will but my question is about process in regard to what others do, not the rules.  I know KCBS allows separation after it's cooked to 145 and returned to the smoker but must be held at 145 after that.   I'm curious for those that remove the money muscle during the cook, how and when they do it and especially, how they keep it warm..and if my method is good enough I that situation.   I have read many different methods but was hoping to get a conversation going here.

Thanks.  Our Grills will be cooking when I take the MM off so that's probably not an option for just holding.  That's why I just kept letting it cool and putting it back on.  I've heard of guys using small ovens or roasters.  I think a roaster might be a good option....that can be turned down super low.  Thanks for the heating pad idea....that might work as well.