Pulled pork 7 days in advance?

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newbeestl

Fire Starter
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
40
10
I'm smoking bone-in pork butts for about 100 people the weekend before chow time. I've never cooked in advance before. Should I pull the pork and freeze it or just put it in a cold fridge? I've also read to pull it then freeze/fridge it and then shred it before reheating. What is pull vs. shred?

Also, what is everyone's preferred way to reheat?
 
Personally I would pull them and freeze. Defrost put in roaster pans and add some finishing sauce, foil and into a 250 degree oven or smoker.
 
Smoke it pull it then freeze in vac sealed bags. if at all possible. That way all you have to do is reheat it. Which you could use the same vac bags or a crock pot. With larger amounts I prefer crock pot or roaster pot.

Piney you got me by a minute. lol
 
Sounds good, that's kind of what I was thinking. 6 or so days might be too much in the fridge.

I'm using electric roaster ovens for serving. After defrosted, you think it would be ok to just heat it up in those? There the kind that you put water in and then the roaster pan on top of the water.
 
just b4 serving make sure the meat is at least at 140 and your golden
biggrin.gif
 
Pull or shred it (same thing), freeze it in bags. Thaw in fridge for a day or two depending on how much you put in the bag. Day of serving, put in crockpot on low, add pan juices to help keep meat moist and heat. Just before serving add whatever sauce you want or let them add their own.
 
Not sure if others have experienced this or not but I actually prefer smoking in advance, freeze then reheat. It appears to taste better (of course that may just be the liquid refreshment speaking after a long day of smoking). I have reheated in the smoker, in a crock pot, or even a microwave. I usually add finishing sauce and the meat turns out great.
 
Thanks for all the input, freeze it is! I'll do a search as well, but what is everyone's finishing sauce? I'm not a huge fan of the Soflaquers.
 
Unfortunately I was not a huge fan of that finishing sauce either (no offense intended at all), and am looking for a different finishing sauce.
 
Sometimes I'll take a favorite bbq sauce and tweak it a little. Just by adding maybe old #7, or AJ and pepper flakes with more brown sugar. Depends what the mood is at the time. Or I'll have bottled sauce out so guest can decide to sauce or not. Personally I'm a saucer but when feeding larger unknown groups give them the option.
 
I too am not a big vinegar sauce fan...I live right between KC and St. Louis so thats what my sauce tastes like,

Sweet like KC but a little thinner with a little vinegar and a little heat.

Meller All purpose Q Sauce
Ingredients:
· 1 cup ketchup
· 1/4 cup brown sugar
· 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
· 1/4 cup water
· Shot or two bourbon (JD for me)
· 1 tbsp RUB (whatever you got)
· 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
· Dash or 3 Tabasco


I start with this then always tweak on it, adding more/less burbon, tabasco, mustard, honey, beer, seasonigs...whatever you like
 
When I make my pulled pork I use a vacuum sealer and freeze it... When I want it I boil a pan of water and put the frozen product in the boiling water until fully thawed...

I think it is delicious!
 
You need to warm that pork far faster then a roaster pan will, Use the vac bags an heat in a pan a water brought ta a boil then turned down to a high simmer.

Roaster pans will keep it warm just fine after ya get it to a 140°.

Ifin it starts ta dry on ya some, use the left over defatted juices ya saved (hint!), or some apple juice.

I add just a bit a the vinegar finishin sauce before I freeze, not to much, cause it will continue ta break down the meat. Ifin ya don't like that, there is a mahogany sauce somewhere here on the site that works very well to.
 
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