Help with Planning!!!

[Branded BBQ]

Hey Brethren...I need some advice.

I play music as well as BBQ. I was asked to cook for a plate lunch event one saturday this coming month. The tickets to the event are pre-sold, and buyers will arrive that Saturday between hours of 11:30 am to 4 pm to show their tickets and pick up their plates.

I will be cooking pulled pork as the meat for the plates, which will require me to start cooking early morning to have it ready. Now, the problem. I just got informed that my bands booking guy didn't check the schedule to see I was tied up this particular weekend and so he booked us to play a show that Friday night from 9pm - 2am. Add about an hour to tear down equipment and load up, plus travel back which is about 35-40 minutes, and that leaves not enough time to get boston butts cooked to pull by 11:30. Can I safely pre-cook? Any advice welcome!!!

[landarc]

Pork butts can easily be pre-cooked even a few days in advance and held refrigerated, frozen even longer. Hopefully you have a vacuum packer, as those make the process easier and the product loses almost no quality at all.

My preferred method is to cook the butts until done, then break into three large chunks, remove the bone and place in oven bag and crash chill in an ice bath. Then vacuum pack the large chunks and keep cold until time to reheat, just use a hot water bath to heat the meat, or you can remove from the bags and heat them in a smoker or oven. Then pull and plate.

[rickr96]

Pork Butts seem to be the most reheat friendly of the meat I prepare. I've done them a day ahead several times.

Like the reply above, I cook until done... Then I put into an aluminum serving plan and break the butt into several large "chunks" of meat. Maybe 4 or 5 pieces. Breaking into pieces seems allow the meat to release heat faster without loosing a lot of moisture. Then foil wrap and chill.

I have not ice chilled the meat as mentioned above, but I can certainly see the benefit of doing that for several reasons and may do that next time I cook ahead.

To reheat I put the wrapped pans on my smoker and get the temp up to about 160 - 170 and pull as normal, sauce and serve.

[rickr96]

Pork Butts seem to be the most reheat friendly of the meat I prepare. I've done them a day ahead several times.

Like the reply above, I cook until done... Then I put into an aluminum serving plan and break the butt into several large "chunks" of meat. Maybe 4 or 5 pieces. Breaking into pieces seems allow the meat to release heat faster without loosing a lot of moisture. Then foil wrap and chill.

I have not ice chilled the meat as mentioned above, but I can certainly see the benefit of doing that for several reasons and may do that next time I cook ahead.

To reheat I put the wrapped pans on my smoker and get the temp up to about 160 - 170 and pull as normal, sauce and serve.

[Piggysquealers]

I frequently have cooked the meat the day before and heat it up on a grill. I use a little apple juice and a little vinegar sauce and heat up the meat in a foil pan on a grill. Sometimes I think it's better that way than when fresh off :0

[Pelkster]

I pre-cook butts as well. I cook them until about 180 then double wrap in saranwrap and refrigerate/freeze. The day I need them I simply take the wrapped butts and put them in my smoker for 3 or 4 hours to reheat and finish cooking. They come out super tender and the juices are pouring out of them. Learned that from a bbq friend who owns a restaurant.