Re-Heating Packaged Meats

[Divemaster]

I received a number of requests for my re-heating instructions and rather than sending it out to each individual I figured I would just post it...

The key, for me at least, is not over cooking the meat. In actuality, I normally under cook many of the meats slightly so that it finishes cooking during the re-heat. Also remember that other than whole briskets, I normally don’t package more than two pounds per cryo-suck bag and even then I try not to make it to thick (all clumped together) rather I like to do a little work on presentation by spreading out the slices of beef and making sure that there is some bark visible in the pork. This not only is pleasing to the eye, but also allows the food to reheat faster and more evenly.

• For Pork Ribs, I pull them about 30 minutes early. They'll finish getting tender in the oven.
• Dino-bones and Beef Short ribs are one of the few items I don't pull early. The added tenderness they get from reheating in the oven works to your favor.
• Sliced Brisket is sliced thinner than you would for a comp (comp is about 1/4" I slice it a little thicker than 1/8") so you don't want it 'over tender'. I normally go by both feel and temp… I’m looking for roughly 195-200* and while I don’t want it to be like ‘budda’, I don’t want it far off since I do like to keep it in the cambro for an hour or so to rest.
• Un-sliced (whole) brisket also needs to be pulled early since it's going to take a little longer to re-heat (about 30 minutes in boiling water, an hour in the oven). Again, I’m going by both feel and temp… I’m looking for roughly 195-200* and while I don’t want it to be like ‘budda’, I don’t want it far off since I do like to keep it in the cambro for an hour or so to rest.
• Pastrami is another one that I don't pull early. I do recommend that they warm it just slightly before putting on a sandwich to bring out the flavor.
• Pulled Pork, again I like to take it off more by probe feel than how loose the bone is... If the probe goes in 'like budda' I pull, and put it in the cambro for a solid hour. When I pull it I don't like to shred the meat but keep it in roughly 1 inch thick strips... I have a number of customers that prefer chopped pork rather than pulled and this seems to cover both bases.
• Buck Board Bacon and Pork Fatties are fully cooked (to 165* internal) so that they can be put directly on a sandwich, though I do recommend warming them in a frying pan.

Here are the instructions that I give with each order:
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There are a number of ways to reheat each of the meats available. All of them assume that the meat is already thawed. I recommend that you put the meat in your refrigerator for at least 24 hours before warming. If you are not patient and want to thaw in a microwave oven, I would do it at a power setting of 30% of full power for short (3 – 4 minutes) periods of time checking it often.

Sliced Brisket:

• The first way (and best way in my opinion) is to fill a pot with water (full enough to cover the package) and bring it to a boil. Once ready, insert unopened package and allow to boil for about 7 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the package, cut off one end and move the meat to a serving plate.

• The second way is in a pre-heated 325 degree oven. Open the package and place the meat into a baking pan and cover it with aluminum foil (if you want, this is where I would add a little sauce or apple juice for moisture). Bake for about 10 – 15 minutes or until the meat is warmed thru.

• The final way is to warm it in a microwave oven for 3 to 5 minutes on high (be sure to poke a couple of holes in the package). I should warn you that this does have a tendency to over cook and dry out the meat.

Un-Sliced (Whole) Brisket:

• The first way (and best way in my opinion) is to fill a pot with water (full enough to cover the package) and bring it to a boil. Once ready, insert unopened package and allow to boil for about 30 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove the package, cut off one end and move the meat to a serving plate or cutting board for slicing.

• The second way is in a pre-heated 325 degree oven. Open the package and place the meat into a baking pan and cover it with aluminum foil (if you want, this is where I would add a little sauce or apple juice). Bake for about 45 – 60 minutes or until the meat is warmed thru.

• I do not recommend using the microwave for reheating a whole brisket. Parts end up over cooked and dry while others are still cold.

Beef and Short Ribs:

• I recommend that you start with a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
• Place the ribs on a baking pan, cover with foil, and put them in the oven for 15 minutes to get the ribs started warming. I like to add a little apple juice just to keep up the moisture.
• After the first 15 minutes of the re-heat, remove the ribs and baste with sauce (or sprits them with juice) and return them to the oven without the foil.
• After 10 more minutes you again baste the ribs with sauce/juice and return them to the oven for a final 10 minutes.
• Remove them from the baking pan and serve with additional sauce on the side.

Pulled Pork:

• The best way in my opinion, is to fill a pot with water (enough to cover the package) and bring it to a boil. Once ready, insert unopened package and allow to boil for about 7 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the package, cut off one end and move the meat to a serving plate and add some sauce if you want.

• The second way is to warm it in a microwave oven for 3 to 5 minutes on high (be sure to poke a couple of holes in the package). I should warn you that this does have a tendency to over cook and dry out the meat.

Pork Ribs:

• I recommend that you start with a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
• Place the ribs on a baking pan (bone side down), cover with foil, and put them in the oven for 15 minutes to get the ribs started warming.
• After the first 15 minutes of the re-heat, remove the ribs and baste with sauce or if no sauce is desired, sprits them with a little apple juice and return them to the oven. Leave the foil off for the rest of the heating.
• After 10 more minutes you again baste the ribs with sauce/apple juice and return them to the oven for a final 10 minutes.
• Remove them from the baking pan and serve with additional sauce on the side.

Pastrami:

• I recommend that you warm the meat you are going to use in a microwave for only 10-15 seconds at a shot. After each burst, mix the slices and if they are still cool, give them another hit. Remember, you don’t want this ‘Hot’ you only want to warm it slightly for your sandwich.

Buck Board Bacon:

• Since the bacon is actually completely cooked, you could eat it directly out of the thawed package. I do recommend for full flavor you fry it at a medium heat prior to serving.

Fatties:

• Fatties are completely cooked and there fore can be eaten without further cooking. I recommend that the log be sliced into 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices and fried just to brown the outside and warm the interior prior to serving.
• Another method is to fill a pot with water (enough to cover the package) and bring it to a boil. Once ready, insert unopened package and allow it to boil for about 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the package, cut off one end and move it to a plate for slicing and serving.

[bigabyte]

Wow! And to think I popped in here to make some crack about TMI regarding how you get your meat package hot and ready. Now I'm not going to because this is some great info. Thanks for sharing.

[Rightstuff]

Thanks for the info. This will definetly help out.

[willm]

Thanks! Your post is great, and such perfect timing for me!

[Brauma]

Totally awesome! Thanks so much.

[G$]

Gratuitous Bump.