Boston butt is a tender, juicy, and delicious cut of pork that can be cooked in a number of ways. Often, it is served as a roast for the holidays, to be enjoyed by everyone at the table. Since Boston butts are generally rather large cuts, however, you are likely to end up with leftovers.
The biggest fear most home chefs encounter when reheating pork is drying. Even the most tender cuts of meat can be rendered chalky and dehydrated after a being in the fridge overnight. There are ways to rejuvenate your Boston butt without sapping all of the moisture away, though.
The best way to reheat a Boston butt is to wrap it loosely in aluminum foil with a cup of water or broth. Stick it in an oven-safe dish in an oven heated to 275-300 degrees. Let it heat slowly for 20-30 minutes, or until it is warm enough to your liking.
How To Reheat Boston Butt
When you figure out how to reheat Boston butt without drying it out, you’ll be able to enjoy it for days to come. You can reheat the entire roast all at once, or you can cut off slices for yourself to heat up as a single meal.
In The Oven
You can reheat Boston butt in the oven as an entire roast all at once, or you can heat up an individual serving. The best way to go about reheating pork is to do it low and slow. It takes longer, but the end result will be juicy and delicious.
With A Whole Boston Butt
For a whole roast, wrap the entire cut in tinfoil with a cup of water. The foil wrap should be loose, as to allow steam to pass through and move around. Water is the easiest choice for the liquid, but you can also use broth or gravy. No matter what you use, the point is to provide a boost of moisture to the process.
Preheat your oven to 275. Set your pork into the oven and let it warm slowly, so that the liquid turns to steam that can moisturize the meat. The foil will keep the liquid in and allow the outside to crisp up just a bit.
You may need to check on the meat from time to time to see that the heat has penetrated all the way through to the center. Do not try to rush it; the slower it heats, the more time the moisture has to revitalize the meat and make it nice and juicy.
As A Single Serving
If you’re warming up a serving of lunch for one, you’ll want to heat it up much the same way as a larger portion. The difference, of course, is just in terms of scale.
Using a small baking dish, wrap your pieces up loosely in foil. Add in ¼ cup of water, broth, or gravy. After your oven has preheated to 275, cook the pieces for 10-15 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on how thick your portions are.
On The Stove
You can reheat Boston butt on the stove for a quicker solution to reheating your leftovers. Ideally, you’ll want to do this only for smaller, pre-cut portions. If you want to reheat the entire Boston butt, you’d be better off using the oven.
Lightly oil a skillet — cast iron works wonderfully for this — and crank the heat to medium. Get your pork into the pan and allow it to warm for a few minutes. After it has cooked for 5-8 minutes, add 1 cup of water to the pan and cover it.
Essentially, you’ll be steaming your Boston butt to regain the moisture content. Let it sit for another 3-5 minutes while the steam works through. Once the meat is hot, it’s ready to serve again.
If you’re using a cast iron skillet, you can stick the entire thing into the oven for a few minutes for a final reheating, to ensure that it’s hot all the way through.
In The Microwave
The microwave is of course one of the most convenient ways to reheat Boston butt. It’s the fast, go-to method that works the best when you want to save yourself the trouble of cooking. The only issue is that microwaves are notorious for drying out foods.
To avoid this, heat your Boston butt up separately from your other leftovers, such as any sides or toppings. Cover it with a damp paper towel and heat it in one minute increments. This is the closest you’ll be able to get to heating it low and slow as you would in an oven.
How To Make Reheated Boston Butt Better
If you’ve reheated Boston butt and still found it to be dry, there are ways you can re-spin the dish to make it more palatable. Repurposing leftovers that might not take to heating up as well is a great way to add some variety to your meal. It is also a great way to make sure all of the leftovers get used up.
Shredding Boston Butt
Most popularly, Boston butt is used to make pulled pork. If you didn’t pull your pork when you first made it, now might be a good time to do it. Heat it slowly in the oven with plenty of moisture. Then, once it is warmed, use forks to shred the meat apart.
Pulled pork is perfect tossed with seasonings and onions for a pork taco. It can be piled high on a bun with your favorite barbecue sauce for a pulled pork sandwich. Or, you can eat it as-is, with a side of coleslaw, salad, or beans.
Add A Sauce
If you don’t want to shred it, you can also add a new source of moisture to it with a sauce. Pork is delicious with a thick, hearty demi glace. You can buy jars of demi glace concentrated, or even make a very simple one yourself. The warm, savory flavor will make even dry, reheated Boston butt a tempting treat again.
If you want to pair savory with sweet, try a simple fig glaze. To reheat Boston butt with a fig sauce:
- Heat the Boston butt up in a skillet with oil. You don’t need to add as much water to this to reheat it this time, but you do want to be sure that a bit of fond is appearing at the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the pork from the pan but don’t clean it out. Instead, add ¼ cup of chicken stock and a few sprigs of thyme. (Dried thyme will work as well.)
- Simmer and cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes until it is thickened.
- When it is sufficiently thickened, turn off the heat and stir in three tablespoons of fig jam and 1 tablespoon of butter or a butter substitute.
- Remove the thyme sprigs if they were used, and your glaze is ready.
This glaze is excellent for reheated Boston butt. It will replace any lost moisture and add a new twist of flavor to the dish.
Conclusion
If you’ve still got leftovers from your Boston butt feast, you can still enjoy the delicious meaty dish the next day. If you heat it up correctly, you can even avoid drying it out.
To reheat Boston butt in the oven, simply wrap it in foil and let it steam in a 275 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. You can steam it in a pan on the stove, too, or even reheat it in a microwave if you do it slow enough.
If you do reheat a Boston butt and find it to be too dry, you can always shred the meat. When recycled into something like tacos or a pulled pork sandwich, the dryness is much more palatable. You can also add a sauce or glaze to your Boston butt to negate the dryness.
