Vacuum sealing and freezing pulled pork

[JeffD]

Has anyone ever vacuumed seal their pulled pork and froze it? I’ve tried it but comes out dry. I put the bag in a pot of water and boil it as I was told not to microwave it. Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[SCBBQ]

I do it often - it’s sauced a little but not much - and we have a chamber sealer which does a great job -

 

[MJB05615]

I run into the same problem, dry. Pulled, sliced doesn't matter. I've tried putting some Au Jus inthe vac bag before sealing and freezing. Still the same. Other meats no problem. Roast beef, Brisket, etc. Always better from the frozen than the original.

 

[kilo charlie]

I do it all the time...never had it dry ... I put it in the pot still frozen, cover it with water and bring it to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes so it's heated all the way through.

When I smoke a pork shoulder I take it to 203 or 204 degrees IT, wrap it in foil, wrap it in a towel and put it in a cooler for about an hour.. the bone pulls clean out and while there is some fat running through the middle of the shoulder that will never break down.. I "squish" most of the fat into the meat as I am pulling it apart (by hand) and that helps keep the pork moist even when reheating it.

I also add more rub to the meat after it's pulled and mix it all together before serving or packaging.

 

[TNJAKE]

This is how I freeze mine

Pulled Pork

Morning smokers. Smoked a pork butt Saturday and just now getting around to posting it. Got up about 5am Saturday morning and fired up the smoker. While waiting for it to come to temp I got out the butt and rubbed it down with The Gospel from Meat Church. After the smoker reached 225° it was...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Juicy every time. Even when microwaved

 

[MJB05615]

I do it all the time...never had it dry ... I put it in the pot still frozen, cover it with water and bring it to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes so it's heated all the way through.

When I smoke a pork shoulder I take it to 203 or 204 degrees IT, wrap it in foil, wrap it in a towel and put it in a cooler for about an hour.. the bone pulls clean out and while there is some fat running through the middle of the shoulder that will never break down.. I "squish" most of the fat into the meat as I am pulling it apart (by hand) and that helps keep the pork moist even when reheating it.

I also add more rub to the meat after it's pulled and mix it all together before serving or packaging.

I literally do everything you mentioned. On the initial cook the PP is fine and juicy, etc. It's the reheated frozen stuff that's dry.

 

[kilo charlie]

I literally do everything you mentioned. On the initial cook the PP is fine and juicy, etc. It's the reheated frozen stuff that's dry.

I dunno then... sorry

 

[radioguy]

I pull it and save the juices. Not the cooking drippings, just the ones from the rest and pulling. You must rest it. I double foil, then wrap in towel. 45-60 minutes. There is some magic tha happenes during the rest. The meat will continue to cook and soften.
Releasing moisture then reasorbing. I will add some of JJ's finishing sauce, not much maybe 2-3 Tbsp per pound. Vac pack. Reheat in boiling water. Always good and moist.

RG

Is it just me?

OK, I'm new to smoking. Maybe it's just me. Others are raving about my pulled pork. Some saying - best they've had ... To me it tastes bland. The bark is dry but has flavor. The inside always needs sauce (for me). Others are eating it up with nothing - not even a bun. Am I removing too much...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I give mine a rest for 1-2 hours. Then pull and usually add a mix of frozen apple juice concentrate 4/5 cup and apple cider vinegar 1/5 cup to provide some extra moisture. I stop adding at the point where the meat isn't absorbing the mix. Sometimes it takes about a cup and others take 1/4 of a cup.

 

[Chasdev]

I insist on freezing before vac sealing any meat and I always release the vacuum before thawing.
I don't want the juices sucked out of the meat, raw or cooked.
Do a test on two vac sealed portions of the same meat, thaw one under a vac and the other after releasing the vac.
You will see the juices sucked out of the meat in one and not the other.

 

[whistlepig]

I save the drippings in a foil pan and mix that in the pork when it's pulled. Then I vacuum seal it.

 

[sandyut]

I vacuum seal all my leftover PP all the time without issue. I usually reheat in a pan real slow lid on sometimes with sauce sometimes not.

 

[Preacher Man]

I insist on freezing before vac sealing any meat and I always release the vacuum before thawing.
I don't want the juices sucked out of the meat, raw or cooked.
Do a test on two vac sealed portions of the same meat, thaw one under a vac and the other after releasing the vac.
You will see the juices sucked out of the meat in one and not the other.

I vac seal PP about once a month and it's always juicy when I reheat. I used to follow C Chasdev method above, but I noticed sometimes a frozen chunk of PP would poke a hole in my bag. What I do know is fill up each bag with 1 lb of PP (makes for good serving sizes for my family of 3 - 8 oz for dad and 4 oz each for the kiddos). Then I put them in the fridge overnight so the fat will thicken up. Then when I actually vacuum seal the bag it doesn't such the juices out.

Reheat by boiling water and tossing in the frozen bag while dropping the heat to simmer. About 30 minutes later the pork is juicy and ready for whatever we're making for supper.