If you’ve just smoked an enormous packer brisket, unless you have a large family, there’s a good chance that you are going to have a decent amount of leftovers afterwards. In my household, smoked brisket is a delicacy. Not only is brisket expensive, but it takes up an enormous amount of my time. So when I have leftover brisket, I want every slice to taste almost as delicious as it did fresh out of the smoker. I did some research and examined all the popular methods of storing and reheating brisket.
Brisket leftovers need to come back up to a safe serving temperature of 140°F. You can either reheat the brisket in the oven, the grill, the microwave, however, the sous-vide method is the best way to restore brisket leftovers. A simple way to reheat brisket is to wrap the leftover meat in foil, add some liquid and place it in an oven set to 225°F.
The best way to store and reheat brisket is by using a vacuum sealer which can restore brisket close to its freshest point. A vacuum sealer will also allow you to reheat the meat using the sous-vide cooking method. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use zip-lock bags.
Zip-lock bags are a cheap alternative to vacuum sealers if you can squeeze all the oxygen from the bag. A microwave at low heat is the fastest way to reheat brisket, however, this method will lose some of the brisket flavor.
Key Points
- Brisket leftovers need to come back up to a safe serving temperature of 140°F.
- The best way to restore brisket leftovers is by using the sous-vide method, but it can also be reheated in the oven, grill, or microwave.
- A simple way to reheat brisket is to wrap the leftover meat in foil, add some liquid and place it in an oven set to 225°F.
- The best way to store and reheat brisket is by using a vacuum sealer, which can restore brisket close to its freshest point and also allow you to reheat the meat using the sous-vide cooking method.
- Zip-lock bags are a cheap alternative to vacuum sealers if you can squeeze all the oxygen from the bag.
- A microwave at low heat is the fastest way to reheat brisket, but it will lose some of the brisket flavor.
- It’s best to store leftover brisket in large, unsliced pieces, vacuumed packaged to retain as much moisture as possible.
- When reheating the brisket in the oven, it’s important to wrap the meat in foil and add some liquid to create some steam to keep the brisket moist.
- Reheating brisket at 325°F temperature will not give the best results as it will have less flavor than brisket reheated at a lower temperature
| Method | Temperature | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Oven | 225°F | Wrap in foil and add liquid to create steam |
| Grill or Smoker | 225°F | Wrap in foil and add liquid to create steam |
| Microwave | Low heat | Fastest method, but loses flavor |
| Sous-vide | Varies | Best method to restore brisket close to its freshest point, requires vacuum sealer or zip-lock bags |
“Reheat Smoked Brisket Sous-Vide – With Or Without Equipment”
The Harry Soo Experiment
- World Champion Harry Soo conducted a comprehensive test to determine the best way to reheat leftover brisket
- Tested reheating brisket in the oven, microwave, and sous-vide
- Tested using the oven at 225 and 325 degrees, using the microwave at full and half power, and using sous-vide with both inexpensive gallon freezer bags and more expensive vacuum seal food saver bags
- Tasted both refrigerated and frozen brisket
- The oven method proved to be a popular choice among Soo’s testers with reheating the brisket at a low temperature of 225 degrees in the oven resulting in a tender and juicy final product
- The microwave method also produced good results, with the brisket reheated at full power resulting in a tender and juicy final product
- Sous-vide proved to be an effective method for reheating brisket as well, with the brisket reheated in the inexpensive gallon freezer bags resulting in a tender and juicy final product
- Overall, the best method for reheating brisket is the oven method, with the brisket reheated at a low temperature of 225 degrees, as it resulted in a tender and juicy final product
- Adding a pad of butter before reheating also helped to add flavor and moisture to the brisket.
World Champion Harry Soo, a BBQ master and pitmaster, has conducted a comprehensive test to determine the best way to reheat leftover brisket. With the goal of educating himself and his viewers, Soo developed a number of different tests on the brisket to find out which method yields the best results. Soo taste-tested brisket that was reheated in the oven, microwave, and sous-vide.
Soo’s tests included using the oven at 225 and 325 degrees, using the microwave at full and half power, and using sous-vide with both inexpensive gallon freezer bags and more expensive vacuum seal food saver bags. He also tested reheating both refrigerated and frozen brisket.
The oven method proved to be a popular choice among Soo’s testers. Reheating the brisket at a low temperature of 225 degrees in the oven resulted in a tender and juicy final product, while the brisket reheated at a high temperature of 325 degrees had a crispy crust on the outside and a moist interior.
The microwave method also produced good results, with the brisket reheated at full power resulting in a tender and juicy final product, and the brisket reheated at half power having a slightly drier texture.
Sous-vide proved to be an effective method for reheating brisket as well, with the brisket reheated in the inexpensive gallon freezer bags resulting in a tender and juicy final product, and the brisket reheated in the more expensive vacuum seal food saver bags having a slightly drier texture.
Overall, the best method for reheating brisket is the oven method, with the brisket reheated at a low temperature of 225 degrees, as it resulted in a tender and juicy final product. Adding a pad of butter before reheating also helped to add flavor and moisture to the brisket.
Reheating leftover brisket can be a tricky task, but with the help of World Champion Harry Soo’s comprehensive test, pitmasters and BBQ enthusiasts can now reheat their brisket with confidence, knowing that they will achieve the best possible results.
Don’t Slice All Your Brisket
If you are smoking a larger brisket and are certain you will have a lot of leftovers, be sure not to slice it all up when you are serving. Leftover brisket will keep much better if it isn’t sliced. As soon as you slice the brisket, you will lose a lot of moisture. Vacuumed packaged brisket in large pieces is the best way to retain as much moisture as possible.
Reheating Brisket In The Oven @ 225°F
Brisket Guru Harry Soo conducted an experiment on his YouTube channel where he reheated brisket at different temperatures using different methods. Brisket at 225°F was by far the best oven temperature when taste-tested next to brisket reheated at a high-heat.
When reheating the brisket in the oven, it’s important to wrap the meat in foil and add some liquid to create some steam to keep the brisket moist. Open the vacuum packaged bags and place the brisket in an oven pan with the meat juice or add a little water to create some steam.
Ideally, you would have reserved some of the meat juices from the cook, but you can use a stick of butter, broth or stock.The idea is to get some moisture back into the brisket. If using sauce, take a basting brush and baste the brisket with barbeque sauce and then wrap the meat in foil. Keep the oven at a low temperature around 225°F.
Reheating Brisket In The Oven @ 325°F
Reheating brisket at 325°F temperature will not give you the best results. When taste-tested next to reheated brisket at 225°F, the results found the brisket at the higher temperature had less flavor than the brisket reheated at a lower temperature.
How Brisket Master Aaron Franklin Reheats Using the Oven
- Franklin suggests to preheat the oven to 225 to 250 degrees, depending on the accuracy of the oven
- Advises to carefully cut open the brisket and add butter to it as it reheats, as it will aid in melting down the fat and adding flavor
- Recommends placing the brisket on a sheet tray or any other suitable dish and placing it in the oven
- Advises that the brisket should be heated for about an hour and 15 minutes, and suggests probing the middle of the brisket to check for doneness
- Mentions that the butter can be poured over the brisket to add more fat, and that it should be worked in for the best result
- Provides insight on how to slice the brisket properly, mentioning that one should start with the end cut and work towards the middle
- Emphasizes the importance of using long, light knife strokes, and stresses the importance of inspecting the brisket as it is being sliced to ensure it has the desired texture.
Aaron Franklin, a household name in the BBQ world, teaches us how to reheat his briskets in a simple and effective way. In his video, he starts by suggesting to preheat the oven to 225 to 250 degrees, depending on the accuracy of the oven.
Then, he advises to carefully cut open the brisket and add butter to it as it reheats, as it will aid in melting down the fat and adding flavor. Franklin then recommends placing the brisket on a sheet tray or any other suitable dish and placing it in the oven.
He advises that the brisket should be heated for about an hour and 15 minutes, and suggests probing the middle of the brisket to check for doneness. He also mentions that the butter can be poured over the brisket to add more fat, and that it should be worked in for the best result.
Additionally, he provides insight on how to slice the brisket properly, mentioning that one should start with the end cut and work towards the middle. He emphasizes the importance of using long, light knife strokes, and stresses the importance of inspecting the brisket as it is being sliced to ensure it has the desired texture.
Reheating Brisket In The Microwave
The microwave is the fastest way to reheat brisket, but this method will get less than ideal results. You will lose some of the flavor reheating with a microwave, especially if you set it to high. If you reheat brisket in a microwave, make sure the setting is on low.
I have heard some people in the barbeque community get the best results microwaving one or two slices at a time, but I have not tried this method. In Harry Soo’s experiment, when microwaved brisket was taste-tested next to other reheating methods, the lack of flavor in the microwave heated brisket was noticeable.
If you’re in a hurry for some reheated barbeque, the microwave is still an option, but for best result, use other methods.
Reheat Brisket On The Grill or Smoker
Another option is to fire up your smoker and reheat the brisket on the grill. Wrap the brisket in foil and add some liquid to keep the meat moist. If you have saved some meat juices, this is ideal. Otherwise, you can use broth, stock or a stick of butter. If you have a charcoal smoker, set it up for indirect cooking.
Bring the temperature up to 225°F. Any hotter than this may dry out your brisket, so monitor the temperature carefully. Probe the meat and once it has reached 160°F, the meat is a safe serving temperature. If the bark is soggy, unwrap the brisket from the foil and place it on the grill directly over the flames.
Be careful not to dry out the meat. You only want 10 minutes or so to harden the bark.
Brisket Sous-Vide – The Hottest Trend In BBQ
A vacuum sealer also opens you up to the world of sous-vide cooking. A sous-vide reheated brisket is as close as you will get to a freshly sliced brisket directly out of your smoker. Sous-vide is a popular trend in barbecue, so what is it?
Sous-vide is a French cooking method for poaching vacuum packaged food at low temperatures over a long period. In French, the word sous-vide means “under vacuum”. The sous-vide cooking method is popular because the food can retain all its natural juices and aromas inside the plastic bag.
The downside of sous-vide cooking is no browning occurs on the food. However, if you are reheating brisket, there should be a nice firm crust already developed.
How Aaron Franklin Reheats Brisket Sous-Vide
- Preheat oven to 225 to 250 degrees
- Cut open brisket with a sharp knife
- Add butter to the brisket as it reheats to aid in melting down fat and adding flavor
- Place brisket on a sheet tray or other suitable dish and put it in the oven
- Cook for about an hour and 15 minutes and check for doneness by probing the middle
- Pour extra butter over brisket and work it in for the best result
- To slice properly, start with the end cut, work towards the middle, use long, light knife strokes, and inspect the brisket as it is being sliced to ensure desired texture
- Expert advice from Aaron Franklin will ensure reheated brisket is as delicious and moist as when first cooked.
First and foremost, Franklin suggests preheating your oven to 225 to 250 degrees, depending on the accuracy of your oven. Then, using a sharp knife, carefully cut open the brisket. Franklin emphasizes the importance of adding butter to the brisket as it reheats, as it will aid in melting down the fat and adding flavor.
Franklin then recommends placing the brisket on a sheet tray or any other suitable dish and placing it in the oven. He advises that the brisket should be heated for about an hour and 15 minutes, and suggests probing the middle of the brisket to check for doneness. He also mentions that the butter can be poured over the brisket to add more fat, and that it should be worked in for the best result.
Franklin also provides insight on how to slice the brisket properly, mentioning that one should start with the end cut, which is his favorite piece, and work towards the middle. He emphasizes the importance of using long, light knife strokes, and stresses the importance of inspecting the brisket as it is being sliced to ensure it has the desired texture.
Reheating a brisket can be a daunting task, but with the expert advice of Aaron Franklin, pitmasters and BBQ enthusiasts can now reheat their brisket with confidence, knowing that they will achieve the best possible results. Franklin’s tips and tricks will guarantee that your left over brisket will be as delicious and moist as when it was first cooked.
Vacuum Sealing – The Best Way to Store and Reheat Brisket
The most effective way of storing and reheating brisket is vacuum packaging. Barbeque professionals commonly practice the vac sealing method because they often have large amounts of leftovers after competitions.
You can store vacuum sealed brisket in the refrigerator if it’s going to be reheated within a few days, or the freezer if it for a later date. If possible, package the brisket with the meat juice, although keep the liquid separated from the meat.
What is a Vacuum Sealer? How Do They Work?
A vacuum sealer, also known as a Cryovac machine, will suck all the air from a plastic bag. When you remove oxygen from a food package, it won’t spoil and will preserve fresh, frozen or cooked food for much longer. Freezer burn can be a problem when storing brisket and other meat in the freezer. However, if you vac-seal your brisket and the air removed from the bag, freezer burn won’t be a problem.
How To Use a Vac-Sealer
Vac sealers are quick and easy to use. Once the food is in the bag, it only takes about 20 seconds to suck all the air out and seal the bag. Once it’s sealed, you can leave the brisket in the refrigerator if you plan on reheating it within a few days. For long-term storage, you can store the vac-sealed bags in the freezer for months.
Are Vac-Sealers Expensive?
It’s no secret vacuum sealers are the most effective way of preserving cooked brisket, but it surprised me to find out how many pitmasters use cryovac machines to preserve leftovers. I always thought vac-seal machines were hundreds of dollars, but you can buy them for as cheap as $50.
If you are a barbecue enthusiast like me, You’ve probably already invested a large sum of money on your pit, thermometers, etc, and meat is not cheap. So to me, spending $50 to $100 on a vacuum sealer is a worthwhile investment.
Freezing Vac-Sealed Brisket
Freezing brisket in a vacuum sealed bag is one of the best ways to store your leftover barbecue. You can vacuum seal slices of brisket, but you will get better results if you can seal the brisket in larger pieces. The moment you slice brisket, the meat will lose moisture. If you know you are likely to have more than enough brisket for your meal, only slice what you need and avoid slicing the entire brisket.
Zip-Lock Bags – When You Don’t Have a Vac Sealer
If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use regular zip-lock bags to preserve your brisket leftovers, but you need to remove as much of the air as possible. To use this method: slowly lower the bags into a pot of cold water. As you slowly lower the opened bag into the bowl of water, the water pressure will squeeze all the air out of the zip-lock bag so you can seal it.
Before you lower the bag into the water, put some of the original meat juices into the bag, or pour a little broth or stock into the bags. In a taste-testing experiment, barbeque champion Harry Soo found no taste difference between brisket packed and frozen in regular zip-lock bags when compared to brisket in a vacuum packaged sous-vide.
Sous-Vide With Zip-Lock Bags
Vacuum Seal Bags
A vacuum sealer requires specific bags, and your machine will come with some bags. The cheapest way to replenish vac bags is to buy large rolls of uncut bags on Amazon. This way also allows you to adjust the size of the bag depending on the size of the meat.
Geryon – Best Affordable Vacuum Sealer
The Geryon food vacuum sealer is one of the most affordable vac sealers on Amazon, selling for around $40. It’s also one of the most popular few thousand positive reviews (check the latest price here). The Geryon has quiet operation, seals bags well and is super compact and can fit into a draw. The Geryon Vacuum is an easy-to-use machine that automatically seals bags with simple soft touch digital buttons.
Features
- Lightweight
- Includes 5 heat-seal bags (7.8″*11.8″)
- Fits up to 12’’ width bags and rolls.
- User Manual
- Rated voltage: 110-120 V AC
- Rated frequency: 50~60 Hz
- Rated power: 110 W
- Slim Design
Technical Details
- Rated voltage: 110-120V AC
- Rated frequency: 50~60 Hz
- Rated power: 110 W
- Sealing time: 6 ~10 seconds
- VAC/sealing time: 10~20 seconds
- Vacuum/Suction Strength: 12L/min
- Vacuum Power: -0.8 bar
- Construction Material: Engineered ABS
- Power Cord Length: 3.3 feet
- Dimension: 14.4 x 5.5 x 2.56 inch
- N.W: 1.2 kg / 2.65 lb
- Easy Operation
Starter Kit Includes
- 1 x Vacuum Sealer Appliance
- 1 x Vacuum Roll-7.8″x78″
- 5 x Pre-cut Bags-7.8″x11.8″
- 1 x Vacuum Tube
- 1 x User Manual
Food saver V4440- Best High-Quality Vac Sealer
If you’re after a high-quality vac sealer with some more features, the FoodSaver V4440 is an Amazon Choice with over 5 thousand reviews and selling for about $180 (see latest price here). This Vac sealer has some additional features such as automatic bag detection nd built-in handheld sealer.
Dry Brisket Leftovers- What to Do
If your leftover brisket is a little dry, serve it with a coldslaw to disguise the dryness. A brisket sandwich with coldslaw is one of the most popular ways of serving brisket, and is perfect for reheated brisket.
My Favorite Brisket Tools
Thanks for checking out this article. I hope you learned a few things. Here are some of my favorite tools I use when smoking brisket that may be useful to you. These are affiliate links, so if you decide to purchase any of these products, I’ll earn a commission. But in all honesty, these are the tools I recommend to my family and friends who are just starting out.
Meat Injector: Injecting meat is a great way to take your barbecue to the next level and help you make competition-style brisket. An injector is the only way you will be able to get flavor and moisture into the middle of the meat. The Beast Injector is a stainless steel injector that is sturdy and affordable. Check the latest price on Amazon here.
Brisket Marinade: The best injection solution on the market is the Butcher BBQ Brisket Injection. This marinade is used in competitions and is made by World Barbecue Champion pitmaster, Dave Bouska. You can find the marinade on Amazon here.
Butcher Paper: Wrapping brisket in butcher paper has become a huge trend in barbeque thanks to Aaron Franklin. Wrapping your brisket in paper will give you a nice brisket bark. However, you can’t just use any old paper, it has to be unwaxed, food grade paper. You can find it on Amazon here.
Brisket Rub: These days I make my own rub when possible, but I always have a few pre-made rubs for when I’m running low. Barbecue guru Malcom Reed produces Killer Hogs, one of the best brisket rubs I’ve found over the years. Another great rub is Slap Yo Daddy, made by brisket master and multiple World Barbecue Champion, Harry Soo.
Meat Thermometer: There are dozens of fancy thermometers on the market, but I still use my trusty TP20. For around $50, I have a high-quality meat thermometer with two probes, and can track the temperature of my smoker with one probe, and my meat with the other probe. The ThermoPro TP20 is an Amazon Best Seller because it’s the easiest thermometer to operate, is durable, highly accurate, and comes with pre-programmed meat settings.
Instant Read Thermometer: Arguably, the second most important tool you need is a fast and accurate instant-read thermometer. These tools play an important role in the latter stages of the cook when the meat needs regular checking in multiple areas. I use the ThermoPro TP19 because it can do everything a ThermaPen can do, but for a fraction of the cost. You can check out the TP19 on Amazon here.
Advanced Thermometer and Automatic Temperature Controller: Once you’re ready to take things seriously, the FireBoard 2 Drive is a six-channel Bluetooth/Wi-Fi thermometer that can monitor up to 6 pieces of meat, control and graph your cook sessions on your smartphone, and attaches to an an automatic blower that will convert your charcoal smoker to a set-and-forget. This is one of the most advanced meat thermometers on the market. You can check it out on the FireBoard website here.
