Reheating Pulled Pork From Prior Day Smoke

[illini40]

Good evening

I have always smoked, pulled and ate pork the same day. I have never smoked the day prior and then reheated.

What is your process if you smoke a butt the day before to reheat and serve?

 

[Winterrider]

Bag and SV or boil in bag works great.

 

[kruizer]

Reheat in hot water in a sealed bag.

 

[civilsmoker]

I usually wrap it tight with foil and the finishing sauce then warm it (I do it both slow and fast). I also pan sear it with the finishing sauce if need to do it super quick.

 

[thirdeye]

I like a hot water bath or a foil pouch on a tray in a 250° oven. Either way I prep the meat specifically for reheating. For starters I break down a butt along the seams into large natural chunks, and don't force the 'pull', which sometimes looks like spaghetti especially when you are pulling the large center muscle in a butt. Then I chill it.

This is an Italian pulled pork, but you get the idea on what I mean by natural chunks.


And next I add some reheating liquid to either the bag or the foil pouch. My favorite is a mixture of Coca-Cola and foil drippings that have been de-fatted. A number of years ago I compiled a list of popular reheating liquids and here are those results.

Reheating Liquids For Barbecue

A lot of us have leftover barbecue. Hey, if you don't have leftovers you must not be cookin' enough .... Okay, even if you don't have leftov...

playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com

 

[jcam222]

I usually smoke several butts or more at a time. Usually for gatherings I smoke the day before and save a pan of the drippings and smoked broth. I defat that and mix it back in the pork in roaster pans. Always get people raving about it.

 

[GaryHibbert]

I just vac seal the PP, drop in a pot of cold water, and turn the stove on medium. When the water just starts to boil, your meat is hot, and is just perfect for eating.
Gary

 

[Colin1230]

Great advise above! I SV at 160* for an hour. The portions I'm going to vac/seal go in the frig first with a little au jus.

 

[Fueling Around]

Don't waste your time and materials to vac pack for a near term cook.
Family sized meal is pork and pan drippings into the 4 qt. slow cooker.
Small potluck is pork and pan drippings into the 6 qt. slow cooker.
Large potluck is pork and pan drippings into the 18 qt. electric roaster.

 

[forktender]

Most of the time I don't want to add anything that is going to change the flavor.
Unless a certain recipe calls for a change I just use pan juice or dripn's and a little H2o.
Then I seal it or foil wrap it than into a steamer basket for a few minutes too as long as a few hours.
Dan

 

[HalfSmoked]

Lot of nice ideas I'm to a boiling bag type guy.

Warren

 

[xray]

Long term storage, I’ll reheat frozen vac sealed pork in hot water.

If I’m serving pulled pork for people the next day, crockpot with drippings added.

If it’s just me and I want a sandwich from the leftovers, I’ll nuke some in a small bowl in the microwave.

Any defatted drippings I don’t use, I’ll freeze in ice cube trays then freezer bag the cubes.

 

[SmokinAl]

Bag & SV, or if you don’t have an SV, then just about an hour in simmering water will do it.
It will taste like it just came off the smoker!
Al

 

[illini40]

Thanks for all of the replies. Sounds like I should not be worried about smoking a butt the day before serving.

If I’m following, the general consensus is to smoke, rest, save juices, pull, cool down, and then package up in some shape or fashion.

Bag and SV or boil in bag works great.

Time and temp for SV? Is this for thawed or frozen?

Reheat in hot water in a sealed bag.

If you are taking about boiling water, does the bag need to be a vac seal bag?

I usually wrap it tight with foil and the finishing sauce then warm it (I do it both slow and fast). I also pan sear it with the finishing sauce if need to do it super quick.

Do you mean you put it in a pan and then seal/wrap the pan tightly with foil? Or what is being wrapped in foil?

I like a hot water bath or a foil pouch on a tray in a 250° oven. Either way I prep the meat specifically for reheating. For starters I break down a butt along the seams into large natural chunks, and don't force the 'pull', which sometimes looks like spaghetti especially when you are pulling the large center muscle in a butt. Then I chill it.
View attachment 495238
This is an Italian pulled pork, but you get the idea on what I mean by natural chunks.
View attachment 495239

And next I add some reheating liquid to either the bag or the foil pouch. My favorite is a mixture of Coca-Cola and foil drippings that have been de-fatted. A number of years ago I compiled a list of popular reheating liquids and here are those results.

Reheating Liquids For Barbecue

A lot of us have leftover barbecue. Hey, if you don't have leftovers you must not be cookin' enough .... Okay, even if you don't have leftov...

playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com

Great info, thanks. What do you mean by a foil pouch on a tray?

Don't waste your time and materials to vac pack for a near term cook.
Family sized meal is pork and pan drippings into the 4 qt. slow cooker.
Small potluck is pork and pan drippings into the 6 qt. slow cooker.
Large potluck is pork and pan drippings into the 18 qt. electric roaster.

So for serving the day after smoking, just chill that meat in anything and just dump into a crock pot?

Most of the time I don't want to add anything that is going to change the flavor.
Unless a certain recipe calls for a change I just use pan juice or dripn's and a little H2o.
Then I seal it or foil wrap it than into a steamer basket for a few minutes too as long as a few hours.
Dan

What is a steamer basket?

Bag & SV, or if you don’t have an SV, then just about an hour in simmering water will do it.
It will taste like it just came off the smoker!
Al

How long and what temp for SV?

 

[forktender]

Thanks for all of the replies. Sounds like I should not be worried about smoking a butt the day before serving.

If I’m following, the general consensus is to smoke, rest, save juices, pull, cool down, and then package up in some shape or fashion.



Time and temp for SV? Is this for thawed or frozen?



If you are taking about boiling water, does the bag need to be a vac seal bag?



Do you mean you put it in a pan and then seal/wrap the pan tightly with foil? Or what is being wrapped in foil?



Great info, thanks. What do you mean by a foil pouch on a tray?



So for serving the day after smoking, just chill that meat in anything and just dump into a crock pot?



What is a steamer basket?



How long and what temp for SV?

It just sits in a pot and you fill the water up to the bottom of the basket load your goods cover the pot and steam it for a few minutes until it's hot. Super simple!!!

 

[SmokinAl]

Thanks for all of the replies. Sounds like I should not be worried about smoking a butt the day before serving.

If I’m following, the general consensus is to smoke, rest, save juices, pull, cool down, and then package up in some shape or fashion.



Time and temp for SV? Is this for thawed or frozen?



If you are taking about boiling water, does the bag need to be a vac seal bag?



Do you mean you put it in a pan and then seal/wrap the pan tightly with foil? Or what is being wrapped in foil?



Great info, thanks. What do you mean by a foil pouch on a tray?



So for serving the day after smoking, just chill that meat in anything and just dump into a crock pot?



What is a steamer basket?



How long and what temp for SV?

About 1 hour at 180.
Al

 

[Winterrider]

Al has got ya covered.

 

[civilsmoker]

When I say wrapped up in foil it is just a double layer of foil with the sauce and it is just that wrapped up like you would for a foil dinner in the fire. I like that cause no clean up in the cooking dishes..... just serve from the foil and toss it after....

 

[Millberry]

I just vac seal the PP, drop in a pot of cold water, and turn the stove on medium. When the water just starts to boil, your meat is hot, and is just perfect for eating.
Gary

Thanks a lot!

 

[Inscrutable]

Any defatted drippings I don’t use, I’ll freeze in ice cube trays then freezer bag the cubes.

I do this with all kinds of liquids … various stocks and drippings and sauces. Love having those at hand for remoisturizing or even different cooks.