Looking for best presentation

[illini]

Company is coming :!:

Need to pre smoke/cook bone-in pork butts a day ahead of serving.
Will be serving the pulled pork out of an electric warmer at an outdoor event.
Should I pull the day before and refrigerate in the warmer or pull the refrigerated butts the day of the outing.
Never tried pulling cold butts and wonder how it would work.
I certainly don't want to serve a product that looks "stirred".
We always serve the sauces "on the side".

Thanks for your opinion

 

[ultramag]

I've never pulled any cold, but I don't think they would pull well. I think the butt would cool down and everything the cooking broke down would gel back up and make it hard to pull.

As far as a stirred look, how would it look any different than after you apply a finishing sauce? I heat up enough pulled meat for a couple sandwiches and roll it around in a bowl stirring it up and really doesn't look any different. Besides, I think it is usually better leftover anyway as long as it is heated up well.

Pull it hot, just my .02 cents.

 

[smokyokie]

We're w/ Ultramag. Besides pulling easier, part of what makes pulled pork the delicacy that it is, is the incorporation of all that good pork fat. We think it needs to be incorporated while still hot.

 

[joed617]

I'd pull it warm and store in gallon zip lock bags ... heat it back up the next day would work well ..

Joe

 

[meowey]

I've smoked ahead a couple times and frozen the pork in food saver bags. Heated it up in boiling water, cut open the bag, fluffed it up, added finishing sauce, and it was just as good as before it was frozen.

Hope this helps.

Meowey

 

[smokyokie]

That would be our recommended method.

Btw, I just gotta ask... why Meowey?

 

[q3131a]

Sounds Purrrrfect.

 

[joed617]

lets see if he lets the cat out of the bag.

 

[meowey]

Meowey was the nicest cat I've ever been around. He was a barn cat that we got from a friend. My younger son named him because he (the cat) went around the house meowing for his litter mates for about two days after we got him. The son said "he sure is a meowey cat, and the name stuck. We had him for about 12 years until feline diabetes developed and we could not get his insulin regulated. He was warm and friendly with anyone that came in the house. I have used "Meowey" as a username for every bulletin board I join since he left us a few years ago.

Here is his picture.

There! The cat is out of the bag and in the sink. Sorry to have hijacked this thread.

Regards,

Meowey

 

[illini]

No problem Meowey
You guys go ahead and chew the cat! I meant fat :P

Thanks to all for the advice. It was surely unanimous :roll:

Well my wife said "I could have told you that" Shucks, I am 68 years old and still don't know anything :oops:

 

[smokin_all_night]

To Illini: I agree with JoeD617. Pull warm the day before and store in gallon Zip Loc bags. Heat in microwave (don't over heat) before use. Remember though, the pork dries out quickly. Keep moist. Don't over heat.

I served 7 shoulders at an office Christmas party last year. I put about two pounds in each bag and kept cold in a cooler and heated the bags as needed. Open the zip loc before heating.

Use some of SoFlaQuer's finishing sauce when pulling to help keep the meat moist.

Serve some of my Western Ky sauce with it as well as other choices of sauces. When "Pulling" make sure some of the skin or bark ends up in the product. It improves the look and taste. Chop some up if necessary and add to the meat.

Regards,
Aubrey Page
-------------------
OTBS #007

 

[smokyokie]

:oops: :oops: My bad, I guess. After all, I did invite you to the hijacking.

 

[illini]

This is the look I am wanting. Where you serve it up with tongs.
We like to select the sauce from many provided.
Put some sauce (your choice) on bottom ½ of the bun, Tong on some pulled pork
and top off with a vinegar based cole-slaw and top ½ of bun.
Then top off the plate from the array of side dishes provided at the family reunion
I can hardly wait!
Hope I can sloooowwly reheat in the warmer without having to stir it much.
It seems to become smaller pieces when I do that.

 

[smokyokie]

:evil: It's just plain mean to put pix like that in front of a fat boy right before lunch time. I've still got 45 min. to go, and no time to go get anything like that!

Don't forget the big slab of sweet onion!!!

 

[smokyokie]

That's where food saver bags and boiling water come in handy. No stirring, just heat, open, and fluff.