Butt Rubbed but can I wait till Tuesday to Cook?

[Robert J.M.]

So I just rubbed 18lb of butt with Janes Rub and found out were going to the beach house Tuesday afternoon not Wed morning. I had planned to cook the butt over tonite but now I could do it Tue-Wed to be freshly pulled for the 4th family cookout. They are in zip lock bags in the fridge, can I wait until Tuesday evening to cook or should I cook them tonite and warm the meat before the party.

Also if I do it tonite should I wait till Wed to pull then warm Wed or put pulled meat in ziplock bags for warming Wed.

Thanks, Robert

 

[Dave Russell]

Ray Lampe wrote not to rub butts any sooner than 12 hours before a cook and that's what I've stuck with. Nowadays I rub right before smoking and would much rather do that than rub anything too far in advance and end up "curing" the meat, ending up with something that even remotely reminded me of ham.

Nothing wrong at all with pork butt reheated after pulling, and that's actually safer in terms of proper cooling before the fridge or freezer.

Now if the schedule allows, sure, I'll take my time and cook overnight for lunch, probably with water in the pan. For supper, though, I'd rather cook by day with use of a clay pot base in my empty pan for a heat sink. I'll cook a little faster, foiling once my bark is set and get it all done without getting up before the chickens. My point is, don't make it too hard on yourself. BBQ isn't as much fun when you're too worried about it to sleep or whether it'll get done in time. Got a friend that cooks in advance by day and reheats when he caters all the time. Says he wouldn't be able to sleep even if he had an ATC for over-nighters so he simply refuses to cook overnight. Have a good 'un!

 

[Jeff Brown (KY)]

If it's rubbed I'd go on and cook it, pull it, package and reheat before the party. As Dave said, you run the risk of it staring to cure and giving you a product not bad but different than what you want. Enjoy the family cookout!

 

[Robert J.M.]

Thanks folks, I'll cook it overnight tonite the rub will be on <12 hrs. I have done butts several times and have a remote temp sensor system so I can sleep fine with alarms set if needed

 

[Jon Des.]

If the rub (or meat) is heavy on salt you could end up with a "hammy" tasting butt. I wouldn't worry about that part of it, but definitely consider cooking ahead of time. I've done it for 2 vacations this year with great results. Cook, pull, add finishing sauce and then freeze in a cake pan or large container. It will keep everything else in your cooler cold on the way, then heat up well once you arrive and thaw it.