Pigs in a blanket are snacks loved by people of all ages! They’re appetizing, good to look at, and surprisingly, very easy to make.
But times would come when you’ll want them in very large quantities ahead of time, for instance, when hosting a party or gathering for a large crowd, you’d normally not have the time to begin preparing them from scratch.
In this case, can you make pigs in a blanket ahead of time, and how should you store them so they keep their fresh and delicious nature?
This article answers the question of whether or not you can make pigs in a blanket ahead of time and provides actionable tips on how to do so and how to properly store and reheat them so they retain best quality.
Make Ahead, Yay or Nay?
Pigs in a blanket can be made ahead of time and then reheated later. You can store them baked or unbaked by wrapping them in an airtight packaging and storing them in the refrigerator (for upto 4 days) or the freezer (for upto 3 months).
How Do You Make Pigs In A Blanket Ahead Of Time?
There are two methods you can use to make pigs in a blanket in advance.
You can choose to:
- Make them ahead uncooked and bake later.
- Make them ahead cooked and reheat later.
The first method which involves storing them uncooked and then reheating later has the added advantage of preventing them from overcooking when it’s time to reheat.
However, it has the shortest preservation time owing to the fact that the ingredients are raw and therefore at their most perishable states.
Cooked pigs in a blanket when frozen too (and then defrosted) can lose a significant degree of their texture after reheating.
Here’s how to make pigs in a blanket ahead of time using both techniques:
Make Ahead Pigs In A Blanket (Uncooked)
For make-ahead pigs in a blanket (uncooked), first assemble the pigs in a blanket as you normally would by wrapping each piece of sausage or hotdog with a strip of dough.
Arrange the wrapped pigs in a blanket on a cookie sheet in one single layer and make sure they do not touch each other to prevent sticking.
Cover the tray with a plastic wrap to seal out air that can cause oxidation and therefore loss in flavor of the dough and sausage, and place it in the refrigerator to store for 1 to 2 days, but overnight is preferred for better quality!
You can also store them in the freezer if you want to, but make sure not to thaw them in the refrigerator before cooking and just bake straight from the freezer.
This helps to preserve their texture more, and this is exactly the reason why store-bought pigs in a blanket are never recommended to be thawed first before cooking.
To freeze them, ditch the plastic wrapper of the cookie sheet (as instructed in the previous section of refrigeration) and place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or more to flash-freeze the pigs in a blanket.
When the individual pieces of pigs in a blanket are partially frozen, transfer them into a plastic storage bag or container and store them in the freezer for no longer than 1 month, any longer and both dough and sausage would begin to deteriorate in quality quickly. Make sure to label the bag with the name of the item as well as date of storage.
The first freezing is called flash freezing, and its essence is to prevent the pigs in a blanket from sticking to each other as they store in the freezer.
When it’s time to serve, bake according to the recipe you followed (for the refrigerated pigs in a blanket), and make sure to add extra half the cooking time to the original cooking time when dealing with frozen pigs in a blanket.
Make Ahead Pigs In A Blanket (Cooked)
For make ahead pigs in a blanket (cooked), bake the pigs in a blanket according to the recipe instructions, then allow them to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes then transfer them carefully into an airtight container like plastic container or plastic bag (or even foil) and put them in the refrigerator to store for upto 4 days.
If storing them in the freezer, stuff them inside a plastic container, foil or resealable plastic bag, label and date the container with the name of the product as well as the date of storage and put inside the freezer to store for upto 3 months.
When it’s time to reheat the pigs in a blanket, use the microwave, oven or stovetop and make sure the sausage trapped inside the wrappers reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Are Pigs In A Blanket Good Reheated?
Reheating isn’t much of a problem compared to length of storage when it comes to make-ahead pigs in a blanket.
Pigs in a blanket that have been stored for a time frame past what is discussed above can deteriorate in quality quickly (especially the frozen variety) and become very uninteresting to the buds.
Overall, however, following the exact storage procedures and keeping to the exact storage date, you shouldn’t have a problem with your pigs in the blanket after reheating them. They should taste exactly just like the fresh deal, whether uncooked or cooked.
How Do You Reheat Pigs In A Blanket?
Reheating pigs in a blanket is pretty easy.
You can use the microwave, which is the fastest way but can produce tough and chewy results when not done properly, the oven which produces magnificent results or the air fryer which produces exactly the same result as the oven but in a shorter amount of time.
How Do You Keep Pigs In A Blanket Warm For A Party?
There are many techniques you can use to keep pigs in a blanket warm for a party after removing them from the oven.
Based on the technique you follow, the window of time you’re allowed to work with can vary. The oven has the shortest amount of time to keep pigs in a blanket warm before they will have to be taken out due to how easily things can scorch in there, whereas the warming tray and slow cooker allow for more than 2 hours of warming time while still maintaining the integrity of the snacks.
