Overnight smoke or cook in advance?


 
JimS

JimS

TVWBB Member
Hi all,

A week or so ago I posted asking about transporting my WSM from NJ to NH for an overnight smoke of 2 pork butts. This would start on Friday night and have to be ready for a graduation party on Saturday afternoon. I'm questioning the wisdom of this because I'm new to smoking (but not BBQ) and have only done one long smoke before...a single pork butt last year that came out very well.

Since there are so many here that have great knowledge, I'm wondering if maybe it would be better to do the smoke at home in advance and get the pork pulled, then refrigerate (or freeze) it and transport it from NJ to NH.

The downside is that it's not "freshly cooked", but from what I have read here, pulled pork keeps very well for quite some time if it's stored properly.

The upsides I see are 1) if anything goes wrong I can do a second smoke and 2) I don't have to transport the WSM and stay up all night on Friday tending the WSM.
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Thoughts?? Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Jim
 
Well, if it helps at all Jim, I'm cooking 120 lbs of butts tonight for a grad party on the 29th. I could have waited until next weekend to do it, but I didn't want to be under the gun.
The grad and some of his family will be coming to the Yacht Club tonight to aid in some of the prep and just see what all goes into making great BBQ.
I'm also cooking brisket for a grad party to be held on June 11. I'll be cooking that a week in advance as well.
Good luck!
 
Jim-

Take your time and enjoy your second pork cook. I would without a doubt cook ahead of time, you will then have time to enjoy the party.

Good luck
 
Jim I have seen posts of some people cooking food in advance, using a food savor and freezing the meat. Then while still in the vacuum sealed bag, put into water on the stove to warm up and they have said it's as if you just cooked it. I have never done it so I cannot attest to it.
 
@Clark: Yes, "under the gun" is something I'd prefer to avoid as well. Good luck on your smoke tonight. How will you store what you smoke tonight given that the event isn't till the 29th?

@Rick: Yes, also another concern...if I'm up all night I won't be able to enjoy the party. I'm thinking I might do some ribs and/or a beer can chicken or 2 that day, but those are easy and just take a couple of hours...so I can still enjoy the festivities.

@Chuck: Reading others posts about how they cooked in advance is what gave me the idea that maybe I should consider the same.

Jim
 
Jim,

If you seal it up in vacuum bags and freeze & reheat, it will be as if you just cooked. I do the above method and drop it in hot water for 10 minutes, comes out steaming like it just came off the smoker. No flavor is lost.
 
@Josh: Yes, from the reading I have done, it seems what you suggest is the preferred method. It's great to know that you've found it works and that it tastes just as if it came right off the smoker. That's very important to me!

Jim
 
Jim,

As for a storing goes, pull the pork (or chop if that's what you prefer) and lay out flat to cool. Once cool / room temp, load in it vacuum bags, seal up and freeze.
 
One mor vote for cooking in advance and sealing in a foodsaver bag. I have done this many, many times and the pork has come out great. I will be cooking for a graduation party for 100 next weekend and already did the pork. I need my cookers for 40 slabs of ribs that I will cook the day of the party. Should be fun.
 
Another vote for cooking in advance. You want to account for any situation (longer cook time, finicky smoker temps, etc) and of course pulling that much pork is hard, messy work.

You'll be a hero if you show up with the food packed in vac bags, ready to go.
 
Just want to suggest that if it's just the next day, you might not want to freeze. I've done that often, anfd I just put the pulled butt in a roaster pan, and then once it's cooled, in the fridge covered with foil. Works fine every time.

Hope I'm not too late.
Cheers!
 
Hi all,

Just a quick reply at the end of this thread to say that I did cook in advance (Memorial Day weekend...finished at around 10:15pm on the day of the cook), pull, let cool overnight, then wrapped in HD foil inside a freezer bag and put in the freezer. Ended up with three 2lb. packs and two 1lb. packs.

This past weekend we had the party in NH. I took 2 of the 2lb. packages, placed in slow cooker with a bit of water, and turned it on. After it warmed up a bit, I poured in a single bottle of Stubb's Original BBQ sauce just to moisten things up and give a bit of additional flavor. Everyone there raved about it. So it was a great success.

Thanks to everyone for making my weekend a LOT less stressful by convincing me to do the cook in advance!!!
 
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