Pulled Pork 4 Weeks Later

[fuzzydaddy]

I always cook 2 butts. We eat some, share some, and freeze the rest. I place hunks in a ziplock bag, squeeze the air out, seal, then flatten out the bag spreading the pork around evenly and then to the freezer. Reheating is quicker than a big hunk. I microwave for about 30 seconds then squeeze the pork around in the bag to mix it up, then another 30 seconds and do the same until it's not frozen anymore. Fresh is definitely the best by far IMHO. But this is still really, really good, not dried out or stringy. This is the only time I use sauce.

Here's today's that had been frozen for almost 4 weeks with some melted extra sharp cheddar and my new favorite sauce with a little kick.

[mgaretz]

You need a vacuum sealer! (My first thought when I read your headline was "Wow! That's a crazy long stall!"

[Thunder77]

I always freeze some of mine shredded with some bbq sauce mixed in. Yum!

[fuzzydaddy]

Sounds delish! We never know what sauce we'll want, which is why I omit the sauce until served.

[fuzzydaddy]

mgaretz I have one but we usually eat it all in a couple of weeks so ziplock bags are used for short stays in the freezer. We were out of town some so this stayed in longer than normal - no problem with freezer burn. And 4 weeks would be really low and sloooooow!

[RonB]

Nice! Since there are only tow of us, we freeze lots of stuff, and sometimes cook extra so we can freeze it.

[DeusDingo]

i vacuum seal mine, and put in a pot of simmering water still in the bag to reheat now. i think Ernest taught me that but i can't be sure

but of course the difference between one method of reheating and another is slight. it almost always taste great when you get it hot

[Thunder77]

fuzzydaddy, you could always use your fancy souvee doux thingy to reheat while you're at work or something like that.

[CurlingDog]

fuzzydaddy , i just picked up that sauce and the Heinz Memphis Sweet and Spicy just last night! $1.99 a bottle. How do you like it as compared to say... Sweet Baby Rays Sweet and Spicy?

[fuzzydaddy]

I have not tried the spicy Sweet Baby Rays. We ran out of Big Bob Gibson Habanero and this is close to it.

[CurlingDog]

And just so i'm not hijacking this thread into a bottled BBQ sauce topic... I have over 2lbs of vac sealed pulled pork in the fridge that i will be reheating for a family gathering in a few weeks. Might not lend itself too easily in the nuker... i was intending on reheating on the pellet grill, and sauce the dickin's out of it.

[fuzzydaddy]

My packs are maybe 1/4" thick at most so 1-1.5 minutes microwave at most. 2 nice servings or 1 really healthy portion.

[cruiseplanner1]

I read on this site a couple of years ago that after pulling pork it is good to let is sit and absorb its own juices for a couple of days. So I figured if it can sit in the fridge it can also be frozen and used when needed. For a Michigan guy that allows me to smoke on the days when the weather is favorable and I now do two shoulders at once and also freeze in the quart ziplock bags. Then when needed for a meal or event pull them out a day prior and ready to go.

[PBCDad]

Noah on the Pit Barrel Cooker site advises putting it in the freezer in ziplock bags with some barbecue sauce http://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/videos/pulled-pork. I've tried it both ways, and with the sauce it definitely tastes a little more moist when reheating, but the difference isn't huge. I always have some left over and I have sandwiches for lunch for a week or two. Bark is worthless on it, but everything else is really good and a great week of lunches for me!

I've noticed that the smoke flavor seems to come out more on leftovers than on my freshly-smoked food, is that just me? Is it just the PBC? My thinking is when it is fresh the smoke can get overwhelmed by the strong bark taste, the juices, etc.

[fuzzydaddy]

I too notice the smoke. Maybe it's because my clothes, nostrils, and the house aren't already infused with the delicious smell.

[JDenver]

Pretty much every time I smoke something, the smoke flavor is stronger after the first day for some reason. My guess is that something in making the meat cold for a period somehow concentrates the smokey flavor.

[kingdarb]

Nice! I like reheating pulled pork. What I have been doing lately is freezing it in food saver vacuum sealed bags, then I reheat the pork by leaving the bag in some simmering water for a bit (pot on the stove, sous vide, doesn't matter). Turns out great!

[fuzzydaddy]

If I were freezing larger portions I would definitely go with my foodsaver bags and water to reheat. Mine are so small that 2 or 3 30-second microwave cycles and squishing it in the ziplock works well.

[jlazar]

I have had good results adding a little beef broth to the vac seal bags. I prefer the boiling water method but if using they microwave, the little broth keeps the pork from being dry.

[choffert]

We've been freezing 1 pound vac bacs w/ a tbsp. of butter...when reheated (either sous vide or nuke) it comes out pretty darn close to the way it went in...awesome...

[fuzzydaddy]

When I pull pork for a party and I've got to keep it warm for a while, I add about 1/2 cup of water per 5 pounds, and about 1 tablespoon of butter per pound and keep it warm in a crock pot, per this article. It works great!

[LA Pork Butt]

fuzzydaddy that sounds like. Great idea to keep it from drying out in the crockpot.