Holding Ribs/ pork at restaurant

[JimmyDAL]

We are just starting out and was looking for what works best for you to hold Ribs and pulled pork the longest. Example we made 20 racks to sell on Sat put in the Henny Penny CVAP and it seems that they tend to dry out over the length of the day. Do any of you cook during the week, vac seal then heat in a water bath? (The CVAP had water in it) Our place is tiny so the kitchen is very tight. Was thinking about smoking Days prior and packaging it up to reheat. Thanks.

[kurtsara]

When we make twenty racks to sell in a day we stagger start times so some are getting done every so often, it's a gamble though.

I think there are strict rules on who can vac seal for resell, we do everything fresh, always have since we started this in 2010.

[JimmyDAL]

Thanks, Vac seal is just to create air tight seal so the product doesn't dry out. One of the problems is there is only room for one small smoker inside, and need to generate revenue to get a shipping container to put the SPK-700 in to use (presently in storage)

[BigBellyBBQ]

I get them all done and seal them in tins then cambro. If I have to heat/warm up put them back in sealed with sauce and juice

[landarc]

My guess is you need to play with your CVAP a bit more, as that is the go to solution for holding ribs for folks who can afford them. The other thing I've seen is placing them in either service pans and covering with plastic wrap, or placing in a plastic cambro with a lid. Both tend to soften the bark, not much different than a CVAP.

Precooking and vacuum packing will save time on service day, but, will result in softer ribs, the one place I saw that did this, tended to grill the ribs for service. Thus, creating a bit of grill and tightening the bark.