Pulled Pork smoked now/served next weekend

[bbqneo]

I am 5+ hours into my first SKD Pork shoulders. I am looking for advice on keeping the finished product (pulled pork) to serve next weekend. Can I freeze it after it is pulled, or can I keep it in the fridge? Has anyone tried to smoke one weekend and serve the next?

 

[The_Kapn]

Can I freeze it after it is pulled, or can I keep it in the fridge? Has anyone tried to smoke one weekend and serve the next?

I do it all the time. Could not justify the smoker for just Karen and I if I did not do a full load and "stock up".
I will stay out of the discussions on "how long in the frig".
I freeze all my surplus. Most of it goes into serving size vacumn bags.
I like those cause I can throw it in boiling water for 15 or 20 minutes and get Q that is just a fresh as the moment I put it in the bag
A lot of the Bros use zip-locs and the Micro. Works also.
I'm doing a good sized mixed load tommorow to stock up for a Disney trip next week (thanks to Chi Bill). Pulled pork, a big chickie, turkey drumsticks/wings, etc. We just boil 'em a take to the park or eat at the RV :lol:
Keeping for a week?--not sure to freeze or refrig.
Just my little ole nickles worth.
TIM

 

[chad]

It never lasts that long around my house!

However, it freezes real well -- pull it, pack in zip lock freezer bags (or vacuum thingy) and freeze. Thaw, cover, and reheat SLOWLY and you'll never know you didn't cook it the same weekend.

 

[Solidkick]

I agree with DF. I do think I would freeze it. That way you aren't taking the chance of it going bad. About 2-3 days is all I'll keep it in the fridge before freezing. If you are going to serve in a week, Zip Lock bags with all the air removed should be just fine. When we eat warm ups from the freezer, I tend to mix sauce in it about half way through the warm up.

Good luck and tell out it turns out!

 

[BBQchef33]

If its for party or something. I would really recommend just holding the entire butt whole until next weekend. Then reheat it in an oven at about 250 till its 150 and pull it then, or do it the nite before and add your sauce.(vinegar based i hope. that will help the flavors to mix. It really freezes and holds well, but can get mushy on a reheat when its allready pulled. (imo) Not that its bad, but i always prefer to be at its best for a party.

 

[The_Kapn]

I would really recommend just holding the entire butt whole until next weekend.

Phil,
Hold in Fridge or Freezer? Wrap with foil or Saran or ?
I assume the reheat would be in foil, just like we finish them.
Thanks
TIM

 

[bbqneo]

Phil,
I gotsta know! What is the trick if I keep them whole for the week? Foil, Plastic, Freeze, Fridge? They are in the cooler now, and soon I will have to pull them.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Phil,
I gotsta know! What is the trick if I keep them whole for the week? Foil, Plastic, Freeze, Fridge? They are in the cooler now, and soon I will have to pull them.

Neo,
Sorry I missed this last night.

I've done it all ways mentioned, and its been good all the ways.

Whole, pulled, plastic, foil, frozen, refridged, oven, pan with a little water, even microwaved back to life.

Personally, I pull right away, but don't sauce. Wrap in zip lock freezers for 2 cooks, then freeze till I need them. 1 butt for the freezer and one for the current week.

 

[bbqneo]

Final summary
Smoked 2 picnic cut shoulders about 8 lbs each. SKD loaded with chimney of charcoal and oak logs for fuel and hickory chunks for flavor. Temps steady at 220 for 5+ hours. Foiled at 160 (just under 6 hrs in) Then charcoal base ran out and needed new batch. Things got a little out of control when I added fresh hot charcoal to 3 logs-temps up to 300. Then stabilized at 250. Another 2+ hours foil and internal temp up to 200. Then shoulders into cooler back down to 165.

Then pulled one shoulder ate some, split rest in 2 zip-locks for fridge and freezer. Wife gave thumbs up and wanted more.

Other shoulder wrapped in saran wrap and into freezer.

Any ideas on re-heating whole frozen shoulder next weekend?

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Any ideas on re-heating whole frozen shoulder next weekend?

Like phil said, reheat on low in the oven.

My method:
Thaw
Unwrap
2" of hot water in a casserole dish (9x13) cover entirely in foil, oven at like 300 to 350 for about 2 hours. Longer if not fully thawed. I sometime put a cookie sheet in rack under the rack with the dish, in case of boil over.

Just one question:

What time should I be there?

Glad to see you posting brother, and hope your starting to get some sleep. Baby is just about getting to sleep through the night I hope.

 

[scottm4300]

I found this thread while searching on reheating advice for pork butts. I have a Boston butt that is frozen - it never came out of the foil after it was in the cooler. Just added another layer of foil and froze it.

My intention was to thaw the whole thing, then reheat it right in the foil in a roasting pan for abbout 3 hours at 250, or until I hit 165 internal. But I'm reading here about taking it out of the foil and putting water in the roasting pan.

Six of one, half doze of the other? Does it matter?

 

[Solidkick]

If you double wrapped with the juices still in the original wrapping, I think I'd try thawing and re-heating it the way it is wrapped. Maybe turn upside down during the heating process before probing, giving the juices a chance to re-absorb a little. If you want it to bark back up, peel back the foil for about 30 minutes at the end of the re-heating.

Hope it works for ya.......don't shoot me if it doesn't work though.....

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Scott,

Casserole dish, 1/2" hot water, butt (now thawed) still wrapped, in the dish.

Cover the dish and but in foil (steam mod)

350ish for a solid 2+ hours (3 if you got them)

might want to unwrap the dish after 2 hours, to reduce some of the water. The juices from the butt will have turned the water brown. You want to reduce because when you open the wrapped butt, the juices will leech and you will have some pork water to add after you pull it to keep it moist.

Just my .02

 

[racer_81]

mmmmmmmmm.......pork water.........

 

[LostNation]

I would pull the butt before you chill it. I would have some concerns that you can cool the but safely without a commercial refrigerator. I think the health department states that you take the meat down to below 70* in two hours and down to below 40* in the next two hours. Pork seems to retain heat better then other meats. I pull and vacuum pack pork all the time that I use for catering. I break apart the butts and put in foil pans on ice, after I separate about 4 butts I go back to the first and pull in to buss bins and they go into a freezer. When done go back to the first bin and package them for longer storage. I guess I'm just really nervous about cooling big BBQ cuts of meat.

 

[OSD]

when I unwrap the butt-I do it over a pan and save the juices from the foil to mix with a small amount of sauce-then after I pull it I mix it back into the meat. put in vacuum sealed bags and off to the freezer. I reheat in low temp oven or set the bag in boiling water. Reheats fine. JMHO