some help with pork butt?

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monty3777

Senior Cook
Joined
Apr 29, 2008
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407
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Iowa, Italy - in my heart and my blood!
I spent the day smoking 8 butts for a church event. On @ 7 am but rained all day. I pulled them off the heat at 10:30 because I need some sleep for work tomorrow. Most were @ around 180. I wrapped them in foil - whole - and put them in the fridge. What is the best way to deal with them tomorrow? Can I ever expect to get them to pull?
I will be serving them on Sunday morning. Should I freeze or keep in the fridge?

Thanks all - I'm going to bed :oops:
 
I would have double wrapped them in foil and placed into a cooler until you woke up for work the next morning. At that point I would have either pulled them or opened the foil while I was getting ready for work to let them cool down and then place in the fridge on your way out to work. Like what's already been said, you do not want to put hot or even warm meat, especially large amounts in the fridge. You always want to cool down as fast as possible to prevent any food bourne bacteria from growing.

Now since you didn't do that, here's the next plan of action.........Just because the butts didn't go to 190º or above doesn't necessarily mean they won't pull easy. I would attempt to pull them cold, if they do not pull easily I would chop the meat and place into serving trays and back into the fridge for Sunday. If you were to reheat, pull and then reheat again on Sunday then you would more than like end up with pretty dry Q. When you reheat Sunday drizzle an equal combination of low sodium chicken and beef stock over the meat (that combo with give you a faux pork stock), recover with foil and place into a 325º oven until the meat is 'warmed' through to at least 160º. Do not overheat at this point or you will dry out the meat. Keep the meat sufficiently warm and covered prior to and during serving.
 
I checked the fridge temp this am. It is ~42.

Would you suggest pitching the butts and starting over? An expensive lesson but I don't want to make folks sick!

Should I worry about the ribs that I have been storing in the same fridge? They are still cryovac'd and have not been cooked. Will they be alright?

Thanks so much for your help. This has been a lousy week - anyone want to buy a Horizon smoker? I think I'll stick to homebrewing :roll: :LOL:
 
I would feel comfortable seving them as long as you bring them up to 160º as quickly as you can. Cook the ribs they'll be fine unless the hot butts were right on top of them.
 
Like Larry said, I would serve them. You could also pull them and drench the meat in sauce to keep moist. You are in the midwest and folks expect pulled pork to be already sauced. Don't give up!
 
8 hours after putting hot butts in a refrigerator and the refrigerator is at 42 degrees, what was the meat temp??

Feed the butts to them and put in the hands of god.
Throw the meat away.
 
what i do some times for A 2day cook is what larry said pull them and double wrap in foil put in cooler next day put on cooker and heat to 160 then pull apart/ but on that note I inject my butts and they are never dry some times to me they are better the next day
 
Thanks for your help everyone. I threw the butts out and started over. I spoke to a person at the Iowa Dept of Health who told me the cryovac'd ribs would be o.k. as long as I cooked them to the right temp since they were raw.
 

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