Big Pulled Pork Cook for Fundraiser - Question

[WhitesideJC]

I'm planning to cook ~15 butts on my cinder block cooker next week for a fundraiser* at work. Here's my plan, and I want to make sure I'm thinking through this appropriately.

My plan is to cook all the butts on Thursday, let them rest in foil for ~1 hour or so to let the juices reincorporate, pull them, toss them in a little sauce (vinegar-based, of course) and the drippings from the foil wrap, and then vacuum seal in 2 packages once they've cooled appropriately. I'd hold them in the refrigerator / cooler with ice overnight, then deliver them to the office on Friday.

Is there anything I'm missing here with regards to the carry over / delivery process? I want to make sure the taste / flavor is not compromised since I'm not serving it directly off the cooker. Thanks in advance - I'll be sure to post some pictures next week during / after the cook.


*My daughter's preschool teacher was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer, and she had already been working two jobs to make things work. Now, she can't work because she's on treatment and her immune system is weak. My wife and I have been rallying the troops to help fund her GoFundMe campaign.

FYI - I don't think I see them mentioned all that often, but Meat Church graciously donated 5 pounds of rub to the cause. And, a local barbecue restaurant donated 1-2 gallons of sauce. It's pretty awesome what this barbecue community can do for one another!

 

[rus_bro]

I have a few thoughts, BUT I have never done anything like this one. Think ill sit back with interest and take in what the experienced guys have to say.

U are a good man helping out like this. It is great that our passion can help with real problems from time to time.

rb

 

[BigThicket]

Another option would be to cook them late into the evening, keep them wrapped and hold them warm until service the next day, just like folks do with brisket. I've done the same thing with pork butts many times and have had zero issues. Now I use a holding cabinet, but only because I have one available to me. I prefer pork pulled fresh whenever it's an option.

Either way, good on you for doing this. Kudos.

 

[gtr]

I've done many 100# and over cooks where I cook in advance, pull, vac seal, refrigerate/freeze and then reheat (in vac seal bag in hot water on a camp stove) on the day of the event. It works very well. I do mostly 3# bags, then a couple 2# bags for when things are winding down at the end of service. If you're doing the 3# bags, it's good to kinda flatten 'em out a little before sealing 'cause a thinner mass obviously reheats more quickly than a thicker mass. The last cook we did in December we didn't have access to a kitchen on site so we reheated at my house with campdude's turkey fryer rig and trasported in a cambro. It all stayed hot for many, many hours.

While there is nothing better than pulling chunks of pork off a freshly cooked butt, cooking ahead and reheating is certainly a great way to go and IMO not very much is lost at all by doing it that way. Sometimes I wonder if it's actually a little better.

 

[Cook]

Not a bad plan. I'll add a couple of thoughts.

1) I would only add drippings if the pork seems dry when you are pulling it. I rarely add any type of moisture agent to my pork...it doesn't need it.

2) While pulling, the pork will cool rapidly...and that's a good thing. Depending on how long it takes you to pull it all, I wouldn't go more than an hour without starting the vac bag process. While you're not a commercial entity, it's a good idea to observe proper sanitation/cooling procedures when feeding a large group. Don't overfill the bags. Filling them slightly under will allow you to squeeze them flatter/thinner after the seal. The thinner the contents, the faster it will cool to the proper temperature. Also, use a cooler as an ice bath. Fill it 1/2 to 1/3 full of ice and add just enough water to make a slurry. As you vacuum a bag, slide it in the bath. This will cool the bags rapidly. Once cool you can then place in the fridge or another cooler with ice.

Of the above two considerations, I would hold the ice bath as the most important.

 

[Pife]

Do you vacuum seal while the pork is still hot/warm? Doesn't the steam coming off the meat make any difference once its sealed?

thanks

 

[rus_bro]

Do you vacuum seal while the pork is still hot/warm? Doesn't the steam coming off the meat make any difference once its sealed?

thanks

Id say with that much pork, by the time he finishes pulling it, the first ones should be cool enough to start packing, then by the time he gets to the end from the packing process, those should also be cool enough.

Iv done almost the same w/ brisket to hold for a few days and the ice bath has always worked great, even for an uncut brisket.


rb

 

[kynmo2010]

A couple of buddies and I cooked 300 lbs of pulled pork for a benefit dinner over over Thanksgiving weekend. We cooked on Friday, wrapped the butts after they were done to rest for a while, pulled and put in disposable pans to cool. Covered and put in refrigerator for the night. The next day started taking out of the fridge to come to room temp, added a little thin vinegar based sauce and heated pans in the oven. Turned out great.

 

[WhitesideJC]

Thanks for everyone's feedback - all very helpful, and most of all makes me feel good about my original plan of attack.

The one thing I realized was confusing is that we aren't having an actual event where folks are eating right then and there, but rather they're taking the pork home to their respective families to do what they want to do with it. But, still all the recommendations on food safety / reheating / when to pull are all still relevant.

Thanks again - gotta love this site and the BBQ community.