Holding Pulled Pork 2/3 hours?
- Thread starter BrianH
- Start date
What time are you guessing they will be coming off the smoker?Depending upon your schedule, if you can: double wrap in aluminum foil and stick them in a cooler and then pull before serving. They will be good for several hours that way and you don't want to be pulling until they have had a chance to rest anyways.
Welcome to the board!
Welcome to the board!
I think pulling, chilling and reheating is fine. I would probably do as Marc suggests, double wrap with heavy duty aluminum foil when you remove them from the smoker and place them in a cooler. Make sure you place an old towel or two on the bottom of the cooler, so the bottom of it doesn't melt. I use two towels on the bottom and one over the foiled meat. You can easily get 3-4+ hours in the cooler and the butts will still be very hot.
I doubt you have a crockpot large enough to hold 4 butts worth of PP.
Whole butts will keep for hours as Marc described. But pulled will not.
What time so you want to serve?
Do you want to make a 'show' of pulling?
You could hold the whole butts and pull an hour before serving time and hold in alum pans in a low oven.
Whole butts will keep for hours as Marc described. But pulled will not.
What time so you want to serve?
Do you want to make a 'show' of pulling?
You could hold the whole butts and pull an hour before serving time and hold in alum pans in a low oven.
BradP "p-nut"
TVWBB Fan
I've double foiled and then wrapped in a bath towel and cooler'd for up to 4hrs and the meat was still very hot during pulling.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BradP "p-nut":
I've double foiled and then wrapped in a bath towel and cooler'd for up to 4hrs and the meat was still very hot during pulling. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>+1
I've double foiled and then wrapped in a bath towel and cooler'd for up to 4hrs and the meat was still very hot during pulling. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>+1
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Brian,plus,while doing as Brad and Lew said,you can marvel all your guests on the virtues of the WSM!
Donny Anderson
TVWBB Super Fan
Good to hear the pork was enjoyed by all.
David Ward
TVWBB Fan
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BrianH:
I am doing 4 butts overnight tonight for a big party tomorrow. Assuming they are pulled around 9/10am - is it better to keep the pulled pork warm in a crock pot for 2/3 hours? Or to bag it and chill it in fridge and then re-heat in Crockpot? THANKS </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I do this all the time for office retirements. Someone figured out I know how to smoke shoulders. We used to request either a covered dish or a $5 donation to eat and lost money every time. Since I've started providing pulled pork we make money and run out of meat everytime!!! (and I learned it all on TVWBB).
I start mine around noon to 2pm the afternoon before and pull them at 195 degrees. Four shoulders are usually done by 8:30 the next morning. I then pull the whole shoulder off the WSM and double foil and place them in a mid-sized Coleman cooler that is just the right size for 4 shoulders. Close it up and then head for the office. I "pulling" or fork shreadding the pork around 11:15 and put them in the disposable foil chaffing pans over heated water & covered with foil. Never had a complaint nor cold food either.
I promise you that even after sitting 3 hours in a cooler they will be too hot to handle (still smoking hot).
PS - Spray them with a mix of apple juice and pineapple juice as you pull and wrap them. This softens up the bark and also adds a hint of additional flavors.
I am doing 4 butts overnight tonight for a big party tomorrow. Assuming they are pulled around 9/10am - is it better to keep the pulled pork warm in a crock pot for 2/3 hours? Or to bag it and chill it in fridge and then re-heat in Crockpot? THANKS </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I do this all the time for office retirements. Someone figured out I know how to smoke shoulders. We used to request either a covered dish or a $5 donation to eat and lost money every time. Since I've started providing pulled pork we make money and run out of meat everytime!!! (and I learned it all on TVWBB).
I start mine around noon to 2pm the afternoon before and pull them at 195 degrees. Four shoulders are usually done by 8:30 the next morning. I then pull the whole shoulder off the WSM and double foil and place them in a mid-sized Coleman cooler that is just the right size for 4 shoulders. Close it up and then head for the office. I "pulling" or fork shreadding the pork around 11:15 and put them in the disposable foil chaffing pans over heated water & covered with foil. Never had a complaint nor cold food either.
I promise you that even after sitting 3 hours in a cooler they will be too hot to handle (still smoking hot).
PS - Spray them with a mix of apple juice and pineapple juice as you pull and wrap them. This softens up the bark and also adds a hint of additional flavors.
JIRodriguez
TVWBB Member
Only thing to be aware of when you use the cooler method, is if you are planning on leaving it in the cooler for more than 4 hrs., pull it off the smoker when the interal temp is at 190°. Then the carry over cooking doesn't make the meat to mushy. I have gone 6 hrs. in the cooler with two 8lb. butts and still burned my fingers when I went to pull it. lol