Does Vacuum Sealing Pork Preserve Flavor?

[Headgear]

I agreed to smoke a few shoulders for next weekend's large graduation event. It starts at 2:00 PM and is 2 plus hours away. I prefer that the pork be fresh. To be safe, I would get up at 3:00 AM, start a fire, and be cooking at 4:00 so we could leave around 11:30. If I cooked it the day before, pulled it, and vacuum sealed it, would that retain flavor better than putting it in a covered foil pan?

I am confident that I could get up at our normal 4:00 AM, be cooking by 5:00 at 275 to 300 degrees, and have the internal up to roughly 190ish by 11:30 +/-. Then put it in coolers with towels, and it would be fine 2.5 hours later when we got there. Any thoughts?

 

[txsmkmstr]

I agreed to smoke a few shoulders for next weekend's large graduation event. It starts at 2:00 PM and is 2 plus hours away. I prefer that the pork be fresh. To be safe, I would get up at 3:00 AM, start a fire, and be cooking at 4:00 so we could leave around 11:30. If I cooked it the day before, pulled it, and vacuum sealed it, would that retain flavor better than putting it in a covered foil pan?

I am confident that I could get up at our normal 4:00 AM, be cooking by 5:00 at 275 to 300 degrees, and have the internal up to roughly 190ish by 11:30 +/-. Then put it in coolers with towels, and it would be fine 2.5 hours later when we got there. Any thoughts?

If you can use the 2 hour trip for resting and then pull on site I feel that would be the freshest you could possibly get. That may not suit the remainder of your schedule though.

Either way I'm betting the crowd will devour it.... Best of Luck

 

[Hotch]

I've held butts with "FTC" for up to 8 hours and they were still HOT when pulled.
That said, this Friday I will cook 5 butts then rest and portion them at 1lb portions, Vacuum seal then freeze.
Then I'll sous vide a package at 175* for about 45-60 minutes when we want pulled pork for lunch or dinner.
It tastes as good as the day I cooked it.

 

[WilliamKY]

What Hotch said. I'll boil a pot of water then turn off the heat. Drop a frozen bag in put lid on for about 30mins and it's still as good as the day it was smoked.

 

[1911Ron]

We've done the same thing,we smoked two butts the day before, shredded them and vacuum sealed them. The day of the potluck we used our slow cooker as it has a Sous vide option and put the bags in it. When we opened them we got a good smoke smell and the pulled pork disappeared! Cooking the butts the day before removed a bunch of stress.

 

[NCGrimbo]

Being single, I always end up with lots of vacuum sealed pulled pork when I smoke a butt. A few bags go into the fridge for lunches over the next 3 to 5 days and the rest goes into the freezer. I've never had an issue with the pork not tasting as good as the day I smoked it. I've even given some of the frozen bags to family and they are always surprised when I tell them I cooked the butt months earlier. I doubt anyone will know the difference between the butt cooked overnight and held in a cooler vs. one cooked the previous day and vacuum sealed. Cook it the day before and get a good night's rest.

 

[jeffshoaf]

Vacuum sealing doesn't affect the taste but the reheating method can - you risk drying the meat out or over cooking it. I find reheating via sous vide at 160°-170° F give great results even from frozen. Microwaving works well for small volumes as long as you just warm the meat and not hit it hard enough for it to start cooking again, which is hard to do with larger volumes.

 

[Headgear]

Thank you all for the help. We will smoke them the day before, pull them, vacuum-seal, and refrigerate. Then warm them in hot water before serving. It sure makes things easier because now they have increased the order, lol. I will let you know how it went. Thanks again!

 

[n2dabluebbq]

be careful. doing that lead me to having to have a extra freezer just for stuff like that. hahaha
something i found helpful on pulled pork is to keep the bags around the 3/8 thickness or less. easier reheating.

 

[SmokinAussie]

Thank you all for the help. We will smoke them the day before, pull them, vacuum-seal, and refrigerate. Then warm them in hot water before serving. It sure makes things easier because now they have increased the order, lol. I will let you know how it went. Thanks again!

Yes, it will be great and save you an early rise and no sleep.

For my Dad's 80th I did a brisket and pulled pork 2 months before the day. Vac sealed and froze it all. Dad's place was 3 hours from home so that was why I did that.

Warmed it up to 150F in a Bain Marie on the day and fed 40 people. It was "the best he's ever had".... Coming from by brother who's travelled Texas extensively.

Cheers!

Bill

 

[Itsdone]

I pull my briskets at 190F wrap, and hold at 150F for 12-18 hours and they turn out amazing. Pork butt would turn out just as amazing.

 

[GA1dad]

I vacuum seal and freeze pork quite frequently. If freezing it, I prefer to de-bone and leave it in big chunks that I can "pull" once I open the bag. IMHO, the thawed out product is general juicier and appears fresh cooked. Good luck with your cook!

 

[BBQ_Bama]

Pulled pork is one of those foods that tastes better the next day, just like chili, spaghetti, red beans, and rice. When re-heating, to keep from drying out or "overcooking" you can pour apple juice into the pan of meat, cover with foil, and reheat on the smoker. I did this all the time when doing bbq pulled pork fundraiser plates for the church or baseball team. Trust me, if done right, they'll have no idea you cooked it the day before. I can't tell you how many times I heard as they were scoffing down a PP sammich, "Ain't nothing like fresh pulled pork right off the smoker". LOL! I never told them my secret.

 

[1911Ron]

Pulled pork is one of those foods that tastes better the next day, just like chili, spaghetti, red beans, and rice. When re-heating, to keep from drying out or "overcooking" you can pour apple juice into the pan of meat, cover with foil, and reheat on the smoker. I did this all the time when doing bbq pulled pork fundraiser plates for the church or baseball team. Trust me, if done right, they'll have no idea you cooked it the day before. I couldn't tell you how many times I heard as they were scoffing down a PP sammich, "Ain't nothing like fresh pulled pork right off the smoker". LOL! I never told them my secret.

Shhhh!

 

[Itsdone]

Pulled pork is one of those foods that tastes better the next day, just like chili, spaghetti, red beans, and rice. When re-heating, to keep from drying out or "overcooking" you can pour apple juice into the pan of meat, cover with foil, and reheat on the smoker. I did this all the time when doing bbq pulled pork fundraiser plates for the church or baseball team. Trust me, if done right, they'll have no idea you cooked it the day before. I can't tell you how many times I heard as they were scoffing down a PP sammich, "Ain't nothing like fresh pulled pork right off the smoker". LOL! I never told them my secret.

I dunno about apple juice, but a north carolina vinegar based bbq sauce works wonders "in moderation"

 

[BBQ_Bama]

I dunno about apple juice, but a north carolina vinegar based bbq sauce works wonders "in moderation"

Reheating with apple juice is a wonderful and easy way to keep freshness and tenderness. But as you've pointed out, in moderation.

 

[Headgear]

The pork came out fine and tasted excellent. We mostly tried what WillamKY suggested. We smoked it to 203ish internal, pulled it, vacuum sealed it in large bags flattened out to about 1" thick for quicker reheating, and refrigerated it. during the event, we brought water up to a low boil in two large pots, turned off the heat, and put two of the eight bags in each. It was perfect and it allowed us to warm more as people eventually came and went. I am grateful to all of you for the help. It was simple, tasted like it just came off of the smoker, and stress-free. It just does not get any better than that. I Love this site and you guys!!!