Brisket Help

[parrdist]

I need some advice, have a 7LB brisket that I'm going make for the Mother in laws birthday Sunday. I want to cook this Friday on the UDS. Now the question what the best way to keep this till Sunday. Do I slice it or leave it whole, also how is the best way to reheat? I know you guys will be able to help, Thanks in advance.

[btcg]

5 days away? Maybe better freeze it now and defrost saturday, to be safe.

[bmanMA]

if it's in a cryo, i would just keep it in a good cold spot. For me this is my mud porch :( Usually that means the bottom shelf of the fridge, crammed all the way to the back.

Now for the cook and hold. I have not done this. I know the more experienced Brethren will chime in. But let me take a stab. I think i would leave it whole, kept in the fridge once it came down to room. Then I would slice it cold on Sunday (probably a bit on the thin side), and reheat in an oven with a bunch of sauce. People love saucy stuff. You wont be winning any comps, but I bet you will win over the crowd.

[Mister Bob]

I have done exactly what you're planning with some success this way:

Cook it all the way to done on Friday, then wrap in foil and rest for at least an hour. If you have a FoodSaver, now you can vacuum seal the whole brisket and put it in the refrigerator (it will be OK for two days). If you don't have a FoodSaver, just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, but put it in a dish, it may leak.

On Sunday, put it in a roasting pan with about a half a cup of beef broth and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Put it in the oven at 225* to bring it slowly up to an internal temp of 165*. If I recall correctly, this should take between an hour and an hour and a half, but I don't remember the size or temp of the brisket I did, so you'll have to keep an eye on things. When you get up to temperature, take it out, rest it again right in the covered pan for about 20 minutes then slice.

It won't be exactly the same as it was on Friday, but it will be pretty close. I don't think you'll get any complaints!

Good luck!

[bigabyte]

If it's in cryo, it will be just fine waiting that long. If not, 3 days isn't really pushing it that badly as long as it was purchased today, but if you are worried you could always follow dry aging methods for those 3 days to get it to last until Friday with peace of your mind.

[Brewer]

Originally Posted by Mister Bob

I have done exactly what you're planning with some success this way:

Cook it all the way to done on Friday, then wrap in foil and rest for at least an hour. If you have a FoodSaver, now you can vacuum seal the whole brisket and put it in the refrigerator (it will be OK for two days). If you don't have a FoodSaver, just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, but put it in a dish, it may leak.

On Sunday, put it in a roasting pan with about a half a cup of beef broth and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Put it in the oven at 225* to bring it slowly up to an internal temp of 165*. If I recall correctly, this should take between an hour and an hour and a half, but I don't remember the size or temp of the brisket I did, so you'll have to keep an eye on things. When you get up to temperature, take it out, rest it again right in the covered pan for about 20 minutes then slice.

It won't be exactly the same as it was on Friday, but it will be pretty close. I don't think you'll get any complaints!

Good luck!

+ 1 - use this method.

[parrdist]

I want to thank everyone for your help. The Mother in Laws 77th Birthday lunch was perfect.I followed Mister Bob's advice cooked the brisket Friday let it cool then wrapped and put in the fridge. Sunday warmed it to 160degrees with some beef broth. To be honest it was a little dry, but served some sauce on the side and everyone Raved.Thanks again for the great advice.

[Johnny_Crunch]

congrats on the success!

[Mister Bob]

I'm glad it worked out for you!

[Sammy_Shuford]

Love it!

[Brewer]

Nicely done!