Reheating Butts...again


 
M

Musky-Hunter

TVWBB Member
I know, another reheating post... I searched all the boards and read all the threads that matched reheat but didn't really find a my topic so please pardon my request, I hope it will benefit others who search in the future.

I have had a WSM for many years and mostly use it for butts. Thursday I will be doing butts for 25 people total that we are meeting up at the lake next week. We don't want to give up a day or have to haul the WSM but we want butts while we are up there so I'm cooking them at home before we leave. This is the first time I will be reheating butts for the primary feeding. We have always been able to enjoy them right off the smoker (actually right out of the cooler) until now.

So my question is, should I pull the butts before freezing? I can see some logic that if you don't get them cooled down quickly they will continue to cook internally, is that a bad thing?

If I don't pull them prior to freezing how should I go about cooling them down? Is it ok to wrap them in foil and a towel or just let them stand on the counter until cool enough to foodsaver?

I have seen the posts about reheating in boiling water but frankly I'm not excited about trying this for fear the bag will give off flavor or that it may even leak, not to mention I don't think I'm going to find three pots big enough to warm 3 butts.

What is everyone's thoughts about freezing whole and warming wrapped in foil in a standard oven at 300 for whatever time it takes to get warm then pulling and spraying with apple juice if needed? I also have the option to pull the meat after thawing and then reheat in a very large electric cooker.

Thanks for your insight. I really don't want to see a lot of work and solid Q get minimized because I didn't freeze and reheat properly.
 
Agree, that much pork is too much for the boil-in-bag method. And trying to reheat 3 whole butts would take too long.

I would pull it, freeze it, and then reheat it in pans in the oven.

If you don't usually add finishing sauce, I would this time before you freeze it.
 
I would let them rest for about 30 minutes off the smoker then pull them, toss them with your finishing sauce, rapidly cool in a thin layer and then either fridge them or freeze them (depending how long you have to keep them).

To reheat just toss the pulled pork with a little juice in a pan covered with foil about 350 degrees until warm (Not back up to 190 or anything, just your desired serving temperature). If you don't have an oven just use the electric cooker (not totally picturing what this looks like so won't give any advice on that.....).

As for the bags I wouldn't bother reheating that much pork that way, having said that I wouldn't worry about off flavors and so forth in the future, it does work well.

Have a good cook!

Clark
 
Thanks for the quick replies. Butts were on at 7am this moring.

We usualy don't apply any sauces, rather let our guests do it with Carolina Red. What finishing sauces would you recommend to apply before freezing?
 
Musky, If it were me, I would wrap meat in foil and then a water proof bag. I would then put on and cover with ice. The goal being to get the meat out of the danger zone as quickly as possible. I would not pull prior to freezing but rather section into reasonably sized pieces. I would then vacu seal with the addition of a suitable liquid to replenish the moisture that the freezing process removes. To reheat, I would do so in hot water in the food saver bags. If that is not to your liking, defrost in fridge and heat in oven.either in foil, tented, or in a clean brown paper bag at the same temp that you cooked at until 140 or so. I would then pull and add whatever sauce or spice you want. This will be a great meal!!

Mark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">If I don't pull them prior to freezing how should I go about cooling them down? Is it ok to wrap them in foil and a towel or just let them stand on the counter until cool enough to foodsaver? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
You can cool for a bit on the counter to get the heat lower but then you really should cool it rather quickly after that. At the very least, separating the butts along their natural fat line divisions can make this more manageable. The pieces should then be placed in something waterproof, as Mark notes (like large Ziplocs), and plunged into ice water (keeping the bag tops open and keeping the open tops above the water level), till cold.

You can reheat in a oven to warm enough to pull, placing the butt pieces in a pan and covering at the outset, till just hot enough to pull.

Me, I much prefer pulling the meat as Clark notes upthread - soon after smoking and resting. Then the pulled meat can be spread out to cool more before packing for the freezer. It cools fairly quickly this way but can go even quicker if you chill the pans you'll cool it in prior. (Do not pack the pork into containers while still warm, especially thickly; it needs to be fairly cool before packing as it will not cool, packed, very well in the fridge or freezer. This is a food safety issue.)

The link that Clark posted is to a finisher I use for PP all the time. It's only used at the rate of a couple or three tablespoons per handful of PP. It evens out flavor and texture and provides additional moisture, facilitating reheating. Also, it works well with any sauces you'll serve with the pork.
 
Kevin, et al. You are the master and I don't intend to contradict. The reason I suggest not pulling before cooling and or freezing is to maintain the internal moisture of the product. I know that freezing in and of itself reduces moisture, I also understand that moisture can be reintroduced to the product. To my reasoning it seems better to maintain the original moisture of the meet and I believe that can best be done by leaving the product as whole as feasibly possible.

Mark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by mk evenson:
Kevin, et al. You are the master and I don't intend to contradict. The reason I suggest not pulling before cooling and or freezing is to maintain the internal moisture of the product. I know that freezing in and of itself reduces moisture, I also understand that moisture can be reintroduced to the product. To my reasoning it seems better to maintain the original moisture of the meet and I believe that can best be done by leaving the product as whole as feasibly possible.

Mark </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, my reasoning as well for freezing before pulling. I just pull the bone out and cool as quickly as possible. I probably would've never thought of freezing before pulling, but a caterer I met once shared a couple secrets with me and that was one. The necessity of cooling quickly is big though, as I've been warned about rank meat from freezing stuff that didn't cool quick enough.
 
True, Mark and Dave.

And Dave is spot on that the butts need to be thoroughly cooled before freezing. It's not just the potential of rank (malodorous, bad tasting) meat. It's the potential for pathogen growth. One must assume post-cook contamination by Staphylococcus aureus from handling (many of us carry it naturally on our skin, an errant cough or sneeze. Warm conditions are perfect for the growth of Staph and packing then placing a thick mass of warm meat in the fridge or freezer maintains the warmth for too long. Food pathogens have no odor nor taste whatsoever: there is no way to tell if the meat is safe from smell or taste. Spoilage bacteria cause rankness, but are unlikely to cause illness.

Briskets I leave whole for freezing; butts that I've smoke for slicing I separate at the natural fat seams and leave those pieces whole. (I don't slice thickly as one typically sees as comps, I slice deli-thin.)

For butts destined for pulling I pull before freezing. First, it's a quicker flow for me. Smoke, rest a while, pull (tossing with a little finishing sauce as I go), cool, chill, pack, fridge or freeze. Larger meat takes longer to cool (though there are ways to speed it up, which I use when I'm not making PP, but they still take time).

Second, there is enough moisture/rendered fat and tissue in butt that I really don't find freezing it already pulled an issue. I really find little difference in the end result, having done it both ways.

Third, I always add a little finishing sauce when pulling (and a little more when reheating, if reheating). This does add moisture, yes, but I'm not really looking for that as butt has enough. I'm looking to even out the moisture (some muscles are a bit leaner than others) and even the texture. I use an emulsified finisher (includes liquid, fat and mustard as the emulsifier) so that it will cling and mix better (straight a.j. or vin just tends to pool).
 
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