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These past few months, I’ve been asked a lot of times how to reheat pulled pork and keep it from getting dry.
I’ll start this tutorial by showing you a couple of my favorite ways to smoke a pork butt. Next, I’ll show you how to make pulled pork that tastes like it was just taken out of the smoker, even though it was cooked the day before. The meat will be more juicy than ever and taste better than when it was first taken out of the smoker. It will even have more smoke flavor.
You don’t have to do this step, but I really think you should: put the pork butt in a half-size foil pan fat cap up. If you have multiple pieces of meat, use a separate pan for each one.
Why use a pan? It keeps your smoker clean and makes sure you get all the tasty juices from the pork butt.
Apply a thin coat of mustard to the fat-cap and sides of the pork butt. This helps the rub to stick really well to the meat.
Once the rub and mustard are on the butt, let it sit for 10 minutes so the rub can mix with the mustard. Then, turn it over so the fat cap is facing down.
Note: if you are using a pellet smoker, here are some tips to help you out.
Make sure you have good smoke flowing. I used hickory wood, but you can use any smoking wood you have on hand or your favorite.
Smoke for at least four to six hours, but you can smoke the whole time if you want to.
Keep the temperature at 107°F (225°C) while smoking the pork butts. It should take about 14 hours to finish.
When it gets to 160°F (71°C), some people like to wrap or cover the pork butts, but I don’t do that often.
In the thickest part of the meat, the pork butts are done cooking when they reach 207°F (97°C). They can now be brought inside to cool down.
Heres some instructions for separating the fat from the juices if you want to do that.
Note: You can also leave the juice in the pan and pull the meat apart while it’s still wet. This is not as healthy but it tastes amazing and the meat is SO juicy and flavorful!.
With two forks, pull the meat into pieces after it has been cool for about an hour. Dont shred it too much. just let it fall apart into its natural sections.
Pulled pork is a classic barbecue dish that’s loved for its super tender and juicy shredded meat. But the long smoking times required can make timing everything just right for servings a challenge. So can you smoke a pork shoulder a day ahead of when you need it? Let’s dive into the pros, cons and best practices for smoking pulled pork in advance.
Overview of Smoking Pork for Pulled Pork
Before looking at cooking ahead let’s quickly review some pulled pork basics
- Pork shoulder or pork butt are the best cuts to use. They have the right mix of fat and collagen.
-Cook low and slow at 225-250°F until it reaches 195-205°F internal temp. This allows the tough connective tissues to breakdown over the long cook time.
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Rest at least 1 hour before pulling/shredding to allow juices to redistribute
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Pulling is easier when the meat is still warm and moist. Once cooled, the fat solidifies making it harder to shred.
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Hold warm pork in a faux cambro or wrap and rest in a cooler for up to 8 hours before serving.
The Benefits of Cooking Pulled Pork Ahead of Time
Cooking your pulled pork the day before serving provides some nice advantages
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More flexibility – Get the long cook out of the way when you have time without worrying about exactly when dinner needs to be ready.
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Better timing – Pork can come off at an odd hour and you may not want to be shredding at midnight. Cooking ahead helps.
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Make ahead meal – Great for parties, potlucks or meal prepping. Cook, pull and reheat portions later.
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More rest time – The pork has more time to soak up its juices. Longer rest = more flavorful meat.
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Easier reheating – Just reheat pre-pulled pork vs reheating a whole shoulder.
Overall, smoking the pork a day ahead removes timing pressures and provides convenience.
Potential Drawbacks of Cooking Early
Of course, cooking pulled pork ahead of time does come with a few potential downsides to consider:
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Reheating dries meat – Reheating pre-shredded pork can dry it out. Moisture loss is a risk.
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Textural changes – The shred can turn mushy after reheating rather than staying loose.
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Flavor loss – Some subtle smoke flavors may dissipate over time.
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Food safety – Proper storage is required to prevent bacteria growth on refrigerated pork.
While these drawbacks exist, there are ways to minimize them with proper storage and reheating.
Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Pulled Pork Ahead of Time
Here is a walkthrough of the full process if you want to smoke your pork shoulder a day or more before serving:
1. Smoke the Pork as Normal
- Prep and smoke the pork to 195-205°F internal temperature and probe tender. Use your normal timing, temperature and preferred wood smoke flavors.
2. Rest Pork Well
- Rest for at least 1-2 hours tented in foil after smoking. For max flavor, you can even rest overnight.
3. Shred the Pork (Optional)
- For maximum moisture, you can optionally shred the pork now while it’s still hot. Use bear claws or forks.
4. Chill Promptly
- Allow pork to cool slightly. Then wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate within 2 hours of coming off smoker.
5. Reheat Fully Later
- On day of use, heat oven to 300°F. Reheat wrapped shoulder for 2-3 hours until hot throughout. Or portion-reheat batches of pre-shredded pork.
6. Re-shred and Serve
- Use shredding claws or forks to pull pork again before serving. Moisten with reserved juices.
5 Tips for Best Results Cooking Ahead
Follow these tips when smoking pulled pork in advance for maximum quality:
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Rest pork well before refrigerating. At least 1-2 hours.
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Portion into smaller servings or shred before chilling to enable quick reheating later.
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Add reserved defatted pork juices before reheating to add back moisture.
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Bring leftovers fully up to temp (165°F) before re-serving.
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Re-toss lightly with rubs or sauce right before serving to boost flavor.
How Long Will Pre-Cooked Pulled Pork Last?
When stored properly in the refrigerator, leftover pre-cooked pulled pork will last:
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Unshredded – Up to 4 days stored wrapped in foil. Reheat to 165°F before pulling pork again and serving.
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Shredded – 3-4 days in a sealed container. Reheat to 165°F before serving. Discard if any off smells or textures develop.
The keys are chilling quickly after smoking, proper air-tight storage, and fully reheating.
Answering Common Questions
Let’s review some frequent questions when cooking pulled pork a day or more ahead of time:
Can you freeze pre-made pulled pork?
Yes, portion into airtight bags removing air, and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in fridge before reheating.
Should you rest pork before or after shredding?
Rest at least 1-2 hours before shredding. Rest again after shredding to let juices redistribute.
How long can smoked pork sit out before refrigerating?
2 hours max. Chill within 2 hours of finishing cook.
Is it better to reheat pulled pork in the oven or microwave?
Oven is best to avoid drying out the meat. Microwave only for short bursts to reheat smaller portions.
Can you re-smoke refrigerated pulled pork?
No, only reheat fully to 165° already smoked pork. Do not re-introduce uncooked meat to smoker.
The Takeaway on Cooking Pulled Pork Ahead of Time
While cooking a day or two ahead does introduce some potential downsides, the benefits of flexibility and convenience often make it worthwhile.
With proper storage, generous resting, and careful reheating, you can absolutely smoke your pork shoulder ahead while still delivering deliciously moist and flavorful pulled pork on serving day. Advance planning helps remove the stress of timing your cooks just right.
So fire up the smoker when you have the time and relax knowing perfectly cooked and timed pulled pork is in your future! Just be sure to follow the recommendations above for maximum quality results.
How to Reheat Pulled Pork
As I said before, I get a lot of questions about how to reheat pulled pork so that it doesn’t get dry or taste like it was cooked yesterday, even though it wasn’t. It will taste even better and more juicy than the day before if you follow this simple step:
If you can, reheat this on the smoker. If not, it will still work fine in the oven or even on the stove top or grill.
Place the meat into foil pans or even large cast iron skillets like I did.
If you have reserved juices then pour that evenly over the top of the pulled pork. Since I use these juices when I serve the meat for the first time, there isn’t much left when it’s time to reheat. No problem!.
Add a stick of butter to the top of the meat.
Because I didn’t have enough butter for the whole picture, I had to use half a stick on each pan. That was enough but in my opinion, a whole stick is best.
During the reheating process, the butter will melt and juice up the meat.
For more juice, put butter on top of the meat. Then, sprinkle more seasoning on top of the meat. I dont measure this but rather do it to taste. Add a good sprinkle then taste it. You can easily add more if needed right before you serve it up.
During cooking, I used Jeff’s original rub, which is a great mix of sweet and spicy without going too far in either direction.
During the reheat, I prefer to use Jeffs Texas style rub instead of the original rub. It tastes a little better because it has a little more salt than the original.
Set the smoker to 225°F (107°C), or if you need to get things done quickly, go as high as 275°F (135°C). Cover and heat again for 30 to 60 minutes, or until the butter melts and the meat is hot all the way through.
If you have a pellet smoker, set it to the smoke setting so that the reheating gives you the most smoke flavor. Cover the meat and heat it up again for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the butter melts and the meat is hot all the way through.
Put it back in the oven at 275°F (135°C) with the foil on top and heat it for about 30 minutes, or until the butter melts and the meat is hot all the way through.
Stir the meat well after it’s done cooking to mix in the butter, extra seasoning, and smoke (if you used a smoker).
Call dinner and enjoy watching everyone dig in!
I do this all the time, and I can tell you that it tastes just as good as the first time it came off the smoker. Some people even say it tastes better, and I don’t disagree.
Let me know how it goes in the comments below if you give it a try.
