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Freezing Pulled Pork

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MDR
MDR Posts: 55
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
My daughter graduates the end of May. I am making pulled pork for the party. I want to make ahead. What is the best way to freeze it? Do I cook,pull then freeze or cook, leave whole,freeze then thaw & heat & then pull.I am not sure which way is the best. Thanks for you advice in advance

Margie
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    I can tell you what has worked for me. Pull, mix with a small amount of sauce, just a tablespoon per pound, bag, with a vacuum if you have one, and freeze. Easily de-frosted in a pot of warm water. Can be brought to serving temperature in a slow cooker, or, if using smaller quantities, a steamer.
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  • Tiburon
    Tiburon Posts: 42
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    I cooked four pork butts last year for my niece's graduation. I pulled the meat and froze it in foodsaver bags. On the day of the party, I placed it in a pan in a warm oven with a little apple juice and reheated it. Everyone seems happy with the results. Heating the foodsaver bags in boiling water would have worked as well, If she had had a large enough pot.
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  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
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    66cb0afc.jpg

    I slightly change up my pulled pork method specifically when I plan on freezing & reheating later..... I season it heavier as freezing/thawing/reheating does seem to dull the rub. I also do a foil finish from about 185° on with some apple juice in the foil, and a mix of apple juice and broth injected into the butts. The foil finish does soften the bark, but the freeze/thaw/reheat will anyway, so I'm going for as much "just pulled" flavor as I can get. Plus, this gives me a real moist product. I rest it at least two hours, then reserve the foil juice (and there will be plenty) and pull it.

    Next I mix come Coca-Cola into the foil drippings and add to the pulled pork. Then add a little more seasoning. I like my meat to set a little before going into the foodsaver bags, if you use zipper bags you can skip this step. I layer the meat on sheet pans and move to the freezer for 20 or 30 minutes, then break apart partially frozen sections, load into bags and vacuum seal. With zipper bags, I just load the meat, and freeze.

    For reheating I use 80 quart Nesco roasters as my hot water bath. An alternate heating method is using large foil pans in an oven at 250°. Coke or a really thin mixture of sauce and Coke is what I use if any additional moisture is needed. My sauce is served at the table or at the end of the serving line.

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    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
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  • Avocados
    Avocados Posts: 465
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    I have done several large parties (10 to 25 boston butts) and had excellent results freezing them whole wrapped in foil. Then thawed, reheated, and pulled when ready for serving.

    Just be sure to allow a couple days to thaw out in the fridge and reheat at 200 degrees in egg or oven for a couple hours until internal temp is back above 145 or higher for food safety. Also be sure to have a drip pan under them if reheating in the oven... :blush:
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  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
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    WINNER,WINNER,Pulled Pork Dinner! :)I'm with you,the Roasters are great reheating tools!
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