Freezing Pulled Pork

[Chris__M]

I was expecting visitors this weekend, but we have now postponed until August, due to the unpredicatable weather.

However, I had previously ordered a pork shoulder from my local butcher. This was complicated by a miscommunication - I am pretty certain I had asked for a bone in blade shoulder when ordering, but when I went to collect, I was presented with a whole shoulder - blade-end and picnic and the front leg. I should have commented, but at the time I felt a bit stupid that I'd got it wrong. Only on later reflection did I conclude that the fault was not mine, but the guy who took the order.

I thought perhaps I could split the shoulder myself, freeze half and cook half, but that turned out to be easier said than done - I have got very ordinary kitchen knives, and nothing suited for butchery. So having removed a few nice cuts of meat off it, for the freezer, I put most of the whole shoulder into my smoker and smoked it overnight (and for most of the morning). Of course, once cooked, it fell apart, and was easy to handle.

This has left me with an embarassment of riches - a whole bucket-full of delicious sauced pulled pork. I have put some aside for myself for the next few days, and also given some to my neighbours. That barely scratches the surface. So I am planning to freeze the rest. I thought I would freeze a small (in relative terms) portion to feed 4, for when my brother and sister-in-law come in August, and freeze the rest in two larger portions for the next big gathering I have here.

I know that people often freeze it in bags, and do boil in the bag, but I have got some good sturdy foil trays with lids. I thought I would fill the trays, cover them, bag up for protection, then freeze. Then when I want to use them, defrost for 24 hours in the fridge, and just put the whole foil tray (without lid) in the smoker for an hour on medium, to reheat, before I start cooking bangers and burgers.

Any reason why this shouldn't work?

[JEC]

What a nightmare, glad you have made the most of a bad situation, that must of cost you a fair packet though! Your plan seems OK to me, I would normally use bags to be honest but if your foil containers are well sealed (to prevent the chance of freezer burn) then it should be fine, any concerns then bag and freeze then use your foil trays to reheat in the smoker. It's a shame you can't post it, there would be loads of people wanting it on here

[Chris__M]

It came to 30 quid, which was more than I was planning to pay, but wasn't particularly worrying - I was more concerned about carrying the thing home - I got some strange looks, I can tell you.

Wish I'd weighed it before cooking and pulling it, but by the amount of pork I have ended up with, plus what I removed for the freezer before it hit the smoker (4 small cuts, each suitable for 2-3 people), I think I got my money's worth. It is especially nice to know I have "something I prepared earlier" for those times when you haven't got time to prepare.

With regard to freezer burn - the pork is absolutely packed into the trays with the lid pushed well down squeezing out any air pockets. Then bagged and tagged.

[dronfield BBQ Ranch]

my dear fellow BBQ fans, try the vac food sealer it costs about £25.00 and is fantastic, it removes all the air from the bags and either allows you to store in fridge for 4x longer or freeze up to 3 yrs, yes 3 yurs with no burn. i have 2 and vac pac all my stuff and it keep fantastic.

look in Makro or on the web its called food sealer and yes it's good, and no they don't sponcer me!!!!

[All Weather Griller]

my dear fellow BBQ fans, try the vac food sealer it costs about £25.00 and is fantastic, it removes all the air from the bags and either allows you to store in fridge for 4x longer or freeze up to 3 yrs, yes 3 yurs with no burn. i have 2 and vac pac all my stuff and it keep fantastic.

look in Makro or on the web its called food sealer and yes it's good, and no they don't sponcer me!!!!

Vac packers are the future! You simply boil in the BBQ for mid week fixes.

The future!

Beers Adie

[dronfield BBQ Ranch]

Vac packers are the future! You simply boil in the BBQ for mid week fixes.

The future!

Beers Adie[/quote]

The future is here, but don't try and reheat vac packed stuff still in the bag it may taint the flavours

[Chris__M]

As it happens, I have a vacuum sealer, that I purchased a few months ago. However, my house has been unorganised (or perhaps too organised - everything was in boxes) during a major downstairs decoration; and I still haven't come across the gizmo - it's in a box somewhere.

However, I viewed the vac-packer as a convenient way to divide and freeze reasonably-sized portions for myself - i.e. one and two man bags of porky goodness. As I had so much pork, and intended to use it in just two batches, it made more sense to me to freeze them in the trays that I would be serving them in, off the BBQ, all else being equal. Certainly, even if I found my gizmo, I know none of the bags I have would have been big enough for the larger batch of pork I wanted to freeze - I would have been freezing it in 4 or 5 batches, rather than just two. While I know larger bags are available, I had only bought those suited to the smaller portions I envisaged.

Regarding the idea of "boil-in-the-bag" tainting the food. My impression was that this was the one of the main points in favour of vacuum packing - ease of reheating. I've seen references to this in too many places for it to be a problem.

[luis]

I am thinking of getting a vac sealer. Quick question though please. If you freeze a bag of pulled pork do you have to defrost or can you biological straight off?

[dronfield BBQ Ranch]

As it happens, I have a vacuum sealer, that I purchased a few months ago. However, my house has been unorganised (or perhaps too organised - everything was in boxes) during a major downstairs decoration; and I still haven't come across the gizmo - it's in a box somewhere.

However, I viewed the vac-packer as a convenient way to divide and freeze reasonably-sized portions for myself - i.e. one and two man bags of porky goodness. As I had so much pork, and intended to use it in just two batches, it made more sense to me to freeze them in the trays that I would be serving them in, off the BBQ, all else being equal. Certainly, even if I found my gizmo, I know none of the bags I have would have been big enough for the larger batch of pork I wanted to freeze - I would have been freezing it in 4 or 5 batches, rather than just two. While I know larger bags are available, I had only bought those suited to the smaller portions I envisaged.

Regarding the idea of "boil-in-the-bag" tainting the food. My impression was that this was the one of the main points in favour of vacuum packing - ease of reheating. I've seen references to this in too many places for it to be a problem.

Sorry i did joke about tainting food i ment him not to put it in the bag on the BBQ, soory, i totally agree with you foood reheated in the bags by boil in bag method is if, in fact it's great, soory for confusion

[dronfield BBQ Ranch]

I am thinking of getting a vac sealer. Quick question though please. If you freeze a bag of pulled pork do you have to defrost or can you biological straight off?

Either way, it tastes best to me defrosted then boil in bag reheated but my 2 boys like in from frozen, try both BUT make sure it heated all the way through PLEASE.