Looking for advice on brisket logistics
 

Hi everyone, mainly a lurker here, love this place.

I'm seeking advice on reheating a brisket after smoking it.

Basically here is the scenario.


My parents want me to smoke a brisket for Christmas dinner. They don't have a smoker, and I live 90 miles away. I've done brisket before and know how to do it, but the problem is that I need to do it the day before, and likely reheat it at my parents house right before dinner.

Dinner is on Sunday, I'm going to smoke it on Saturday, because I want it to be done and not have to be late to christmas dinner if the cook lasts longer than expected.

Would it be best to smoke it to an internal temp slightly lower than done so that when I reheat it, it doesnt become overcooked? Is there maybe a better option for reheating it at my parents house other than the oven?

If you have a food sealer you can reheat in boiling water. If not double foil wrap in the oven will work. Just remember to reheat in a pan or with a pan under it in case it leaks.

Edit: I've never thought about undercooking.
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This is a great question. I messed this up a few times before finally finding this video on YouTube from Rudy's BBQ in Texas. I used it and it worked perfectly. My only modification: instead of using plain water in the pan, I mixed a little beef bouillion in to make stock, and a little BBQ sauce. You want to add enough water where it is still a very thin liquid even if you put BBQ sauce in it. And you want it pretty shallow, maybe 1/4" deep. You def don't want to boil the meat, just steam it.

Set your expectations right: it is impossible to transport brisket and maintain any crustiness on the bark. That's OK. Enjoy the moist, tender brisket and set your heart on bark when you don't have to transport. And I would smoke it right up to 200-210 on your smoke. Don't stop it short. Good luck, let us know how it turns out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7HGJ-py3aQ

Hm, I DO have a food saver. I'd be worried about overcooking in boiling water, given that there would be no way for me to monitor the internal temp, or even feel it to see if its warm enough yet

This method would work great if you had an Anova or other sous vide device so you could get an exact internal temp. But it's cheaper and simpler to go with a foil pan like the Rudy's video, and has worked fine for lots of folks.

Well, I have an Anova as well. Great idea!

I have a simple solution. Please excuse me if it's already been mentioned.

The typical brisket process calls for smoking "to color" (usually 160-165* internal) then wrapping in foil or butcher paper and (essentially) braising it on the smoker. Well, why not use the two cooking phases to your advantage? Smoke to 160* and cool the day before, wrap and finish the cook (to 203* internal) in a low oven at your destination?

That's what I would do.

John

Cook it like you normally would. After rest- slice it up and pan it , add some Beef broth (pour it over all the slices but no so much the slices are swimming in it). Reheat loosely covered with foil at 250-275* in Oven till warm.

I just re-read your OP and thought, "He's only 90 minutes away?!" If that's the case, just cook it to 200* internal, wrap it tightly in a double layer of HD foil, put it in a cooler lined with towels and you're golden. It will hold for up to six hours. I rest mine like that in competition for three hours. In fact, the longer it hangs in the cooler the better. Even after four hours it'll be almost too hot to handle with bare hands.

John

Yeah, I'm only 90 minutes away, but I didn't want to try and time a brisket cook to be done just before we leave to make 1PM lunch with it. Was kind of looking for a method so that I could have it done the day before, so there's no weird time issues that pop up.

But hell, if it will stay warm up to 6 hours wrapped tight in the cooler, I can time it to be done at 8am, which will give me pretty good leeway + or -.

Exactly!

I agree you can either cook all the way and hold until you get there, or cook all the way and then reheat for a couple of hours at 225 in a double wrap of foil. I'd probably prefer the former, but the latter should work well.

I would not try to break the cook in two, or reheat in water. And I absolutely would not slice the brisket before reheating it. Slicing and then reheating is likely to dry it out.

I cooked some and let it rest. Then vacuum sealed and straight into ice bath. When I needed to reheat like everyone said put it in a pan of water on the oven. Mine went longer than I wanted in the oven and still turned out great. It’s retained the moisture inside the vacuum seal which is great.

The only modification I might suggest that's different from the excellent options already provided would be to use au jus instead of beef broth or bouillon. It will really intensify the beef flavor.

Good luck and merry Christmas!

My gut is to agree with this, but I had a not-so-moist brisket on my first hot & fast attempt on my Bandera (my second will be Saturday) and Smitty gave the suggestion of reheating it sliced with broth. It turned a terrible brisket into a really good brisket. So while I would probably try to cook it so it finishes around 8-10 am and then hold it for a few hours, the other option could make excellent brisket too.