You will have some purge of natural liquid from meats during the thawing process, though this loss is minimal, so should not be reason for concern. You just don't want to re-freeze raw meats, as every thaw presents the opportunity for further liquid purge, as well as reduces the refrigerated life of the meat, regarding freshness, and it also complicates keeping an accurate account of the total time the meat has actually been in a thawed/refrigerated state.
Steam table pans are in use in virtually every restaurant, especially those offering a buffet style of dining. That would be your best route for keeping pulled pork safe and ready to eat on demand. 135* minimum holding temp, and discard hot foods within 4 hours if not held at the proper temp, as I recall.
Ribs, depending on the style, are best served straight from the smoker. Wet ribs could be held at the minimum 135* and should not suffer degradation of texture if held for shorter lengths of time, though they may begin to soften-up after a few hours. Dry ribs would likely not hold at temp very well, regarding texture, as the bark will begin to soften immediately upon being covered, due to the high humidity while under a cover. Any meat which you want to have a prominent bark could be placed under a heat lamp without a cover, possibly using bottom heat with the steam table as well, and this will eliminate the high humidity issue. Of course, the holding equipment needs to be NSF approved and the holding method also must meet the appropriate Food Code rules. Just some basic tips to follow...
Sounds like you'll be a step ahead of the game by studying the Food Code if you're going into culinary arts...it should be snap to get through that portion of your training with a jump-start on your studies.
Gotta agree 100%. With a good attitude and an open mind with the willingness to learn, you will be successful.
Yes also to being here on the forums, Justin! We need more of the younger generations to be here learning how to keep the craft alive by putting their knowledge to practical use, and carrying it forward for others to learn from as well. If I were 30 years younger...wish I knew then what I know now...I'd probably have gone the same route you're planning on for.
Eric
