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Help! Logistics for Pulled Pork for work holiday potluck


 
G

Greg Caesar

New member
On Monday, we are having a holiday potluck at work, and I am planning on pulled pork. However, I checked out the reheat facilities at work - very poor - oven not avail - Microwave too small and others using. I figure bringing a crockpot from home is my only real bulk option.

If at all possible, I'd also like to pull the pork at work for a little show with the meal. This is Houston, so plenty of folks have never seen a BBQ pork butt (plenty of brisket, but never pork down here).

So would this work? Can I smoke a butt Saturday night to Sunday, wrap it and refrigerate Sunday afternoon until Monday morning, then stick the whole unpulled butt in a dry crockpot to reheat from 8am to 11:30am Monday at work? Don't I need liquid in a crockpot?

Anybody tried anything similar?
 
might want to pour a little apple juice over the butt, but (hehe) your idea seems like a good one.though i have never tried it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Can I smoke a butt Saturday night to Sunday, wrap it and refrigerate Sunday afternoon until Monday morning, then stick the whole unpulled butt in a dry crockpot to reheat from 8am to 11:30am Monday at work? Don't I need liquid in a crockpot?

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You will not be able to cool the butt safely if you try to cool it whole. Very high risk of sickening all who eat it.

Cook it, cool it properly; let rest for 30 minutes then pull completely and cool in a shallow pan to 40f within 2 hours. Reheat in crockpot or smoker with apple juice.


or... cook it Sunday planning the cook so you can take it off the cooker and hold it wrapped it towels in a cooler (safely) till ready to pull and serve.
 
I'm doing something similar for a potluck on Friday at work. My plan is to smoke for about 8 hours starting around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, wrap the butts in foil and finish them in the oven while I sleep. When they are done, I will wrap in towels, place in a cooler and drive them to work. I'll pull the butts at work and serve hot.
 
I take whole cooked butts & brisket to work all the time, been doing it for years. The butts are easy to do. I rush home from work to get them on the WSM no later than 4:00 PM for a 6:30 AM done time. I just wrap them up good in HD foil and place them in a cooler along with a tray of beans if I'm doing them. They stay plenty hot and will still burn your fingers when pulled at 11:300AM -12:00PM for lunch. If I'm taking in butt to reheat it's already pulled and I reheat in a large crockpot on low with apple juice or chicken broth for some moisture. HTH
 
Just did something like this recently. My butts finished early in the morning. I double-wrapped them in HD foil, packed them in a square cooler with four outdoor seat cushions surrounding them. I stuck in a thermometer and they stayed well above 160 until I pulled them about 4 hours later.
 
If I preheat a cooler with a couple bricks from the oven, and leave the bricks in the cooler with 2 butts, do you think they will last 4+ hours?

Reason I ask is I am going to cook 2 butts for an end of year poker tourney this Saturday. I'll probably take the butts off the smoker at 11am or so, wrap them in foil, put them in the cooler. We may not end up being ready to eat until after 4pm.
 
I never use bricks. I just put them in a cooler, place some towels, I use an old blanket, and tape the lid shut. Good for several hours.
 
Yep - I think you wouldn't need bricks but that woul work. I simply half filled the cooler with hot water and closed it for awhile to heat up the interior before loading.

Ray
 
I have left them set for 6 hours and when I pulled them I still burnt my fingers. I usually cook 4 at a time so that may be bit of a difference. Need to make sure you use up the airspace in the cooler with towels of some kind. At the Q shack I usually use 4-5 rolls of paper towels and close the lid.
 
I have pulled and reheated in a crock pot numerous times. If I had a taste taste, probably would not be able to tell which was crocked, and which was fresh off the WSM
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dirk:
If I preheat a cooler with a couple bricks from the oven, and leave the bricks in the cooler with 2 butts, do you think they will last 4+ hours?

Reason I ask is I am going to cook 2 butts for an end of year poker tourney this Saturday. I'll probably take the butts off the smoker at 11am or so, wrap them in foil, put them in the cooler. We may not end up being ready to eat until after 4pm. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
If you read my above post I answered that for you already. I still burn my fingers after the butts have been in a non preheated Coleman Extreme cooler for 5+ hrs.
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