Who can say no to the saucy, juicy and meaty goodness of pulled pork dish? Well, no one could in spite of the time-consuming and a bit complicated process of preparing such dish.
The good thing is that you can cook more than what you need for one meal as you can reheat it in different ways. Do you know the right ways to reheat a pulled pork properly?
There are different ways to reheat pulled pork depending on kitchen equipment available such as using a skillet, oven, microwave, steam, vacuum sealing or boiling.
How to Reheat Pulled Pork in 5 Different Ways
1. Reheating Pulled Pork in Microwave
This is the easiest way of reheating a pulled pork and all you need is a microwave, meat thermometer, small microwave-safe bowl and mopping sauce.
Put the pulled pork in the bowl and add a generous amount of mopping sauce or an apple juice. The sauce will add and retain the moisture of the meat Set the timer of the microwave to 2 minutes.
Using the meat thermometer, you can check the internal temperature. You can pull out the pork in the microwave if the temperature is about 165°F.
Reheating through microwave can be the easiest and quickest way, however, it’s unhealthy. This is recommended if you need to reheat the meat as fast as possible.
2. Reheating Pulled Pork in Oven
This method of reheating pulled pork is considered to be the healthiest method that’s why it is preferred by many. It is also the recommended method if you’ll reheat big batches of pulled pork.
In this method, you’ll need an oven, meat thermometer, baking tray or oven safe container or aluminum pan, tin foil and mopping sauce.
Before putting the pulled pork inside the oven, you should preheat the equipment to 250°F. Spread the pulled pork on the baking tray and pour enough mopping sauce to keep the meat juicy. Cover it with tin foil or aluminum foil, then place it inside the oven.
Set the oven to reheat for 30 minutes. When the internal temperature reaches 165°F, then the meat is expected to be thoroughly heated. Use the meat thermometer in checking the temperature.
Pull it out from the oven and let it cool for few minutes. It is best to serve over plain rice or on a bun.
3. Reheating Pulled Pork using a Crock Pot
This method of reheating pulled pork requires a crock pot, meat thermometer, and mopping sauce. To avoid checking on the meat frequently, you can use a crock pot. It’s easy to employ this method, but it takes about 4 hours to complete the process.
Place the pulled pork inside the crick pot and season it with the mopping sauce. Set the crock pot to warm and you can leave it and do other things.
After 2 hours, check the internal temperature. The meat is done if the temperature extends to 165°F. Remove the meat from the crockpot and transfer it to a serving platter.
4. Reheating Pulled Pork using Steam
If you will use steaming as a method of reheating pulled pork, you’ll need a pot, steaming basket, apple juice or water, mopping sauce and a meat thermometer.
The first thing to do is to put the apple juice or water into the pot and boil the liquid. As you will use the steam, the pulled pork should be placed inside a steaming basket and put it in the boiling liquid.
To enhance the flavor, you can add mopping juice. Reheat the pulled pork for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Although this method of reheating pulled pork is a little bit complicated, but it is healthier and keeps the moisture of the meat.
5. Reheating Pulled Pork by Vacuum Sealing and Boiling
Boiling meat is not a healthy choice, but many people were using it to reheat pulled pork. It’s because this method prevents the possible drying or burning of the meat and retains the juicy goodness and smoky flavor of the dish.
If you will use this method, you will use a vacuum sealed bag. Place the meat inside the sealed bag along with the pork drippings before putting the bag inside the refrigerator.
Prepare the water and see to it that it can cover the entire bag and bring the water to boil. Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and submerge the sealed bag into the water. Cover the pot and turn on the heat for another 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Once the meat is done, remove the bag from the water, take out the meat and serve.
The Best Method to Reheat Pulled Pork
Considering all those methods of reheating pulled pork, I can say that vacuum sealing and boiling can be the best method.
The moisture of the meat is retained inside the bag and it does not evaporate when kept in the refrigerator. It does not burn off when cooking. As compared to other methods, this one preserves the flavor of the meat as well as the smoky flavor.
The meat does not break down that’s why most BBQ restaurants have been using this method to ensure the meat quality that is competitive.
Final Thoughts
Reheating pulled pork is easy, but you need to keep in mind some important tips to keep the meat juicy and flavorful.
A night before you plan to reheat the pulled pork, you should put a portion of the meat inside the refrigerator. Reheat just a small portion consumable for that meal and keep the rest inside the fridge. Likewise, leftovers of reheated pulled pork can be stored in the fridge.
Now that you know the different ways to reheat pulled pork, you need not freak out if there’s large amount of meat left. You can put it inside the freezer and reheat it the following day.
The good thing is that you can still enjoy the goodness of the flavor just like as it was freshly cooked or smoked.
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