Boston Butt Question!

[Scgator]

What is the best way to store meat after it has been smoked? I'm planning on smoking about 6 butts for my son's graduation in the spring and obviously I can't fit that many in my PBC. I was thinking about freezing them whole after I pulled them off the smoker. Any advice? Thanks and God Bless!

[Ka Honu]

FTC after smoking, then cool, vacuum pack in the largest chunks your bags can handle, and freeze. Thaw and reheat (with the defatted drippings for moisture) slowly to about 140^o.

Lots of methods to reheat, among them:
     ...sous vide,
     ...still in the bags in some sort of water bath,
     ..."nekkid" on a rack in a crockpot, or
     ...in a foil tray covered in a slow oven.

Then pull and serve.

[zueth]

Yeah That.


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[TentHunteR]

Been there... 

What Kahonu said with one difference; I would strongly recommend pulling/shredding the pork butts FIRST then allow to cool and freeze.  They are easiest to pull while they are still hot, before the broken down collagen (now gelatin) has been allowed to congeal.  Once cooled & congealed, gelatin acts like glue and requires much higher temperatures to melt than it did for the collagen to break down in the first place.  Ergo, once cooled the meat will never be as easy to pull.  I have experienced this first hand.

In fact that is the reason why Alton Brown, in his episode of "Good Eats - Stew Romance" advocates cooking beef first, then allow it to cool before putting it into a stews or other dishes.  It will be tender but won't fall apart because the broken down collagen (gelatin) holds the meat together. 

[Ka Honu]

Oops, my bad. I was "rehearsing" for New Years and had a bit of the drink taken. My resulting condition engendered enough confusion to cause my error. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Freeze brisket whole; pull pork first.

Thanks for the "save," Cliff.

[Big Dawg]

Well, Cliff, I have experienced what you're talking about but did not know why.





BD

[Hub]

I've frozen pork butt both ways -- whole and shredded -- and it has been okay but never as good as freshly cooked.  No matter what you do you're going to lose some smokiness.  However, you can still have good texture and moisture if you reheat slowly and some good methods have been suggested.  I just kept it wrapped in foil and brought it "back to life" in a 300 degree oven using a little retained (frozen separately) drippings to help it along.  Another thing that helps with moisture is to add a little (but not a lot of) sauce as you warm it back up.

Hub

[Kona]

I haven't frozen it before but from ice cold from the fridge I use my crock pot on warm and add the Jess Pryles Carolina dressing as it warms to add more moisture and flavor.

[Scgator]

Thanks for all the advice!

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[Scgator]

I finally did a small butt for a practice run to see how it would turn out after freezing. I saved the drippings into a separate container and pulled the meat like normal. Once pulled I let it cool down to room temp and then bagged it and froze it. A week later I thawed the meat and drippings, poured the drippings over the meat, covered and set the oven on 275° and let it go for about an hour and a half. It turned perfect. Thanks for all the tips!!

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