Reheating frozen dry brisket?

[jjdbike]

Hello friends,

I have two briskets in freezer. I cut them into two portions, flat & point, vacuum packed each (4 separate packages) and froze with some added unsalted beef stock & Wagyu tallow because the flat was a little dry (my smoker was malfunctioning).

I need to serve this Saturday night. I am respectfully requesting your opinions & or advice.

I plan on moving from deep freeze to fridge tomorrow (Weds) to slowly cold thaw. I was going to warm them in the liquid in their vacuum packs in sous vide. Then add more rub (some will have washed off in the liquid).

I planed on placing warmed flat in an aluminum boat and tighten up bark on pellet smoker for slicing. I’ll add the liquid to the slices.

I was going to cube the point, place in a in a pan with stock & tallow, cover in foil to reheat. Then re-season, sauce, & back on smoker till caramelized.

Does this sound like a good plan?

I am specifically looking for input on Sous Vide time & temp for flat, and smoker time & temp for point burnt ends.

Thanks in advance!
JD

[CRO]

I would thaw them.
Set your Sous Vide for 140. I would go at least 2 hours before serving.

[jjdbike]

I would thaw them.
Set your Sous Vide for 140. I would go at least 2 hours before serving.

Hello CRO,

Thank you very much for your reply! I wouldn't have come up with that combo but I will trust you. I will do that with both the flats and the points. After that I will re-season, cube and sauce the point, and place on my pellet smoker at 275 till bark & sauce is firmed up. I'll re-season and boat the flat w/ some jus in the foil, place on pellet cooker till bark is firmed up.

I will add the jus back for slicing and serving the flats slices.

Does that sound good?

Respectfully,
Jim D

[CRO]

I would like to see other Pitmasters join in.
But, my opinion is to Sous Vide them for 2-4 hours. Put in a foil tub and cover. I wouldn't put them on the smoker again. I think the benefits of sous videing (sp) frozen meats is it retains or gets better with the moister.
When plating, put sauces on the side.

[jjdbike]

Thanks CRO!

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Check out Meat Church BBQ How to reheat a brisket, on YouTube.

[fzxdoc]

In this video, Meat Church compares sous vide reheating to pan reheating methods:

https://www.tiktok.com/@meatchurchbbq/video/7141931525280501038

Unfortunately all he says about both methods is the meat is "great".

If you choose to reheat using sous vide, you might want to take a look at the reheating chart on the Amazing Food Made Easy site run by the very knowledgeable sous vide expert Jason Logsdon.

https://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/info/modernist-cooking-blog/more/how-do-you-reheat-sous-vided-food-ask-jason

I paid for one of his laminated charts for pasteurization times and for reheating times as well. I refer to it all the time.

I always temp everything that I sous vide when I open the packet, just to be sure that the internal temp exactly matches what was set on the Joule sous vide.

Why? Because I've had a couple of surprises, especially when reheating with sous vide, (before I got Jason's chart as a reference point) where the food temp did not match the set temp due to too short of a reheating time.

Kathryn

[Davek8282]

fzxdoc thanks for the link to amazing food made easy. I have signed up for the newletter and am contemplating purchasing the charts

[fzxdoc]

Davek8282 , when I first got in to sous vide, I sprung for Jason Logsdon's email course as well after finishing the free one. Both courses were worth the time. The paid course was only $19.

https://courses.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/p/sous-vide-made-easy

Kathryn

[jjdbike]

[QUOTE=Duanessmokedmeats;n1848773]Check out Meat Church BBQ How to reheat a brisket, on YouTube.[/QUOTE

Thanks @Duanessmokedmeats,

I'm a big fan of Matt's. He did say they both are great ways to reheat. He did say he thought the sous vide was more tender. He also said, if you want to tighten up the bark you can put it on the smoker for a bit. Both of his were wrapped in their original butcher paper. Mine are naked but with stock added to the bag. As it reheats in the bag, I'm assuming some of the seasoning and bark will get diluted into the stock.

I'm thinking I will re-season the flat and give it a short smoke bath for the bark and to hopefully add a little smoke back on the surface.

I am also going to cube the point, re-season and sauce them, and give them a smoke bath to carmelize the sauce.

To me, this seems like a good compromise between the two.

Cheers!

[jjdbike]

In this video, Meat Church compares sous vide reheating to pan reheating methods:

https://www.tiktok.com/@meatchurchbbq/video/7141931525280501038

Unfortunately all he says about both methods is the meat is "great".

If you choose to reheat using sous vide, you might want to take a look at the reheating chart on the Amazing Food Made Easy site run by the very knowledgeable sous vide expert Jason Logsdon.

https://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/info/modernist-cooking-blog/more/how-do-you-reheat-sous-vided-food-ask-jason

I paid for one of his laminated charts for pasteurization times and for reheating times as well. I refer to it all the time.

I always temp everything that I sous vide when I open the packet, just to be sure that the internal temp exactly matches what was set on the Joule sous vide.

Why? Because I've had a couple of surprises, especially when reheating with sous vide, (before I got Jason's chart as a reference point) where the food temp did not match the set temp due to too short of a reheating time.

Kathryn

Thanks so much Kathryn!

You always provide such helpful and detailed replies. Very much appreciated!

I just ordered one of those charts.

The reheating chart seems to show reheating at a low temp for 4-5 hours (not sure of the temp, perhaps 140?). Matt on the other hand reheated for two hours at 165 and the internal temp was 150. I wonder if splitting the difference, e.g. 150 for 3 hours, then a short smoke bath (re-seasoned) for the bark would be good? Also, cube and sauce point and smoke bath.

Does it sound like a good compromise to you?

I'm hoping to wow my church group. Expectations are high as I won the church chili cook off w/ smoked short rib chili : )

Warmest regards,

JD

[fzxdoc]

JD, see my post #11 that follows. I had too much to say to fit into a comment.

It's great that you think carefully about food safety as well as delivering a delicious meal--to me, it's the mark of a good pitmaster and cook.

Kathryn

[mrteddyprincess]

Free advice: Let the brisket thaw in the fridge. Take the flat out while it's cold. The juices are not flowing in cold brisket. Slice the cold brisket. Repackage the cold slices in small vacuum sealed batches. On the day you have guests, only take one package at a time out of the SV to serve. In my experience you get hot, juicy brisket slices that are juicy and tender, and it's a continuous process of removing a bag from the SV, cutting it open, and serving. No chance for it to dry out.

For the points, I would suggest cubing them while cold, setting them aside, and then on the day you are serving, put the cubes back on the smoker for 30-45 min, followed by a gentle coating of a sauce to set for about five more minutes. You'll have KC style "burnt ends" that do not dry out when serving in my experience.

Good luck! Post pics!

Brian

[fzxdoc]

Very smart. Great advice!


K.

[jjdbike]

Free advice: Let the brisket thaw in the fridge. Take the flat out while it's cold. The juices are not flowing in cold brisket. Slice the cold brisket. Repackage the cold slices in small vacuum sealed batches. On the day you have guests, only take one package at a time out of the SV to serve. In my experience you get hot, juicy brisket slices that are juicy and tender, and it's a continuous process of removing a bag from the SV, cutting it open, and serving. No chance for it to dry out.

For the points, I would suggest cubing them while cold, setting them aside, and then on the day you are serving, put the cubes back on the smoker for 30-45 min, followed by a gentle coating of a sauce to set for about five more minutes. You'll have KC style "burnt ends" that do not dry out when serving in my experience.

Good luck! Post pics!

Brian

Thank you Brian ,

That's a very interesting take on this. I wouldn't have thought to slice before reheating. Serving wise, it sounds very clean and convenient. I can also see that reheating slice in liquid would have maximum impact for juicy tender slices. I suppose that sacrificing the bark on the flat is worth maximizing moisture. As far as the cubbed point, I think I'll warm it in a pan w/ stock & tallow, then sauce and caramelize.

I'll post results and pics.

Respectfully,
JD

[fzxdoc]

mrteddyprincess , this comment is for you, Brian.

[jjdbike]

Free advice: Let the brisket thaw in the fridge. Take the flat out while it's cold. The juices are not flowing in cold brisket. Slice the cold brisket. Repackage the cold slices in small vacuum sealed batches. On the day you have guests, only take one package at a time out of the SV to serve. In my experience you get hot, juicy brisket slices that are juicy and tender, and it's a continuous process of removing a bag from the SV, cutting it open, and serving. No chance for it to dry out.

For the points, I would suggest cubing them while cold, setting them aside, and then on the day you are serving, put the cubes back on the smoker for 30-45 min, followed by a gentle coating of a sauce to set for about five more minutes. You'll have KC style "burnt ends" that do not dry out when serving in my experience.

Good luck! Post pics!

Brian

Hello Brian,

I really appreciate your advice. I love the idea of slicing the flat cold, re-packaging, and re-heating in portions in water bath. Can you recommend time & temp for those flat slices?

As far as the cubbed point, what temp & time would you run them on the pellet before saucing? Would you cover them before saucing or cover to heat, then sauce. I also wonder about rolling them in some butter, honey and sauce and doing them at 225 for an hour (for some & bark), the at 275 for 10 - 20 to caramelize the sauce?

Are you willing to share som more free advice please? I really want to get this right!

Thanks in advance!
Jim D

[fzxdoc]

mrteddyprincess , this question is for you.

K.

[mrteddyprincess]

jjdbike Sorry, I just saw this! You could warm the flats up in SV above 141 F. I think I usually do 165 F. An hour or two in the SV bath will have them ready to serve.

Cubed point going back on the smoker, I usually use my PK360 grill to do an offset arrangement of charcoal and wood chunks at 275 F for about 30 minutes followed by brushing on sauce and letting the sauce set 5-10 minutes.

Brian
PM me if you want to talk on the phone.

[fzxdoc]

jjdbike , the Amazing Food Made Easy sous vide site that I referred to earlier says this about reheating times:

The temperature of the water bath does not really affect the heating time, but remember that you should not cook food at less than 54.5°C (130°F) for more than 4 hours. If you want to cook a piece of food at a lower temperature, you can cut it into smaller portions so it heats more quickly.

and

While there are slight differences in the heating time for different temperatures of water baths, the times usually vary less than 5 to 10% even going from a 44°C bath to a 60.5°C bath, which equates to a difference of 5 minutes every hour. We show the largest value in the chart, but remember there isn't an exact single time.

So your 150° reheating plan sounds good.

For peace of mind, I prefer to reheat using the smallest pieces possible at the highest temperature practicable so that the food is moved as quickly as possible through the Food Safety Danger Zone between 40° and 140°. Remember that danger zone times are cumulative. Because your meat has already gone through it as you smoked it, some of your 4 hour window has already been chipped away at.

Your plan, combined with mrteddyprincess (Brian's) excellent advice and that of others here as well, should turn out to be a real winner for you and for your group.

Wishing you the best of luck and lots of fun along the way,

Kathryn

[jjdbike]

jjdbike , the Amazing Food Made Easy sous vide site that I referred to earlier says this about reheating times:

The temperature of the water bath does not really affect the heating time, but remember that you should not cook food at less than 54.5°C (130°F) for more than 4 hours. If you want to cook a piece of food at a lower temperature, you can cut it into smaller portions so it heats more quickly.

and

While there are slight differences in the heating time for different temperatures of water baths, the times usually vary less than 5 to 10% even going from a 44°C bath to a 60.5°C bath, which equates to a difference of 5 minutes every hour. We show the largest value in the chart, but remember there isn't an exact single time.

So your 150° reheating plan sounds good.

For peace of mind, I prefer to reheat using the smallest pieces possible at the highest temperature practicable so that the food is moved as quickly as possible through the Food Safety Danger Zone between 40° and 140°. Remember that danger zone times are cumulative. Because your meat has already gone through it as you smoked it, some of your 4 hour window has already been chipped away at.

Your plan, combined with mrteddyprincess (Brian's) excellent advice and that of others here as well, should turn out to be a real winner for you and for your group.

Wishing you the best of luck and lots of fun along the way,

Kathryn

Thank you very much Kathryn and mrteddyprincess

I just ordered that sous vide calculator and will most likely not receive it for a week or so.

Based upon your estimate, at what time and temp would you reheat the small bags of sliced brisket? I was guessing 3 hours at 150. Does that sound sufficient?

Matt Pitman (Meat Church) said 2 hours at 165, but he was doing a whole brisket. I feel like longer and lower (150 at 3 hours, vs 165 at 2 hours) would result in a more tender and moist product, but that's just a guess.

Based upon "Amazing Food Made Easy" it may not make any noticeable difference.

Thoughts?
JD

[fzxdoc]

I think 3 hours at 150° should work just fine. Let us know how it turns out.

K.

[jjdbike]

Thank you fzxdoc , mrteddyprincess , & friends,

it was a home run.

Sliced the thawed cold flat, re-seasoned in the small vacuum pack bags, with the au jus from the original cook, added no salt beef stock, Wagyu tallow. Into 140 sous vide for 3 hours. Incredibly tender & moist. Will definitely do this again.

Cubed the point, re-seasoned, onto pellet cooker at 275 for an hour. Blended and warmed Whomp sauce, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a good glug of honey, a splash of stock. Glazed all sides, caramelized.

Thanks everyone!!!!
JD

[fzxdoc]

Sounds like you knocked it out of the park, jjdbike . Congrats!

Kathryn