I just got my 22.5 WSM a couple of weeks ago. I smoked a couple of 6Lb. Butts. They turned out pretty good after a 10 hour smoke.

I am looking for a good method of refrigerating and warming it up so it doesn't dry out and maybe give it even a little more moisture.

I am going to be smoking up some pulled pork for about 25 people on the 26th and need to know what is the best way of re-warming. I will be smoking the pork the day before. I am sure there are a lot of different ideas. If you could share what has worked best for you, I would appreciate it.

Adding a little bit of water and putting the pulled meat into a crockpot has worked very well for me in the past. That way, it stays warm and moist and people just serve themselves from the crockpot via a pair of tongs.

I'm sure someone will recommend using the No. 5 sauce as a finishing sauce (mix it in with the pulled pork). I tried it once and didn't care much for it, but you may like it. Feel free to give that a try if simple water isn't up your alley. The Rubs, Marinades, Brines, Mops & Sauces board has good recipes for sauces if the No. 5 Sauce isn't up your alley.

Thanks Chris, I have tried a little apple juice added to a crock pot. It's not too bad, I may just try water the next time. I don't want to put sauces or mops in the crock pot, I am wanting to leave the BBQ Sauces up to the individual. Personally, I pretty much like it the best with no sauces, you get more of the flavor of the meat and the smoke.

Hi Steve,

I have done the apple juice too, but what I have found to work best is chicken or vegetable broth in the crock pot. Does not take away from the flavor at all and helps keep it moist.

Hey, thanks. That sounds like a good way to give it some moisture with a nice touch of flavor. Does anyone know of a good method of refrigerating? Should you put some liquid in with it when refrigerating?

I am going to make some Fajitas with some of the left overs. That should prove to be a little bit of a twist.

I use a small pan with the pulled pork in a large frypan with a small amount of water. I steam it with a foil cover. I also add a little BBQ sauce to help moisten it up.
It's better than fresh.
Lou

Steve, I normally tent the Pork in a roasting pan (either on the WSM or the oven at 230) with pinapple juice from hour 8 until the pork has an internal temp of somewhere between 195-200.

You can use the left over juice from the roasting pan to add to the pork at time of serving. The juice is also great when added to baked beans...adds an awesome smokey flavor.

All you have to do is drain the juice into a plastic container then put it in the fridge overnight. Take it out and scrape off the fat, then use the remainder for the pork (and other things).

Typically I only reheat in single or double servings, not party-size servings...but I put it in a foil pouch and fold the edges over to keep moisture in, then toss it in the oven at 250F until it's hot enough.

I took about 10 lb of pulled pork to a club corn roast as my contribution for "bring a side." I put it in a 12" Dutch oven and added about a cup of water and 1/2 cup of finishing sauce. I then put it on a stove on a very low flame when we arrived and stirred it a bit from time to time until it was time to serve about two hours later.

The Dutch oven provides a lot of thermal mass to keep the food warm without having to worry about electricity for a crock pot. The thermal mass also helps prevent scorching during reheating if you are careful to avoid high heat. IMO either of these would be good for serving a large group. If I'm heating just for myself, I do the same in a small cast iron frying pan with a cover.

Based on what the others have suggested, it seems that there are two key points:
- add some moisture, flavored or otherwise.
- use gentle heat

Oh, yeah... The pulled pork was the only side that was completely finished before the everyone left.

Steve, I use ziplock bags and freeze different size portions. After defrosting, the meat is still moist and smokey. I don't add anything to it. I usually eat it cool or cold, but a blast in the microwave is fine, too.

Steve, I also use ziplock bags. I use the 1 gallon freezer bags. I fill the bag up about haf to thre quaters full, then add about 3-4 tablespoons of water. Don't zip all the way closed. Throw in Microwave and turn it on. Can't tell you how long. The bag will get steamy and then I check it. Stays moist!!!

Probably the best method i have seen is to vacuum seal your freshly pulled pork and then leave it closed and place in an "almost" boiling pot of water.

This holds all the juice inside and reheats without changing the texture of the meat.

Steam it. Comes out nice and moist that way.