Smoking butts today for a party tomorrow. Is that wrong? Tips?


 
M

Mark Orth

TVWBB Member
Hi. I've already got 2 good size butts on the WSM so I guess I'm too far to turn back now. Anyway, graduation party tomorrow at 2 and I didn't feel comfortable with an overnight smoke. I got them on around 8 and I'm thinking maybe a 12 hour smoke but, we'll see. I would've loved to be able to pull the pork right before the party but there's too much to do. Anyway, what's my best bet? I was going to pull it, refrigerate in bags and then heat up in the oven. Will that dry it out too much? TIA!! :)
:blackgenesis::wsm22:
 
I think you're on the right track pulling it today and reheating it tomorrow. I haven't done this a lot, but what worked really well for me the last time I did it was to add some sauce to the pork to prior to reheating it. I actually put the meat in a foil roasting pan, added some sauce, covered it tightly with foil, then stuck it in the smoker to reheat it. Obviously the oven will work perfectly fine, I just had something else going in the smoker so I killed two birds and didn't heat up the house. I think the key thing is to add some moisture and cover it tightly.

Check out this page. There is a whole section about cooking ahead of time.
 
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Catch and save as much of the fat drippings as you can. When you reheat, drizzle some of the fat over the pulled pork and toss it like a salad before serving. Use your judgement about how much to drizzle but remember, "Fat=Flavor."

I have also added chicken broth when reheating -- it's a good cheat that adds moisture and complements the flavor.

Jeff
 
I wouldn't heat it much at all. You could even let it come up to room temp and then just throw it in the oven covered for half an hour at 300. Last time I had to do this I pulled the pork the night before and reheated it in a skillet with a little oil carnitas style. Delicious.

Don't worry. It will still be good
 
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If you have a big crock pot or 2, fill it later tomorrow morning with your pulled meat and add some apple juice to keep moist and just let it get warm, you can serve right from there.
 
J Hasselberger said:
Catch and save as much of the fat drippings as you can. When you reheat, drizzle some of the fat over the pulled pork and toss it like a salad before serving. Use your judgement about how much to drizzle but remember, "Fat=Flavor."

I have also added chicken broth when reheating -- it's a good cheat that adds moisture and complements the flavor.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Thanks all. I also keep rendered bacon fat in the fridge? Would that be good or too much?
 
Personally I do not like to add the fat back in. When pulling I like to use a finishing sauce and then when reheating I add some more of the finishing sauce. If you wanted to use the drippings I would use a fat separator and just use the juice and not the fat. Not saying the other way is wrong, just personal preference.
 
Gotcha. Since this is a party, I am adding the glaze that I usually put on ribs and would drizzle on a sammie so, I can probably just use that.
 
I have had good success pulling the pork and then immediately sealing in food saver bags, 1 lb at a time.
I add a few shots of apple juice from a spray bottle into the bag just before sealing.

To reheat, add the bag(s) to boiling water, open and sprinkle with rub and/or juice/sauce.

Just like it was just pulled.
 
last time I did something like this, I popped the meat off the smoker into a foil pan, covered it and shot the whole kit and caboodle right into the garage fridge ( where the extra heat will only warm a few of my sodas.) The next day the whole thing went from the fridge to the oven and 300 for about 20-30 min, just to take the chill off. Then I pulled it, finishing sauced it, and back into the oven covered to bring up to serving temp.
 
I tell you what, time after time this thing continues to amaze me. I've had my WSM since like 2007. I probably need a new one to be honest with you. But that thing got up to temp quick, I was able to use the lower vents to control my heat, and they were up to 190 in about 7 hours.Everything looked and tasted great. I have it in a baking pan covered with extra thick aluminum foil and took it out of the fridge at like 6:00 this morning. Hoping it's a big hit. Anyway, point is, my old girl still performs great. Paid for itself many times over.
 
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