Pre make and freeze chicken bbq

[Mad_dog97]

Have a family event coming up this summer and need to have meat for 75-100 folks.


Thinking I would smoke some pork butts and chickens beforehand and freeze. I've done this with good success on the pork, but never before on the chicken.


Was going to smoke/shred/sauce the chickens and then freeze, but wanted to see what experience other had. Would be be better to wait to sauce until after it's defrosted and warmed back up again to serve or is it okay to sauce and then freeze?

 

[Ron_L]

I'm not sure if saucing first would make a difference unless you have guests who don't want sauce. I would vacuum seal the meats either way and then reheat in hot water.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

I think wait to sauce till the reheat.

 

[TC Smoke & Que]

Captain Ron has the best way to handle the chicken. Saucing before hand will probably take away the chicken flavor.
I have vacuum sealed chicken and had it turn out great after reheating in warm / hot water after about 8 months frozen.

 

[K-Train]

I always sauce lightly before vac sealing. I pull it then mix the sauce in. I like having some extra liquid in with it. Works well for me.

 

[IamMadMan]

^+1



I also agree with Ron_L, vac sealing has always worked best for my need when preparing meat in advance.


I also tend to put a drip pan directly below the meat during the last hour of cooking. By this time it's more of the flavorful drippings than fat. After the meat is pulled and put in bags, I divide the drippings (in moderation) between all of the bags. Chill them for an hour to allow the proteins to bond into a gel, and then vac-seal.


Reheat in hot water like stated above, and i serve the sauce on the side to accommodate other's personal preferences. Don't boil the bags as the meat is already cooked, boiling can further cook the meat making it tough and dry, just gently heat to 145°. With these drippings the meat is always moist and flavorful.