Looking to keep smoked Pork Butt as fresh as possible for an extended period of time..

[dondee]

Afternoon all,

First off, this place is an amazing wealth of information.  For that I want to thank you all.  Done a few pork shoulders, ribs and butts, all getting better each time.  (Almost to the point I could do a Q-view without embarrassment!)

The scenario I have is this:

Saturday is a bachelor party I was going to do about 20-25lbs worth of pork butts for.  The party isn't until 4pm in the afternoon (obviously I'd like to have everything set way before that, as people would eat in the time frame of about 430).  I was messing around with a couple different options, as I have a smaller MES 30.  I notice a big difference in temperature from the top shelves than the bottom which would greatly prolong cooking if I were to start this sat am...Keep in mind I have a bunch of other stuff to get ready as well...

My question is:  Can I get all this cooked Friday Night/Very early Sat morning and keep it in some way it would still be fresh for a 430 eating time? Whether it be refrigerate it, leave it on low in the oven for 18 hours, etc.  Since the smoker probably wont be able to accommodate all that pork at once, I was looking into cooking part of it in the oven and then pull it all together, hopefully meshing the flavors.  Please feel free to provide comments, or if you would approach this in some particular way Im not seeing..  I reallly appreciate any help in advance.  Thanks.

Don

 

[jayj123]

I do this all the time. Cook the butts ahead of time, let them cool, then wrap in foil and refrigerate up to three days ahead. Day of the event, put the foiled butts into the oven @250* for two to three hours and they come out as if you had just pulled them from the smoker. You can go higher temp and less time if you need to.

Actully, I just pulled a fully cooked butt that I had vacuum sealed and frozen. Pulled it out Thursday night to thaw and threw it in the oven at 6:30 this morning at 300*. Wife took it to work with her at 8:00 and it recieved rave reviews.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Don, Smoke the pork any time you are ready. Use whatever method to get to 205*F and let it rest, reserving the pan juices, then Pull it, Bag it and when sufficiently cool refer it. A couple of hours before service, place the pork in pans add the pan dripping and a Finishing Sauce, cover and reheat in a 325*F (USDA rec) oven until it hits 165-175*F . Serve or hold above 140*F until needed. If you have a large Crock Pot heat on High to 165*F then switch to warm and hold...JJ

Note: For Safety always reduce the bulk so Cooling happen ASAP. Pulled Pork spread out in a Bag or Pan cools faster than a big Roast. The same is true for Reheating, get it done ASAP. Always avoid prolonged time in the Danger Zone...

 

[jirodriguez]

Yup.... PP reheats beutifully.

 

[big dee]

What JJ said. When doing pork for large group where I would like to enjoy the festivities, I always do mine ahead of time. Pulled and in fridge or freezer depending on how far in advance I do it. Reheat in the oven. Always comes out just like I pulled right out of the smoker.

Dennis

 

[scarbelly]

Don, Smoke the pork any time you are ready. Use whatever method to get to 205*F and let it rest, reserving the pan juices, then Pull it, Bag it and when sufficiently cool refer it. A couple of hours before service, place the pork in pans add the pan dripping and a Finishing Sauce, cover and reheat in a 325*F (USDA rec) oven until it hits 165-175*F . Serve or hold above 140*F until needed. If you have a large Crock Pot heat on High to 165*F then switch to warm and hold...JJ

Note: For Safety always reduce the bulk so Cooling happen ASAP. Pulled Pork spread out in a Bag or Pan cools faster than a big Roast. The same is true for Reheating, get it done ASAP. Always avoid prolonged time in the Danger Zone...

Do this all the time and it works awesome 

 

[dondee]

Guys thank you for the responses, I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow.  What kind of bag would you put the finished pulled pork in for ahead of time refridgeration?  Dependent on room that may be a better option than a foil pan.  Again thank you all for the help.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Gallon size Heavy Ziptop Freezer Bags are a good choice. If using generic bags or regular duty bags you should put them in a baking dish to catch leaks. Don't need a mess in the refer...JJ

 

[rp ribking]

Guys thank you for the responses, I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow.  What kind of bag would you put the finished pulled pork in for ahead of time refridgeration?  Dependent on room that may be a better option than a foil pan.  Again thank you all for the help.

I use a plain ole gallon zip lock bag, get about 4lbs in it. Then all the fat drips to the bottom, more au ju for reheating!!!

 

[konsmoker]

I'm in a similar predicament. I'll be smoking a 10 lb. pork butt this Friday around 3 pm. The party isn't until 2:00 pm the next day and i'll need to drive 30 minutes away to the party. I figure I'll be pulling around 2:30 AM. So I need to figure out wether I should try to keep it warm for the 12 hour wait or just bag it with the juices and throw in the refer, and reheat a couple hours before serving in the crock pot or other method? Any ideas or tips on this scenario? Want to impress the future in laws.... 

 

[trailboss58]

has any one reheated useing boiling water and a cooking bag? i like the way it retains its color and smell.

 

[jarjarchef]

Chef Jimmy has laid out the plan perfectly. I do the method he has described all the time. Since it takes a lot of time and fuel to do a PP smoke, we usually will do 3-4 at a time and portion it out and freeze. Gives us some quick meals during the busy week.

Kon you can do several things. You can reheat the day of, you can start your smoke later and finish in the oven while you sleep and pull it first thing after letting it rest or you can do the crock pot method. Really up to you. As for the transport your main thing is keeping it hot. If you have a small cooler you can wrap your hot pork in the pans with a beach towel and place it in the cooler. As long as you don't open and close the cooler you will keep your temps. I used this method for a party of 200 and the product stayed hot for hours. Depending on the timing you could heat it up at their place, just have it oven ready.

 

[konsmoker]

I've read others using a similar method with vacuum sealed bags. I think your idea is pretty economical for short term storage! I'll have to try that sometime. Thanks!

 

[jarjarchef]

has any one reheated useing boiling water and a cooking bag? i like the way it retains its color and smell.

In the catering location I work at we unfortunately are not set up for large volume smoking. The pulled pork we get in to use is vacuum packed. It reheats very well and holds up. The only issue we run into every now and then is when the bag breaks.

 

[konsmoker]

Thank you so much jarjar! That helps me out a lot and gives me some options! I like your smoke later and oven through the night idea. I'd really like to keep that moist meat with that bark texture as well. so I guess thats why i'm afraid of the refer. I heard the bark will lose it's crunch once refrigerated? 

 

[jarjarchef]

If you are going to do the oven route then you will need to wrap it. If you don't you run a risk of drying it out. If you plan to travel for 30 min with it hot you will have to wrap it and you will loose your crunch in the bark.

This is how I do the oven method:
Place the pork in a pan with some type of a mop sauce. I use 2 parts beer, 1 part apple juice, 1/2 part cidar venager, 1 part BBQ sauce and a small amount of rub seasoning.

Wrap with plastic wrap. Yes plastic wrap!
Cover with foil. For some reason the plastic will not melt with the foil over it. I have done this several times.
Place in oven at 225 degrees until it is fall off the bone tender. The time will depend on what temp the meat is when you put it in the oven.
Let sit for an hour or two so the meat can rest.
Drain the broth into a pitcher. As it sits the fat will rise to the top. Skim it off and save the broth for adding to the pulled pork.
Pull the pork and season as needed. Wrap and keep hot or quickly chill to below 40 degrees in less than 4 hrs.

 

[konsmoker]

Thanks again for your time and help on this! I'm not used to transporting or keeping meat warm. Most of my smoking stays here at home so this is new, but the info is really helpful for now and future outings. I'll post back or pm with the final method and results. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge