How do you store leftover pulled pork?????


 
Jerry N. said:
I do the vacuum seal, freeze, reheat in the bag in boiling water method. One thing to realize about freezing pulled pork. I’d doesn’t get any better with age so freeze it the next day. If you leave it in the fridge and it dries out and then you freeze it, don’t expect it to be any better when you thaw it out and reheat it. Of course if you’re going to just drown it in sauce, it might not matter. My point is, freeze it soon. The sooner the better.
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How long does a frozen 1lb pound package take to reheat via this method? Trying to get an idea so I can budget the right amount of time.
 
Somewhat depends on how you're reheating it. If you're heating with a sous vide heater to 140 F, it'll take longer (couple of hours?) than reheating in a pot of simmering water on the stove (30 minutes?) Shape of the frozen food also is a factor, if it's a wide thin package, it'll reheat faster than a round ball or block.

If it's vacuum sealed, you really can't overheat it or dry it out, IMO.
 
Tony-Chicago said:
Still looking for leftover pulled pork.
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Tony, I THINK they are referring to that bone thing that's left once you take all the meat off???

Seriously, I also load the smoker, so there is always a good deal left over. I fridge what we'll eat in a week in plastic, with a little NC vinegary sauce in the bottom. Everything else goes in one pound portions in ziplock freezer bags that then go into the chest. I reheat stove top (or micro in a pinch) with a little more NC sauce for moisture. (Not much.) It holds up just fine. If I am storing for distribution, I store in 1 pound lots in styrofoam cups with plastic lids, which are then wrapped in plastic wrap before freezing.
 
Mike Shook said:
Tony, I THINK they are referring to that bone thing that's left once you take all the meat off???

Seriously, I also load the smoker, so there is always a good deal left over. I fridge what we'll eat in a week in plastic, with a little NC vinegary sauce in the bottom. Everything else goes in one pound portions in ziplock freezer bags that then go into the chest. I reheat stove top (or micro in a pinch) with a little more NC sauce for moisture. (Not much.) It holds up just fine. If I am storing for distribution, I store in 1 pound lots in styrofoam cups with plastic lids, which are then wrapped in plastic wrap before freezing.
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Completely agree with you.
Given a chance I always overcook er make more than I need. For my former annual event, I cook three times the quantity needed. But usually all the pulled pork is taken home by people. Usually in whole shoulders, or half. If I could get a good vacuum sealer or even small jars, and more freezer space...
That would help in cooking days or week in advance too.
I do admit that any leftover pulled pork just sits in the fridge until people are no longer tired of it.
Well until we get that star trek food computer, we here are the best there is
 
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I portion it into vacuum seal bags, then freeze it.

I'm on the lower end of culinary technique here, but to reheat, I sprinkle a little water on it and reheat in the microwave.
 
I just finished putting several bags of vacuum sealed pulled pork but into the freezer.
I like the idea of putting them into hot water to reheat.
Thanks for that nugget.

One thing that came up recently was the wifey asking me for a bland one put the freezer so we have more options
 
Ryan Lotts said:
How long does a frozen 1lb pound package take to reheat via this method? Trying to get an idea so I can budget the right amount of time.
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Once your water is simmering I estimate the frozen PP will be ready within 15 minutes based on my experience. Around here, 8 and 16 oz sealed portions work well for us. With sides, 8 ounces make the right serving size for us.
 
Tony-Chicago said:
Completely agree with you.
Given a chance I always overcook er make more than I need. For my former annual event, I cook three times the quantity needed. But usually all the pulled pork is taken home by people. Usually in whole shoulders, or half. If I could get a good vacuum sealer or even small jars, and more freezer space...
That would help in cooking days or week in advance too.
I do admit that any leftover pulled pork just sits in the fridge until people are no longer tired of it.
Well until we get that star trek food computer, we here are the best there is
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Case in point -- my sister asked for five pounds of smoked pork for a family lunch gathering at the holidays. So that means about 11-12 pounds bone-in raw. I have 23 pounds total raw in the freezer, and Wyfe (She Who Must Be Obeyed) says she needs freezer space for holiday baking. So I am cooking all 23 Monday to meet an initial request for 5 pounds. Everything over 5 goes in the freezer. I haven't told SWMBO that her freezer space freed up by frozen raw meat is going to be limited by frozen cooked meat. :)
 
Much like everyone else, I'll freeze it and use the vacuum sealer. However, before I even start the cook, I'll freeze some beef broth and throw a single frozen cube in each vacuum sealer bag with the pork. Reheating it a pot of simmering water melts the cube and keeps the pork good and moist.
 
Well, this is remarkably propitious timing..... I have 2 pork butts that I am going to marinate in hard cider for my homebrewers' club holiday dinner. Unfortunately, it looks like the dinner has been postponed. I think that I'm still going to go through and smoke the pork butts this weekend, pull it, and vacuum pack it for sous vide reheating. If I do this, I'll post back with results.
 
I usually freeze in 1.5 Lb batches. This was a little over as I didn't have a scale for a couple of weeks. I plan for about a half pound per person. I will reheat in a pot of water. I don't bother with sous vide, I jus fill a pot, bring it almost to a boil, put the vac sealed pork in, turn off the heat for 10 mins then put it on a low simmer.

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JKalchik said:
Well, this is remarkably propitious timing..... I have 2 pork butts that I am going to marinate in hard cider for my homebrewers' club holiday dinner. Unfortunately, it looks like the dinner has been postponed. I think that I'm still going to go through and smoke the pork butts this weekend, pull it, and vacuum pack it for sous vide reheating. If I do this, I'll post back with results.
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That's a great plan. Enjoy your club gathering!
 
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