May 1, 2007
BBQ Leftovers
A big issue for single people is what to do with all that left over meat from a BBQ. I believe that micro-waving to reheat or even for defrosting is just going to ruin your leftovers. I don’t recommend that.
Pork Ribs
Pork ribs are thought not to be so tasty when frozen and then defrosted and reheated. I happen to believe that. Wrap them in foil and put them in the fridge. Reheat in the foil in a low oven 200F or even less.
Or as I discovered recently, reheat them and shred meat and you treat them like pulled pork bark.
Pulled Pork
Finishing pulling it all into shreds, get rid of the bone, skin and other things you don’t want. Store in the fridge and/or wrap imeal or single serving sizes . I wrap them in plastic wrap, and I put those bundles in a ziploc and freeze them.
Mix with some BBQ sauce in a small sauce pan on low until warmed thru and make a sandwich. Or add to a pot of Chili or gumbo to just to flavor some beans (boiled or baked). Or fried rice or in a hash
Brisket
Slice the leftovers and package them in meal size or single size servings. (see the pulled pork ideas). Brisket hash is terrific! That’s what I with mine.
Beef Ribs
Wrap in foil, freeze and thaw at room temperature. Reheat in a low (200F) oven.
Ham
Slice into severing sizes. Bundle chunks and bits into sizes to “flavori” a pot of beans or gumbo. Defrost the bigger pieces for sandwiches , or breakfast.
Chicken/Turkey
This one is hard. It’s really easy to over smoke poultry and the next day it’s like sipping off the bottle of liquid smoke. I happen to believe dark meat is really prone to a two strong smoke taste. Still, it’s going to happen, so we need ideas for that. Gumbo or jambalaya will take anything and a good place for the dark meat.
You could make a sandwich with sliced breast (white) meat if not over-smoked. Heat it slowly if you have to, but you won’t do that more than once. Tettrazini or Ala-King or other baked pasta would work well. There’s always gumbo and chili and fried rice and omelet filling.
Summary
Learn to make gumbo and how to cook a pot of beans and a white sauce and baked pasta. Big bonus points if you make your own bread to go with or use in BBQ left overs.