Smoking a pork shoulder a day in advance? Bad idea?

[wyan14]

I’m going to smoke my first pork shoulder for pulled pork on the 4th and I was wondering if I could smoke it tomorrow (the 3rd) and reheat it on the 4th for everyone. I’m planning on spending the day at the beach and I would rather not have to ride my bike back and forth all day to check on the meat. Is pulled pork not as good on day 2?

Also, I have had great luck with the pork/beef ribs and the beef briskets I have smoked but I’ll take all the advice I can get for smoking the pulled pork.

Thanks!

 

[Big_Jake]

I always like meat fresh on the first day.Although I think if you cook it,pull it,and put it in the fridge overnight it wont be to bad.That's just my .02

 

[scooter]

Is BBQ not as good on day 2? Yep, it's not as good.
When meat comes out of the cooker moisture and flavor are reducing at a fairly steady pace as the days pass by. A day later it will be fine. Given the scenario you described it would be preferred to get it done on Wednesday then pull it and seal it in a vacusealer bag. On Thursday you can put that bag into some hot water for 10-15 minutes and you should be OK and you'll have enjoyed yourself at the beach without the back and forth stuff.

 

[didisea]

Kind of depends on how you are going to serve the meat. If you are reheating it for sandwiches, it should be fine. I shred it, and when you reheat it, just add some water, or the jous run through a fat separator back to the pot. Heat it up and then add some sauce. Also good if you are making pulled pork nachos, burritos, etc.
Some people may say that it is better on day 2 because the smoke has had time to meld with the meat.

 

[Phred]

I smoked a couple of pork butts on Saturday, pulled them and stuck them in the fridge and served it last night. I reheated the meat in a roasting pan. One trick I've learned when reheating is to add some apple juice to it. Also taste it as you may need to add some more rub to the meat to give it more flavor.

 

[SmokeAndSpice]

It'll be fine. In fact, I don't take chances when serving anyone outside my immediate family-- I'll cook it up to a week or two in advance depending on my schedule, pull it, zip-lock (or vacuum-seal if long enough to freeze; quart bags for easier defrosting). Heat it gently but thoroughly before serving, making sure you don't dry it out. I've never had complaints!

 

[wyan14]

Well I decided to smoke it today and take scooters advice and pull it and vacuum seal it for tomorrow. The good news is I’m about to pull it now and that means the wife and I get pulled pork 2 nights in a row! When I reheat it how hot should the water be for 10-15 mins? Boiling?

 

[scooter]

Don't boil it. Just hot water will do.

 

[TentHunter]

When I reheat it how hot should the water be for 10-15 mins? Boiling?

The Meat has to be MINIMUM 140° for serving. Bring the water up to just a simmer, then back off a little. At that temp you can actually keep the meat in longer if needed, until ready to serve, and it will be perfectly hot and safe.

If you're re-heating it on-site, remember; you don't have to re-heat all of it at once. You can re-heat it in batches, if that works better.

One trick to freshen up re-heated pulled pork is to mix a little vinegar & brown sugar (about 1 or 2 TBS each per ziplock bag of meat) and mix that in during or after re-heating.

 

[wyan14]

Thanks for all the advice. We had a little last night and it was awesome!

 

[TrickyDick]

I heard a wives tale that you are only supposed to freeze pork once. I suppose any meat will taste poorly if frozen many times, though I think that there is no harmful effect from freezing other than deterioration of texture and taste perhaps. I have often cooked many fresh (never frozen to comply with the "rule") butts, pulled them, and portioned and packed in ziplock bags and frozen. As long as they weren't in freezer for a long time (months) the pork has always been tasty. When I've reheated pork that I've previously frozen, or even just refrigerated, I like to either heat it in a crock pot, or if in a hurry, in a gently simmering steamer pot with a little apple juice or even just plain water. This works pretty well for smaller portions.

TD

 

[archer75]

I know i'm late to the party but if it were me I'd get up early and start it going and then go do your thing at the beach. Nice thing about pellet bbq's is they'll maintain that temp and keep on going for many hours.

I sometimes also start it late at night and go to bed. It finishes late morning usually at which time I wrap it, throw it in a cooler with blankets and eat it at dinner time when it's still hot. Giving me many hours to do other things.