Déjà food (leftovers and what to do with them...) ?

[S 854]

Last evening we enjoyed our first real "cook" on our new smoker... a 5 1/2 lb rib roast.. smallest one we could find at the meat counter...

While it was far from "perfect"... it was good enough (better, actually!) to encourage more attempts with different meats...

So, good as it was, there's no way Julie and I are gonna eat 2 lbs of meat each at one sitting....

My question then, is: what to do with the leftover roast?

Or, in general, after we smoke 5 - 10 lbs of chicken thighs (or salmon, or pork chops) how do I preserve the meat long enough so we don't become "tired of the same ol' food" day after day? We have a FoodSaver "suck sealer" if that's any help.

I mean, I can only eat so much turkey after Thanksgiving, which is why we send our guests home with leftovers... anyone remember the "Flaming turkey wings!" Pizza Hut commercial from the '80's?

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Rib roast looks great! You can most certainly smoke in large portions and freeze. Pulled pork, brisket, ribs, chicken, etc...all go great in food saver bags. Seal em up and toss them in the freezer. When you have a hankering for some reheat with a pot of simmering water or with an SV.

As far as the rest of the rib roast goes I would be eating steak and eggs for breakfast and prime rib sandwiches for lunch! If not you can seal up individual pieces and reheat as you like.

 

[oldsmokerdude]

I agree with Smokin.......Foodsaver's are great for keeping left overs. I usually package them in single serving size packages and freeze. They are perfect for those evenings when you don't feel like cooking. Smokin mentioned boiling water or SV, but many items (like pulled pork) can also be re-heated in a crock pot. To freeze any of your leftovers I would place a bit of the "drippings" in the bag with the meat. This helps ensure a moist and flavorful product when you reheat.

Glad you had some success on your first smoke. Keep at it and read the posts here, you'll soon go from "good enough" to something with which to amaze your friends.

 

[Sowsage]

Yes vac seal and use in other dishes. Chunk it up and use it in tacos, soups etc. I like to chunk rib roasts up and make stuffed peppers with it. Kind of like a Philly cheese steak stuffed pepper. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/ribeye-stuffed-red-peppers.289875/

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

As everyone has said above, you can use the leftovers as ingredients in other meals or get a vacuum sealer.

 

[Bearcarver]

Last evening we enjoyed our first real "cook" on our new smoker... a 5 1/2 lb rib roast.. smallest one we could find at the meat counter...
View attachment 426565
While it was far from "perfect"... it was good enough (better, actually!) to encourage more attempts with different meats...

So, good as it was, there's no way Julie and I are gonna eat 2 lbs of meat each at one sitting....

My question then, is: what to do with the leftover roast?

Or, in general, after we smoke 5 - 10 lbs of chicken thighs (or salmon, or pork chops) how do I preserve the meat long enough so we don't become "tired of the same ol' food" day after day? We have a FoodSaver "suck sealer" if that's any help.

I mean, I can only eat so much turkey after Thanksgiving, which is why we send our guests home with leftovers... anyone remember the "Flaming turkey wings!" Pizza Hut commercial from the '80's?

I Smoke a lot of Prime Ribs, and I've done a lot of leftovers from them.
I believe my Favorite is to slice some of it real thin, and put it in a Steak Roll, with some Steak Sammy Sauce, Provolone Cheese, and whatever else you like to go with a Cheese Steak. (hot Peppers, Fried Onions, Green Peppers, Shrooms, etc, etc)
Then you can also stick it under a broiler (Open) for awhile to reawaken the flavors.

BTW: These all had leftovers:
Prime Rib Calendar

Bear

 

[civilsmoker]

Nice first roast!

Fully agree with what others have said! One other thing that makes a quick nice winter meal is to add thin slices of into a bowl of ramen noodles........just let the hot broth heat it up.

Open face toasted sammies (any smoked meat) and steak and eggs are top of the list for me though....Steak (or chicken, turkey, pork) and fried rice, egg, & veggies. is also a yummy thing.

 

[S-met]

I have a weakness for prime rib French dip sammies. Smoked prime rib sammies are phenomenal.