Frozen Pulled Pork

[buckeye024]

Last fall, when it started getting cold out, I smoked up a couple butts to get me through the winter. I pulled them and placed it multiple plastic containers so the family could pull out a single meal, reheat it quickly in the microwave, and eat. I've noticed, for some reason, the re-heated meat tastes much smokier than freshly pulled pork. It's much more flavorful. In fact, it's incredibly delicious. Is it just me or has anyone else experienced this?

 

[eaglewing]

YES, but I just attributed it to the fact that on 'smoke day' you are around the meat all day, smelling the smoke, filling your house with the smell when you pull the pork, and then by the time you eat it on smoke day it is not as 'strong' as when you just take the meat out of the freezer and heat it up. You were used to it on smoke day and it seems FRESH on reheat day so it seems stronger.

In other words, your sensation on 're-heat' day is the same as a guest would be on smoke day who maybe just arrived at your house.

Is that making any sense??

 

[mballi3011]

I agree with Eagle and think that the house fills up with the smell of smoking. But then the more time the meat hangs out together it will take on more smokey flavor too.

 

[buckeye024]

I don't think it's because were used to the smoke. My family thinks its better after freezing too and they usually aren't around when I'm smoking it, only after its done.

 

[rbranstner]

I agree with the statement that when you are in the smoke all day it may not taste as good as later. That is true for me anyway. When I am around the smoke and my colths smell like smoke all day I get sick of the smell. But also I think as the meat sits and the flavors meld together it starts to get a better flavor as well.

 

[countryboy19]

Hmmm... does anybody else think that there is only one way to tell?

Do some fresh, and pull some frozen stuff out of the freezer on the same day and see if you notice a difference. It they taste relatively the same, then I would guess its the "smoke smell" that is desensitizing our taste, but if the frozen one does, in fact, have more smokey flavor then it would have to do with the flavors concetrating more over its rest in the freezer I would think.

Time for a test?
I don't have any frozen PP to test this with.

 

[eaglewing]

I like this idea... just means MORE SMOKING!!!!!

But I guess the one variable would be, "How old should the freezer meat be"? Months? only weeks?



AGREED, I don't doubt it's a little of both really!!

 

[badfrog]

Hmmm... I have noticed that as well and always attributed it to the "haven't been in the smoke all day" theory; I wonder if there is any science that would support the idea that anything has changed? Where is Alton when you need him!!!

I like the taste test idea...

 

[jjwdiver]

My parents used to blame us kids for "smelling bad" we never noticed until we would leave our rooms for a while and them come back to the stink.


I just re-heated some pulled pork yesterday and did notice the same thing...it smelled more smokey, even though the day before I smoked up some ribs and the house still smelled of the ribs.

 

[timtimmay]

I think its more likely that the pork just 'ages' and actually has more smoke flavor, or better distributed smoke flavor. I don't think it based on saturation of the senses.

A good test of this is to bring over freshly smoked pulled pork and frozen/reheated pulled pork to my house and I'll do a blind taste test for ya! You bring the pulled pork, I'll have the beer fridge stocked.

 

[justsmoke2]

Well maybe its like cheese. The longer you let it go before eating the more smokey it taste.

 

[dirt guy]

I like this idea... just means MORE SMOKING!!!!!

But I guess the one variable would be, "How old should the freezer meat be"? Months? only weeks?

Awesome idea. But, it needs to be as controlled as possible. That means whomever takes on the experiment needs to cook enough butts to have twelve representative samples to INITIALLY freeze (Make sure there's plenty!). You would also need to purchase enough wood from the same source to perform each smoke and try to smoke on days where temps and humidities are as similar as possible.

After that it's a piece of cake. Just buy a butt which looks as close in appearance as the butts cooked and frozen; once per month for the next twelve months. Defrost a control sample while the "new" butt is smoking. Microwave the control sample when the fresh meat is ready to be served.

All that's left is call a bunch of SMF members over to be impartial judges. After twelve months, I'm sure we might be able to form a consensus. If not, we'll have to repeat the process!

LET US KNOW WHEN YOU'RE READY TO BEGIN THE EXPERIMENTATION!!!!

 

[buckeye024]

mmmm....num...num...num...

 

[eaglewing]

OK, anything from Belgium Brewery will do just fine!!

 

[timtimmay]

Shouldn't be a problem, they are a client of mine

 

[deltadude]

Smoke is a flavor seasoning just like spices. When you add rub or marinates and let them sit over night the spices on the surface work their way in a bit.
Often soups, chowder, many things taste better the next day because the full flavor saturates that food.

Same with the smoke, most refrigerator freezers don't freeze meat rapidly, it may take 2 - 6 hours to freeze, the smoke flavor will continue to slowly work its way completely through the meat, just as it would in the non freezer part of the fridge.

 

[mama's smoke]

I think it is more from the flavors melding together. This definitely happens when marinades, dips, soups, just about anything that is allowed time in the refrigerator. As it cools, then freezes, I would imagine the same thing happens.

 

[mama's smoke]

What he said.

 

[flash]

Lots of foods, not necessarily smoked, taste better the next day. Spaghetti, Lasagna, even my wife's quiche. Something about all those ingredients working amongst themselves, then getting reheated. Pulled Chuck is better also.

 

[csmith2884]

+1 on this