What is the best way to hold and serve pulled pork?

Prepare a batch of Smokin's Pork Finishing Sauce, found HERE

After the pork is pulled (try to keep it warm) add one batch of the finishing sauce for every 8 lbs of meat. Toss the meat gently with tongs or forks. The F.S. will keep the meat moist during the reheat and add a nice complimentary flavor.

Portion the meat into 8 oz paper HOT cups and top with a lid. Do not use styrofoam cups. The cups can be chilled or frozen.

The cups can be microwaved to order. Rule of thumbs...give them 60 seconds on high. Let them sit a minute or two and re-nuke them for 30 seconds.

Offer a squeeze bottle of BBQ sauce on the side for those who may want it. A bag of food club hamburger buns and some cole slaw will have your tip jar overflowing by the end of the night.

Hope this helps.

I'm hungry.

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:
I'm hungry.

Well Pags, next time you Que up a butt, set up half a dozen cups in your freezer. When the urge strikes, you're only 5 minutes away from a PP sammy

Good idea.

Had a forum member in SC that we would stop and visit with.He had a dairy whip type soft ice cream stand and a huge inside/outside blocke smoker.

He came from the corporate world of several chain restaurants.He would do pork one day,ribs another,and then fried foods and sides.He used Max's suggestions with all measured portions in the big cooler.

Worked like a charm for years.

Thanks MaxQue.

Did I understand it right?

(option 1, your method)
Make my normal pork butt.
Pull (while pork butt is still hot)
add Smokin's Pork Finishing Sauce (while pulled pork is still hot)
package in 8 oz paper HOT cups with lid
refrigerate (I assume I can refrigerate it up to 3 days/freeze if more than 3 days)
heat each cup with lid on for 60 seconds in microwave, rest 2 min, and again in microwave for 30 seconds.
Serve with bun, slaw, and sauce

(option 2, what I was considering)
Make my normal pork butt. (put into CS night before the event)
Foil, wrap, cooler when its done in the morning
One hour before even Pull (while pork butt is still hot)
Add BBQ sauce or instead of BBQ sauce use Smokin's Pork Finishing Sauce (while pulled pork is still hot)
Place in crock pot on “low heat” setting.
Just serve as needed from crock pot (it will be in crock pot up to 8 hrs)



MaxQue, do you think the method you outlined (option 1) would be better than my option 2? I am assuming now that my option is not really a bad idea if I was only serving it for 2 hrs. But 8 hrs in a crock pot is a bad idea, it would dry out.

Thanks

El

Can you microwave the lid of those 8 oz hot paper cups? Do they melt..

thanks again

El

If you limit the crock pot hold to 2 or 3 hrs. you'll be ok. 8 hrs is just too long to hold without losing flavor, texture and turning the meat into a pile of mush. You know the customer/volume better than I do. Maybe a limited amount in a crockpot for the "rush" with cups for a back-up?

Look for the hot cups in a Club store such as Costco. The lids are sometimes sold with the cups, or separately. They won't melt.

MaxQue

I went to Costco to look for “8 oz paper HOT cups and top with a lid”, no luck.

The only thing they had was Dixie 8 oz hot LIQUID cups with no lids. I even called Dixie while in the store. Customer service person told me they are not designed for food. He said that they should not be used for food in the microwave because it takes longer. I then explained it would only be for 60 seconds/60 seconds rest, and 30 seconds again in the microwave. He was not having it, “they are designed for liquids”.

Any ideas on a national chain store to get the cups? Or should I just not listen to the Dixie guy and cross my fingers that I do not poison anyone.

Thanks

El

If they can hold hot liquid, why can't they hold hot food? Don't think you need to worry about poison. How about lidding with saran wrap and a rubber band, or foil or zip lock bag, or vacuum seal or use glass jars (let the jars warm at room temp for awhile before heating). I'm sure there's other ideas.

Since you're not going to be freezing them, I'd just put the PB with some of Smokin's finishing sauce into sandwich sized zip-lock bags.

I've nuked them before and haven't had any problems with them.

Just to clarify....

I use an 8 oz paper cup for a couple of things I nuke to order. The 8 oz "hot" cups I buy at BJ's are basically similar to an all purpose 8 oz Dixie cup. Cold cups tend to have a waxy like coating. Hot cups tend to be a more durable cardboard construction. As long as the lid fits the cup, no worries; it won't melt in a microwave.

I don't get Costco's explanation as per liquids vs food, as Pags points out. In summary, find a hot cup suitable to your needs. Find a lid that will fit the cup. My only aside (again) is styrofoam, which which will melt down in a microwave if given too much heat.