bagging up pulled pork

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smokindeadstuff

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 11, 2012
14
10
nebraska
Its coming up on midnight.   Got 4 butts at 192 and sitting wrapped up right now I just pulled out.  

I want to bag some up for people at work in ziplocks.  

Should I pull here in an hour and let it cool then refrigerate and bag in morning?

Should I let it sit overnight wrapped up in a cooler and do it fresh tommorow morning?

Should I put it into the bag hot with some of the juice? 

Just wondering what to do to make it the best for them to reheat. 

THanks yallll.
 
Anytime you are Cooling and Reheating meat you are crossing through the Danger Zone...Twice! It becomes very important that Both Cooling and Reheating be accomplished as Quickly as possible...For instance, Cooling a Whole hunk of meat can take a long time, even in the Refer (which is dangerous to other foods because the refer temp can rise into the danger Zone from the Hot Meat you are trying to cool). So a Big Pork Butt intended to be pulled pork should be Pulled, placed in Bags or Covered Pans, with pan juices, to a thickness of no more that 2-3 inches, allowed to cool at/to Room Temp for up to an Hour then into the Refrigerator, single stack, to cool below 40*F within the next hour. For Reheating, Bagged Meat can be reheated in Boiling Water, place a folded wash cloth in the bottom of the pot to avoid direct contact between the Plastic and the Pot bottom, ,now is a good time to add Finishing Sauce, to 165*F IT then reduce heat and hold at or above 140*F. Or reheat Panned Meat with liquid, Finishing Sauce or Au Jus, in a 325*F Oven to 165*F IT then hold at or above 140*F. Crock Pots or other Electric Cookers on High are effective as well. This is the SAFEST method to cool and reheat meat at home, because it limits the time in the Danger Zone...

I will add...In Your situation, if you have time you can wrap them and Cooler them, for 5-6 hours, to get some Sleep. Then pull and bag in the morning. When you get to work they go in the Refer until ready to reheat...JJ 
 
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One thing I've never understood is the 'danger zone' thing after meat has already been cooked.  I thought the point of that was to kill bacteria on the raw meat by getting the temp up fast enough.  Once it's already cooked and the temp drops back down what is the added danger?  I've never really made an effort to adhere to that in my life- I've eaten already cooked meats at really any temperature and never had a problem, but maybe I should be more careful...

OP, I know this probably isn't specific to your current situation, but for the question in general, I got a foodsaver specifically for that purpose.  I just vacuum pack/seal the left overs and throw them in the freezer to give out to friends or keep for ourselves at a later date.  The best ways.  To reheat while keeping the moisture in, I boil the pack in water until it heats up; works very well.  My alternate method that I got on this board was to put it in some foil with some liquid at the bottom (I use apple juice, water, and a little rub), mix it up and seal it loosely so there's some air in there.  Put it in the over in the low 200's and wait 15-20 min or so, that's usually pretty good too.
 
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