Question for next weekends cook (Easter)


 
N

Nathan Brown

New member
I am having the families over to my place for Easter next week for the first time and going to do a BBQ Easter dinner. My plan is a couple of pork butts and a turkey breast (father in-law is not supposed to eat pork).

My question is this, What would be the best way of going about this cook? I am thinking that I will cook the turkey on Saturday, throw it in the fridge and then cook the butts overnight to pull right before dinner @ 2PM. Can I just put the turkey in the oven the next day to reheat it and then carve it? Or, should I cook the butts on Sat and the turkey Sunday morning?

Thanks for any help, it is always appreciated.
 
Nathan,

I would cook the butts 1st. #1 they can hold for a few hours wrapped in foil and then again in towels inside an ice chest for a few hours. Also, pulled pork reheats much better than poultry. Just add a little apple juice or water or Q sauce (or any combination of those), foil in pan and heat in oven to about 130.

The turkey should only take about 1.5-2 hours in the smoker (high heat - 350ish). Poultry has a tendency to dry out easier, so I'd avoid reheating it if I had the option. Plus, pulling out that smoked breast before carving is visually impressive; presentation is so important
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. Use a little cherry wood if you have it to add a hint of red to the skin; beautiful.

Paul
 
Nathan,

I've done turkeys and butts for family events, though not at the same time. Paul has a good plan, but I have a different take.

Personally, I like to do the cooking ahead of time whenever possible (not just with bbq) so I can socialize and relax more during the Holiday. I'm mainly referring to holidays when people don't generally want to congregate outside due to weather, which covers most of them up here.

Anyways, I would cook the butt so it was done Saturday. Sometimes they get stubborn and won't get done when you want, so this way you don't have to rush anything. Let them rest for an hour or more, and then pull the pork while it's hot. It is easy to reheat in foil pans, or casserole dishes. Just add some juice, chicken broth, sauce, butter, or all of the above. One thing I've learned is that several small containers will reheat better than one or two large containers.

As for turkey - Last Thanksgiving I smoked two the day before. I then carved the breast off and sliced the dark meat from the leg and thighs. I packaged the whole breasts in a foodsaver bag with a pat of butter. Did the same for the sliced dark meat. About 30 minutes before eating, I dumped the bags in a pot of just boiling water. Turkey was super moist and very good. Yes, you will lose presentation points doing it this way, but it sure made things easy on the Holiday.
 
Nathan! What's up man!

I think the above guys have good ideas. I did two butts ahead of time last Christmas for my wife's office party. She took a crockpot to work and reheated it with a little chicken broth. Rave reviews.

We'll have to get together sometime over some Q, man. Been a real long time.
 
brine those breasts. It'll help them endure the reheat.

additionally, try to recover any liquid released from the butts, either during a foiling stage, or after resting before pulling. you can chill this liquid and easily remove the fat after its solidified. The pork jello can be incorporated in the pp pork or blopped on top of the pp in the bags. when you reheat this liquid with provide a little moisture and you wont have to add so much sauce.

good luck.
 
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