Skip to main content

Here is the deal..

I bartend on Saturdays noon to 8 PM.

As you might imagine I talk for hours on end about drink and food. I even show pics on my cell of the CS with BBQ. Many of my regular customers always want to try my BBQ.

The plan. Make pork butt at home and pull it at home.

The problem is I will be serving some people at 1:15 PM and some at 7:50 PM plus people in the middle? I will be serving individual portions.

How do I keep it hot for 8 hrs (already pulled) and not dry it out. Or should I refrigerate it all day and microwave the individual portions each time I need it.

FYI
The bar has a microwave, toaster oven, and fridges. I could bring my crock pot, cooler, or anything else I have.

I am not charging for the food I just want to let 20 friends sample my pulled pork over a large time window.

I do know what I don’t want to do. I do not want to store the PB whole and pull individual servings (20 times over 8 hrs)

Thanks for the help

El
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

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.
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
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
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.
Last edited by maxq

Add Reply

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×