Pulled pork and ribs ...

[bergmef]

Question for the group. Saturday I need to do 2 pork butts and 3 racks of ribs. Would you (all) do them all together or do one the day ahead and the other the day of? I figure the ribs need to be done the day of but what about the pork butt? I hate to crutch it but after reading the one article, maybe run it up to 160, wrap and ice it, then finish it the next day. My only beef (pun intended) is that I love the bark on one that has never been wrapped.

Thanks for any replies,
Frank

[Voodoo]

Probably can approach it anyway you like. For simplicity, I would go with same day cooking. Crutching that butt is just a matter of choice and not necessary. The real issue is thinking about putting it to the grate as is it nears completion and gets nice soft and at risk of falling off a hook. If the ribs happen to be in the Pit when you feel the need to go to the grate with the butt, there's always (gasp) the oven to finish. After all, the butt has collected all that sweet smoke by then anyway and will come out beautiful no matter where you finish.
Have fun.

[_John_]

Do them together. Why do you think you need to crutch?

[bergmef]

I was thinking crutch because I don't think I could get two pork butts, about 8 pounds each and 3 racks of ribs. I want the rack under them for fear of them falling into the fire. If I could stand them up on the 'great grate' I might still have room?!? Hmmmm

[Ernest]

Why not do the butts a day in advance and do the ribs on the feast day? Less stress, better meal timing.

[Dr ROK]

Totally agree with Ernest . Do the butt ahead of time, pull and vacuum seal it if you have one, ziplock if not. Refrigerate (or freeze if several days ahead of time) and next day put in faux cambro about three hours prior to serving time filled with 180 - 190 degree water. At serving time, pull out of the cambro and dump into large bowl, (or crock pot on low, electric roaster on low, etc.) for serving. Only babysitting you'll need to do on the day of the event is watching the ribs. It'll free you up to do more important things like consume cold beverages and interact with your family/guests.

[bergmef]

So do you pull it before the Ziploc or keep it whole? Can the Ziploc handle the 180-190 degree water?

How much meat do you expect from an 8 to 8.5 pound bone in pork butt? I think I was under a half of the original weight.

[Dr ROK]

Pull the meat before you bag it. Yes, the ziplock bag will handle the heat. I will sometimes double bag the meat as insurance in case one of the bags seams splits. The amount of meat you get from your butts will depend on your cook. I get 50% retention in my cookshack on a 10 - 12 hour cook. I plan on a quarter pound serving per guest, so I need 1/2 pound raw product. This has always worked for me with a little extra in the end, which is never a bad thing since it can be frozen or given to guests as a take home package.

[JeffJ]

Pork butts are really good as 'leftovers'. It sounds like you have space issues in your PBC for this cook. Do the butts ahead of time and I recommend pulling the meat before going to the 'fridge. Reheat the pulled pork and serve the ribs in real time.

[airforcekixbutt]

So, what is the best way to reheat pulled pork if it is frozen in ziplock bags enough for two people. Put it in warm water like Dr ROK says or thaw it out on the counter and then microwave.

[Dr ROK]

I thaw in fridge, nice slow thaw to help prevent as much purge as possible, and then heat in hot water. Take it out o the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before you want to eat it. Then into the hot tub for 30 - 45 minutes for that small of a quantity.

[airforcekixbutt]

Thank you Dr ROK.

[Dr ROK]

No problem. My advice came from other pit members such as Ernest, so it's nice to be able to pass it on.

[bergmef]

Ok, so I will probably cook 2 pork butts on Friday, pull and Ziploc them, then into the fridge.

Saturday I'll do the ribs ... maybe a chicken if the ribs finish early.

If I was going to do them the 'day of', I wouldn't sauce the pork, I'd have it on the side. Will it get too dry with the overnight?

[smarkley]

just out of curiosity... what cooker/smoker are you using?

[Dr ROK]

I never sauce mine when I pull and refrigerate. I do add any drippings I can recover during the cook and if I can't do that I'll add a TBS or two or three of butter.

You could also use the drippings from your ribs if you can't get the drippings from your butt roasts.

[bergmef]

The pit barrel cooker

[smarkley]

Yeah cooking 2 butts on Friday is a great idea... I know with my PBC, if I have 2 full butts in it, I dont feel comfortable hanging anything else in it for space reasons.

[bergmef]

would you try to hang them or just bite the bullet and sit them on the grate?

[Dr ROK]

If you set them on the grate you could set them in a foil pan and catch the drippings. Don't have a PBC yet, so don't know if you can catch drippings hanging them.