Smoking on Saturday, Party on Sunday


 
R

Ron A

TVWBB Fan
I will be smoking a 8 lb butt on Saturday for a back yard pulled pork party on Sunday afternoon. Doing an overnight smoke just isn't proper "good neighbor" etiquette with all the open windows in the summer. While I personally would have no objection to the smoking aromas wafting into the house at all hours, my neighbors may not agree. I live in a densely populated area where the homes are only about 10 about feet apart. My plan is to smoke the butt on Saturday and remove it from the WSM at about 7:00pm Saturday after about 10 hours of cooking.

That being said, I have a couple of questions. First, what is the best method for re-heating it on Sunday afternoon. Should I pull the pork on Saturday after resting it for a a couple hours and then re-heat it in an oven on Sunday? Or should I keep the roast intact and do the pulling on Sunday afternoon? If I pull it on Saturday, will it dry out much over the next 18 hours or so before the party? If so, what's the best method for keeping it moist before serving?

Menu: Pulled Pork sandwiches
Red potato salad with Gorgonzola cheese
Cole slaw
Fruit salad
Beer (Guinness), Wine (wife's choice), Cuervo Gold Margaritas
 
I would do everything on Saturday and just reheat on Sunday. After you remove from the smoker, let it rest foiled. Then before you pull, mix together a "Finishing Sauce". As you pull just mix in some of the finishing sauce and it will help the meat stay moist. As you pull make sure you spread it on a baking sheet and let it cool. Do not pack it while still hot into a container because it will retain that heat for too long. The next day gently heat it covered with a little more finishing sauce are you are good to go.
 
KevinJ nailed what would be my approach.

Cook Saturday, pull when cooked, then reheat Sunday. Pulled pork keeps really well.
 
Yes, pull it on Saturday. The finishing sauce is a good idea as well. Cool it quickly, though, and reheat only shortly before serving. Letting it sit in a crockpot all day Sunday, for example, might be asking for trouble with food borne illness.
 
Carl H. said:
Yes, pull it on Saturday. The finishing sauce is a good idea as well. Cool it quickly, though, and reheat only shortly before serving. Letting it sit in a crockpot all day Sunday, for example, might be asking for trouble with food borne illness.
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That's a really good point.

After it comes out of the cooker, I'd let it rest on the counter so it cools to pulling temp quickly, then pull and lay it all out as flat as possible on baking sheets or similar, so it will chill as fast as possible in the fridge. Then bring it back up to temp quickly too. I'd consider setting the oven to 200F until the pork is hot, then drop it to 150F-170F if necessary for holding.
 
I did the same thing recently with a big Memorial Day Party. Pulled and put into aluminum half pans. I tried to go 200 in the oven but ran short on time and I had to kick it to 300. At 200, after about 2 hours, the food was at about room temp. After I kicked it up to 300 it still went almost an hour until it was heated through. This was pulled and lightly sauced. ZERO complaints. Pulled Pork is easy to deal with. Have fun.
 
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