Pork butts: Smoke in 6 days Fridge or freeze?

[jjdbike]

Hello folks,

I just picked up a two pack of big boneless commodity pork butts at Costco (total of 23lbs). The "packed on" date is 08/01. The sell by date is 8/29. I plan on prepping on Fri 8/30, smoking on Sat 8/31, and serving on Sun 9/01. Is it safe to keep in fridge or should I freeze it?
I read about the pork butts on the Wildfork Foods site, that they "wet age" their pork like they do with their beef. I wonder if it might even benefit from holding in fridge vs freezing? Do I need work about any type of spoilage, or bacteria growth? I have my fridge set on the coldest setting, but it is Southern California, we don't have AC so the air temp is still pretty warm (if that matters).
Your thoughts?
JD

[Jfrosty27]

They will be fine in the fridge. I have a rack of ribs from Wild Fork on the smoker right now that was in the fridge for a week. Just fine.

[Jerod Broussard]

I'd salt it down and let it sit in the coldest part of the fridge.

[Donw]

I personally wouldn’t have a problem if the cryovac bag is intact. However their statement that the butt is wet-aged blows my mind as raw pork does not age well since it basically rots. If they were selling a dried or cured product that is one thing but to sell a raw butt and state it is wet or dry aged is so wrong.
And I salt, cure, and air dry a few country hams each year.

[jjdbike]

I personally wouldn’t have a problem if the cryovac bag is intact. However their statement that the butt is wet-aged blows my mind as raw pork does not age well since it basically rots. If they were selling a dried or cured product that is one thing but to sell a raw butt and state it is wet or dry aged is so wrong.
And I salt, cure, and air dry a few country hams each year.

Thanks for your reply.
This is screenshot from Wildfork Foods.
So it should be fine in fridge for 6 days? I sure hope so. Would be absolutely horrible if I made the neighbors ill. I didn’t notice the “packed on 8/01”, “Sell by 8/29” label till I got home.
Did I make a mistake not looking for a fresher pack?
JD

[Donw]

You will be fine. I looked further into this and it looks like normal refrigerated storage and delivery chain timing gets them to about 8 days before sale to end users. Probably standard for many meats appearing in any supermarket but someone in marketing got an idea to add the wet aged to the labels.The Sell by Date is not federally regulated and is the processor’s guess at a best quality date with a margin for the buyer to take it home and refrigerate for a few days. It is not an expired date.

[jjdbike]

I'd salt it down and let it sit in the cold est part of the fridge.

Thanks,
I am curious, what is generally the coldest location in a refrigerator?
I have a side by side. The top shelf has a vent o either side with a label the says not to block the airflow or things will freeze, which they do. I also just assumed that because colder air is heavier than warmer, the bottom would be the coldest. Though I don’t know for certain if that holds true if the door is opened 10 or 12 times a day.
Your thoughts?
JD

[fzxdoc]

From googling your question: Typically, the back and bottom of the fridge is the coldest part. This is because cold air sinks down, and the back of the fridge is farthest from the door. It's different for fridges with ice-making compartments at the top, which make the top colder.

[Jerod Broussard]

What fzxdoc said. Also, the intake from the freezer is back there.

[Mosca]

My personal guideline for meat is that a few days after the sell by date is okay. I’d be confident to start prepping that as late as Sept 2nd. When I doubt, I use the sniff test. If it smells fine, then it is fine.

[realdocBBQ]

I'm super careful with pork. I've had a couple of pieces go bad on me in a fairly short timeframe. Once, a two-pack of boneless butts, so, like 17 or so pounds of meat? UGH! And that was literally just a few days after purchase, I think. I shoulda called them up and gotten a replacement, but at the time it was almost a 3hr round trip to our closest Costco and I knew I wasn't going to be back for several months, probably so...

Anyways... what about salting and then freezing, then bring straight out of the freezer and into the heat to cook?

I think I'm going to try something like this, after watching the latest video from chefchrisyoung of Combustion, Inc. about cooking from frozen. I've done something 'similar' when I did a briskie that was still 'pretty frozen' in the center and it didn't seem to adversely affect things too much.

Check it out! This may be a lifesaver in a situation like yours.

[jfmorris]

This is the exact advice I came to give. I had a bad butt once or twice and you don't want to open the cryovac in a week to smell rottenness.

I would dry brine, freeze, and cook from frozen. I've done that often with butts, and just rinse the ice off, pat dry, and either let the wet defrosting surface or mustard act as a binder for my dry rub, and put it right on the smoker. It will add an hour or two to the cook, at most, and you just wait a bit to insert the meat probe.

[BFlynn]

I'd prep them now. Dry brine and rub. Then vacuum seal and freeze.

They can go right from the freezer to the smoker. No need to thaw.

[Jfrosty27]

That’s a great approach. Guaranteed to work. +1.

[BFlynn]

@jfrosty27

With just two of us at the house, and my wife doesn't dig left overs, almost anything I buy gets split in half. Half smoked then
Half prepped and in the freezer for next time

[realdocBBQ]

I need to do like chefchrisyoung said and get a kitchen drill. Totally. Or at least just a kitchen drill BIT - I don't need a whole drill for meat, but a single bit that is the size of one of my meat probes would be fine.

[BFlynn]

Don't even need that. Just put the probe in later.

[jjdbike]

Hello everyone,

Thanks so much for all of your great ideas.

I certainly learned a lesson here. Check the packing and sell by dates on everything, especially pork (and poultry).

I check the temp of my fridge with a digital thermometer. I have an ice maker in the top of my side by side fridge. On the top shelf between the vents (next to the ice-maker), the ambient temp is between 30 & 31 degrees when shut. Obviously that temp quickly rises when the door is opened. I am hoping that this low temp will slow bacterial growth and spoilage.

My days during the work week are long and exhausting. Not complaining because I truly love my job. It's just a lot for this fat old man.

Here is where I believe I landed on this. I believe I will be able to tell if spoilage occurred after I remove the cryowrap and allow the initial smell to dissipate. If it smells of decay and is slimy, I'm tossing it and making a last min run to the local meat market.

It is current Tuesday. I was planning on making an injection and cutting each butt in half on Thurs evening. I'll inject on Fri Morning. Sat morning I will rub and put back cold part of fridge, then get the smoker going. It's a KBQ so it cooks pretty quickIy due to the large amount of air movement. I plan starting the fresh from cold fridge meat at 225 for an hour, then bump to 250 for an hour to maximize smoke. Then I'll bump up tp 275 to render fat. I'll take temp to 180 internal on the smoker, then wrap w/ a little pork fat and apple juice. I'll finish in a 300 degree oven until probe tender. I'll rest for 4 hours, pull and refrigerate. When cooled I'll portion, vacuum seal and place in freezer Sat night. I'll reheat on Sunday for neighborhood BBQ.
Sound like a good plan? Does anyone see any potential problems (other than potential spoilage & that is a biggie)? Anyone have any suggestions or changes to that plan that you recommend?

Respectfully,
JD

[jfmorris]

Once it's cooked, you have 3-4 days of "leftover time" in the refrigerator. I would not bother freezing overnight on Saturday if you plan to reheat on Sunday. I've smoked in advance, pulled the pork, and held in the fridge for a day, then reheated in a pan in the oven on low for an hour or so, and then served in a crock pot on the warm setting for potlucks and parties.

[jjdbike]

Thanks J.
I am cooking Saturday & serving Sunday. On Saturday after the cook is all done, rested and cooled, I’m portioning out what won’t get eaten on Sunday, vaccum sealing and putting into the deep freeze. I want to get as much work out of the way on Sat so I can relax and enjoy Sunday. Plus, I figure the sooner I get the pork into the deep freeze, the better.
Thanks again!
JD