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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 comforting, delicious staple of barbecue cuisine. The juicy, tender pork is flavored during smoking. But some pitmasters like to add more flavor after pulling the pork apart. Can you season pulled pork after you’ve pulled it? Let’s talk about the pros, cons, and different ways to season pulled pork after you’ve pulled it.
Why Season Pulled Pork After Pulling?
There are a few reasons you may want to season pulled pork after it’s been pulled and shredded
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To add a finishing flavor or acidic tang
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To reinforce the spice flavors if they mellowed during smoking
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To moisten dried-out pork with a seasoned sauce
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To customize flavors for different diners (kids vs adults)
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To brighten flavors after reheating leftover pulled pork
Adding a little seasoning to the pork after pulling it and letting it rest brings out its flavors more. It also gives you a chance to tweak flavors at the end.
Best Practices for Seasoning Pulled Pork
When adding seasoning after pulling, keep these tips in mind:
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Mix it in thoroughly so flavors evenly coat shredded pork
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Let it rest 10-30 minutes for seasonings to absorb fully
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Use a light hand initially – you can add more, but overseasoning is hard to fix
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Fine-tune to taste – add acids, sweet, or heat as needed
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Moisten as needed with sauce, broth, or finishing liquid
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Reseason upon reheating to revive flavors
Take your time dispersing seasonings so flavors don’t concentrate in clumps. Give it time to mingle before serving. Pulled pork can handle a good amount of seasoning, but go slowly at first.
Top Options for Post-Pull Seasonings
Which seasonings work best to finish pulled pork after it’s been pulled apart? Here are some excellent options:
Barbecue Dry Rub
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The original dry rub adds back spices that mellowed during smoking.
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Adds bark notes without overly drying meat.
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Reinforces the core barbecue flavor profile.
Finishing Sauce
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Thinned sauces penetrate meat for tang and moisture.
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Balance sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
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Often include apple cider vinegar, mustard, sugar, and peppers.
Extra Smoked Paprika
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Doubles down on smoky flavor.
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Provides richness and color without too much salt.
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Pairs well with other paprika-heavy rubs.
Chile Powder or Hot Sauce
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Brings heat level back up, especially after resting.
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Balances the unctuousness of fatty pork.
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Use moderate amounts to avoid overpowering pork.
Cider Vinegar
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Splash of acid brightens flavors.
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Cuts through fat and gives tangy counterpoint.
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Often used in finishing sauces.
Broth or Juices
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Moistens and seasons dried pork shreds.
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Uses the natural pork essence for flavor.
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Pork or chicken broth work well.
Should You Season the Pork Before AND After?
Because smoke flavor mellows during resting, many pitmasters season pulled pork twice – once before smoking and again after pulling.
The initial dry rub or injection seasons the raw meat. After pulling, sauce or a reserved portion of rub gives a flavor finishing touch.
Take it easy on the first seasoning so subsequent additions have room to shine. And taste after each addition to find desired flavor balance.
An Award-Winning Finishing Method for Pulled Pork
Here’s a championship technique for seasoning pulled pork from barbecue legend Chris Lilly:
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Apply a moderate pork rub before smoking.
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Smoke pork shoulder until very tender over indirect heat.
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Pull pork and mix with thinned vinegar sauce and reserved rub.
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Let rest 10-20 minutes for flavors to penetrate meat.
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Adjust seasoning with more reserved rub, vinegar sauce, hot sauce, etc.
This polished method layers flavors before and after smoking. The post-pull resting period allows seasonings to fully blend.
Step-by-Step Guide to Seasoning Pulled Pork After Pulling
Follow these steps for properly seasoned pulled pork:
Ingredients:
- 1 smoked pork shoulder, cooked until very tender
- 1⁄2 cup barbecue dry rub, divided
- 1⁄2 – 1 cup thin vinegar finishing sauce (or 1⁄4 cup cider vinegar + more to taste)
- Hot sauce, broth, or other desired seasonings
Instructions:
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Remove smoked pork from cooker and let rest 15-30 minutes.
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Using two forks, shred and pull pork apart into bite-size pieces.
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In a large bowl, combine pulled pork, 1⁄4 cup rub, and 1⁄2 cup vinegar sauce.
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Mix thoroughly to distribute seasoning. Let rest 10-20 minutes.
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Taste pork and add more rub, vinegar sauce, hot sauce, etc. to taste.
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For reheating leftovers, add more seasoning items to refresh flavors.
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Moisten with broth or sauce if pork seems dry.
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Rest 10 minutes again before serving.
The resting periods allow time for seasonings to penetrate shredded pork. Taste and tweak flavors after each addition until you achieve the ideal seasoned pulled pork.
Common Questions About Post-Pull Seasoning
Here are answers to some frequent questions about seasoning pulled pork after pulling:
Does resting pulled pork dilute the smoke flavor?
Resting gives smoke compounds time to fully absorb. But seasoning again
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.
