Pulled pork is going to be very late!! Advice on keeping good untill tomorrow

[DaveDesign]

Hi all

So my first pulled pork... I'd figured 6 hours. Bit were looking at 12!!!

I figure it'l be done around 9.30 pm then a couple of hours rest so it' gunna have to be eaten tomorrow.

How best to keep it? After resting it'l be around 11.30pm. Shred it and wrap it in foil too cool down over night?

 

[TulsaJeff]

Personally, I'd go ahead and shred it and refrigerate if it's going to be that long. Hopefully you were able to save some of the juices-- you can add more of the juices and more rub during the reheat and it'll taste great.

 

[TulsaJeff]

If you place the shredded meat in a foil pan covered in foil, it'll be ready to put into the oven to reheat. If you don't have any or enough of the juice, I sometimes use a stick or two of butter plus some extra rub. You just can't go wrong with butter.

 

[sky monkey]

If you have a good cooler and some towels you don't mind smelling like delicious smoked pork you could hold it in there for a good 8 hours and it'll still be ready in the morning. I've held brisket for over 7 hours and the IT was still 145°F when I served it. You have to monitor the IT though, if it falls below 130°F you have to reheat it. But wrapped in double foil and towels in a good cooler it will stay safe for a long time. There are some other threads I learned about that here on SMF. In the brisket section I believe.

Of course then it's pulled pork for breakfast, lol. Probably going to have to be reheated anyway. I'd shred before cooling for the night after it's rested.

 

[DaveDesign]

I'm in for the long game and happy with that.
Currently foiled and at 189 on the smoker. But still have a couple of hours rest after it hits 205.
I'l rest it and shred it then go back to bed
Just a case of what's the best to keep it good untill tomorrow.
What's best for reheating also?

 

[TulsaJeff]

I usually reheat at 275°F (135°C) or so.. probably 30 minutes give or take depending on how full the pan is.

 

[DaveDesign]

Thanks guys!!

 

[DaveDesign]

10.33pm....
Not long left

 

[DaveDesign]

Shall I put ALL of the juices in from the foil when shredding I guess so as it will have some cooling and reheating

 

[TulsaJeff]

That part is really based on your preferences.

I usually pour the juices into a jar and put it in the fridge first. The fat will congeal at the top in a few hours and can be scooped off leaving you with just good tasty meat juice.

Of course if you have a fat separator (I don’t), you can do that in an instant and go ahead and pour the juice over your shredded pork if you like.

Or, you can just pour the juices from the foil right over the meat and not worry about it… Fat is flavor after all:D

 

[DaveDesign]

Okay cool thats great!
I'll pull the pork and jar the juices untill tomorrow.
Never done it before to know my preference.... but you can add it but not take away!

 

[DaveDesign]

So my miss guided 6 hour smoke was actually 14hours!!
It tastes good though! Fridged untill I reheat and sauce it later for dinner
Had some temp swings that were a challenge to reign in after 8 hours when i put a chimney of coal in.
All in all pretty happy though. Learnt a few lessons to say the least!