Looking for some details on reheating frozen, vacuum-sealed pulled pork


 
C

Chris Mason

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I know there are a number of posts about reheating BBQ and I have searched for and read them, but there are a couple of details I'm curious about, hence this post.

I recently bought a Food Saver and this past weekend sealed and froze most of a 3-butt cook. I now have about 13 pounds of frozen, vaccum-sealed pulled pork in 1, 1.5 and 2 pound bags in my freezer. I also put 1 or 2 ice cubes of frozen apple juice in with them because I'd read about that trick here and it sounded like a good idea.

I've seen a number of posts that say to just throw a bag in boiling water and that sounds nice and easy. But I'm wondering a couple of things:

1) How long do I want to keep the bag in the water? I know it will depend on weight, but I'm wondering about ballpark. Is it 5 minutes for 1lb/8 minutes for 2 or is it more like 30 minutes for 1lb/45 minutes for 2?

2) Is there a risk of overheating the meat?

3) Has anyone ever tried hot-but-not-boiling water? I'm thinking this might be a more gentle (although certainly slower) way to bring the meat up to temp.

I'll be taking a few of those bags to a Halloween potluck in a few weeks and I love knowing the work is already done. Having some confidence about reheating them would be nice, too.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris Mason:
I know there are a number of posts about reheating BBQ and I have searched for and read them, but there are a couple of details I'm curious about, hence this post.

I recently bought a Food Saver and this past weekend sealed and froze most of a 3-butt cook. I now have about 13 pounds of frozen, vaccum-sealed pulled pork in 1, 1.5 and 2 pound bags in my freezer. I also put 1 or 2 ice cubes of frozen apple juice in with them because I'd read about that trick here and it sounded like a good idea.

I've seen a number of posts that say to just throw a bag in boiling water and that sounds nice and easy. But I'm wondering a couple of things:

1) How long do I want to keep the bag in the water? I know it will depend on weight, but I'm wondering about ballpark. Is it 5 minutes for 1lb/8 minutes for 2 or is it more like 30 minutes for 1lb/45 minutes for 2?

1lb in 'simmering' water will take about 20 minutes

2) Is there a risk of overheating the meat?

YES

3) Has anyone ever tried hot-but-not-boiling water? I'm thinking this might be a more gentle (although certainly slower) way to bring the meat up to temp.

You want simmering water, not boiling.

I'll be taking a few of those bags to a Halloween potluck in a few weeks and I love knowing the work is already done. Having some confidence about reheating them would be nice, too. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by S. Fink:
Do you go directly from freezer to simmering water or do you let the pork defrost? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No. I like to put the cold meat in cold water, them bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover until heated through.
 
I find what works for me, and always to good results, is to vac seal the meat and flatten it out as much as possible before freezing. Edit: Meant to say bring water to boil, then drop in pack. Cover, turn off the heat, and come back in 15 minutes. This method will work fine for 1-2 pound packs.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris Mason:
I know there are a number of posts about reheating BBQ and I have searched for and read them, but there are a couple of details I'm curious about, hence this post.

I recently bought a Food Saver and this past weekend sealed and froze most of a 3-butt cook. I now have about 13 pounds of frozen, vaccum-sealed pulled pork in 1, 1.5 and 2 pound bags in my freezer. I also put 1 or 2 ice cubes of frozen apple juice in with them because I'd read about that trick here and it sounded like a good idea.

I've seen a number of posts that say to just throw a bag in boiling water and that sounds nice and easy. But I'm wondering a couple of things:

1) How long do I want to keep the bag in the water? I know it will depend on weight, but I'm wondering about ballpark. Is it 5 minutes for 1lb/8 minutes for 2 or is it more like 30 minutes for 1lb/45 minutes for 2?

2) Is there a risk of overheating the meat?

3) Has anyone ever tried hot-but-not-boiling water? I'm thinking this might be a more gentle (although certainly slower) way to bring the meat up to temp.

I'll be taking a few of those bags to a Halloween potluck in a few weeks and I love knowing the work is already done. Having some confidence about reheating them would be nice, too. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I vacuum pack my pulled pork and reheat all the time.

1. Best way to answer - heat the water/pot first and keep the water temp to 140-160. Don't boil. Place the bag in the water and leave the flame/heat setting the same and let it come back to 140-160 for about 10 minutes. That will mean that the contents of the packet are at the same temp. Hard to put a time on it. The key is to keep the finish temp at 140-160 so you don't overcook the contents. You spent a good deal of time creating PP, you don't need to raise that temp back over 160. It's already done when you put it in the freezer. You can put the bag right in the water and create one step and bring the water temp up to 140-160 and hold there for 10 minutes. It might take longer but will work the same, I've done both.

2. Yes - see above.

3. Exactly - that's why I'm answering #1 the way I did
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