Cooking Pulled pork ahead of time?

whoppr · Joined: 26 May 2007 Posts: 14 Location: New Hampshire

Hi all...

We are planning a football kickoff party in a couple of weeks and I was hoping to do some pork butt maybe a day ahead, maybe up to a week ahead of time...

Is this possible possible without ruining the pork and do some of you have experience doing this?

Can I freeze it?

If I can do it ahead, do fridge/freeze the whole butt or should I pull it first?

Ive noticed several folks recommend wrapping or placing in a cooler to retain the heat...How long does this last?

Thanks in advance

whoppr

stevenr · Posted: Aug 21 2007 Post subject:

you can do it ahead of time, and freeze....i would pull it, then freze in heavy duty ziplocs, or vacuum seal if you have one.........

brianlbaker · Joined: 09 Jun 2011 Posts: 1

I am doing 45 lbs of pulled pork for a fundraiser this weekend.

I have limited smoker space so I thought I would do some, if not all a day or so ahead. I have heard that I can pull it and cool it - but not add the BBQ sauce, as it will get an unappealing texture.

How do I reheat it?

I read about warming it in the oven, but that seems like it would dry it out.

Would it be possible to bag it and reheat it in boiling/simmering water?

Thanks,

Brian

roxy · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

You can reheat pulled pork easily in hot water if its vac packed. I like to have a stash in the freezer for those days when every one wants pulled pork sammiches..

When I vac pac the meat I like to add some of the jus.. Makes for a real moist product.
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PhilQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

I do all the time and always have great results. Just had some two day old refrigerated pork butt on my morning gordita with an egg and it was awesome.

If I'm serving the pork within 24 hours I have two methods. One is pull the meat, put about 2.5 pounds into a 1 gallon zip loc bag, flatten it out, immediately put it into a ice bath to speed up cooling and refrigerate. To reheat I transfer to pans, cover with foil and reheat at 350 until it hits 165. This is also a good time to add drippings.

Another option is to cook and leave the butt whole and rewarm the entire thing in the oven and then pull.

For freezing use the same method as first one above but using a vac seal is better. Thaw out in the fridge over night and transfer to pans to rewarm or if using vac seal rewarm in water.

RShellhouse · Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 7 Location: New Jersey

Steam....

Silly as it sounds...I mixed some of my rub in with some water and apple juice...in the bottom of my crab steamer...and steamed it...

worked great..

R

Big Bears BBQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

This Friday I'm doing a test run on 2 pork butts on 2 rubs. In 3 weeks I'm doing 10 pork butts for a graduation party. I thought I might be doing the pulled pork ahead of time but tonight they requested I do it on site its going to make for a long day.

Thanks for the tips on doing pulled pork ahead of time.

Question, has anyone ever added the juice later after they have been foiled ????

PhilQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

Yes I add juice on a regular basis when foiling/braising. I usually add 1 can of sprite or a couple cups of apple juice. The liquid creates more steam making for a very tender finish and a nice hint of flavor.

Big Bears BBQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

If you freeze some up would you add juice then or save some and add it when you re-warm.............

PhilQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

I was referring to adding juice while smoking. After about 4-5 hours of smoking I'll put my butt in a pan, add liquid, cover with foil and braise until it's done

Adding juice when reheating can also be beneficial. I would add a little when reheating and not before. If you add it before and it will just freeze in one big section and may not thaw out evenly.

Also I think some of us when referring to juice are referring to drippings. When I braise meat after smoking I save the juice/drippings and add a little back in when reheating.

Mr Tony's BBQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

I regularly pre-cook butts and reheat. I foil tightly, freeze in zaiplock or saran wrap[ whole, unpulled] reheat in said foil either in smoker, nesco or oven [ in pan for drippings issues] You do lose some bark, but juiciness is spot on! When I vend, I put one in smoker first thing [ 4 am ] so I can make PP and egg sammies for my early crowd!! I do the same with briskets - great breakfasts!!
Butt - if its sealed well during fridge / freeze time, it will be great for 1 reheat - more than 1 and you start losing quality quick!
Be sure to cool as quickly as possible - I like ziplock then dunk in cooler full of ice water - I found 2.5 gallon ziplocks online, they are a good size for butts, they do make bigger!
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Big Bears BBQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

Thanks guys for the info I'll let ya know how it goes............

Going to use some Big Ron's rub and some home made......

Big Bears BBQ · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

Whoppr let us know how you do on yours.......

gbque · Posted: Jun 09 2011 Post subject:

I do it all the time as well. To reheat it I put in a 9x13 with a bit of vinegar sauce thinned with water and cover tightly with foil. Bake off in a 300 degree oven until hot and hold in a crock pot. That's how I do and everyone loves it.
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