HELP! Boston Butts - Smoked In Advance for Gathering - Would like to Re-Heat

[Smokey]

So, we are having a baby shower this weekend, out of town, and I am smoking a couple of boston butts for it.  Since I think the pulled pork is better after a day or so in the fridge after shredding... My question is, when I smoke them, should I shred them first or leave as whole butts, before storing in fridge then reheating in crockpot or oven?

Typically I cook to IT of 195 at 225, brined, washed, dryed, then rubbed with Mustard and Memphis dust Salt Free, let rest for a couple of hours and then shred.

I recall reading in the past, Divot seals some of his fully intact and reheats in crock pot possibly with some apple juice.  Its a feast, there is a lot going on, i just want to worry about them being warm and not waiting on them to finish, etc, in addition to the added flavor of sitting in the fridge a day or two.

If leaving in tact and not shredding, should i cook to a slightly lower IT, since it will essentially be resting until it is chilled in the fridge?

If reheating in oven, should it just be 275 or 300 so it slowly warms up?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Grampy]

Chris, personally I like to leave them whole and double wrap them in foil and cool before putting them in the fridge if I am not going to serve them immediately. If you pull it and then store it,  the meat tends to dry out rather quickly after it has been pulled. I also like to reheat them at a low temperature like you suggested in the oven or in a crock pot as DM mentioned.

 

[Limey]

I usually leave them whole, vacuum pack and reheat in the package in simmering water then pull. This works well for me.

 

[Pork Belly]

Immediately remove from smoker and triple cling wrap in alternating layers for a good seal. Wrap in a single layer of heavy duty foil and allow to sit on the counter for a few hours until some what cool to the touch. Fully refrigerate until needed. Place fully cooled and still wrapped but in an oven safe dish and heat in oven at 350 until hot, soft and squishy (If you probe it for an IT it will leak badly). Remove from oven and transport in a cooler to your event. Pull and re-season immediately prior to service. Remove the foil then make one large cut through all layers of cling wrap they stick together and can all be removed at once.

 

[Smokey]

Thank you everyone!  I have a vacuum sealer, so it sounds like to just pull immediately from the smoker, vacuum seal, let rest/cool on the counter and refrigerate until needed.  Reheat slowly.  You all are great.  Im not a fan of plastic anything, especially food items/reheating, I tend to stick with glass or metal.

Pork Belly, you mentioned re-season, would that be sprinkling some of the rub on the freshly shredded pork?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[swthorpe]

Not sure about this Chris, but you might want to rest/cool the butt first and then vacuum seal.  I have not tried this, so perhaps Limey can weigh back in on cooling first or not.

 

[Limey]

Yes, I let it cool before vacuum packing. In fact what I do when feeling motivated is immediately wrap in plastic wrap, two times, and then foil it and let it cool on the counter. Only then do I vacuum pack. At this point you can easily refrigerate for a few weeks or freeze for several months. I like to reheat in simmering water in the vacuum pack simply because there is no loss of moisture and no cleanup. in fact looking at his post I do exactly what Pork Belly does except that I vacuum pack in addition and we reheat differently. If you are only holding for 24-48 hours there is probably no need to vacuum pack.

 

[Pork Belly]

Yes, defiantly add ore rub after pulling it. Brined or not there is not enough salt and seasoning in the bark to season the entire mass of meat once it is pulled. Typically it take 1.5 to 2 tablespoons for our taste.

 

[swthorpe]

As my children say, "Wait, what?"  This is a new one for me...Pork, do you add additional rub even in a normal smoke of BB where it rests for 2 hours and then is pulled?  All I have been doing is adding some BBQ sauce.

 

[Pork Belly]

Definatly, It is an 8 inch mass of meat. You only season the outside edges. Brine only penetrates less than a third of that mass. All of that other meat needs some seasoning. Either use rub or some kosher salt I prefer rub.

Shred the butt. scatter on a tablespoon of rub and mix. Taste the meat and reapply more seasoning if necessary.

 

[Limey]

Brian, do you sauce or serve naked?

 

[DivotMaker]

Chris - I double-wrap in HD foil, as normal when removing from the smoker (fully-cooked, btw), then let rest on the counter until cool enough to place the whole wrapped butt in a vacuum bag.  The sealed bag is just to keep the juice intact and contained, while in the fridge.

When I reheat a whole butt, I just throw the foiled butt (remove the vac pack bag) in a low crock pot for 3-4 hours.  When you unwrap it, it's tender and moist for pulling.  Works great!

 

[Limey]

As you can see there are lots of different approaches. They all work for the people using them. This is an art not a science!!

 

[Pork Belly]

Sauce is served on the side.

 

[DivotMaker]

Sauce is served on the side.

+1!  I hate it when people soak a good pile of pulled pork in sauce!  If it's done right, it really doesn't even need sauce, and only then should be added sparingly!