The brisket is tender and rich in flavor when fresh out of the barbecue smoker, but leftovers can often be dry and mushy. Here are six easy ways to reheat brisket that will keep it tender and delicious.
I don’t think there’s a grilled meat more iconic than smoked brisket. It’s not always the easiest of meals, but if you do it right, it’s probably the most delicious roast beef you’ll have to begin with.
Brisket is naturally a large cut of meat, which means your party won’t always be able to complete it in one sitting. While it can be easily refrigerated for later enjoyment, it can be difficult to reheat without losing the quality that made it so delicious the first time.
If it dries out, it can be tasteless, just tough and uncomfortable.
The good news, however, is that it’s easy to make so it stays moist, tender, and delicious. Perfect for preparing some of your favorite breast recipes.
Here’s how to reheat brisket without letting it dry out.
How to store beef brisket in the fridge
The first step actually begins the moment you finish cooking it for the first time. Once you’ve decided what to keep and let the brisket cool, drain the meat to remove any remaining juices circulating around the meat. Do this in a grease separator so you can easily separate the fat from the juices.
Transfer the brisket to a dish bowl(that’s the kind of thing I’m referring to) and pour the juices into the dish and over the meat. Pack the brisket with the pan in a grocery bag(like this one).
Finally, if it’s too big to fit in the pan, you’ll need to slice the brisket .
Transfer the sealed brisket to your refrigerator. You can store there for a maximum of 3 days.
If you prefer to freeze it, you can, but be prepared to thaw it in your fridge for a few days after taking it out of the freezer.
Side note: I always try to avoid grilling frozen meat as it never holds its flavor or moisture as well as I would like.
How to reheat brisket in a smoker
Remove the breast and pan from the sealed bag. Cover the breast with aluminum foil, then place in a smoker or grill preheated to 110°C.
Do you have an electric smoker? Learn how to smoke brisket in an electric smoker with our guide.
The foil is important here because it helps the meat reheat while retaining much of its moisture.
Brisket is best served at 60°C, so this is our target internal temperature when reheating. Find a good quality wood to smoke the brisket and make sure you use a pot of water as well.
This should take about 90 minutes per pound of meat. Once that temperature is reached, remove from the smoker, slice, and serve.
How to reheat brisket in an oven
The best way to reheat brisket without drying it out is not in a smoker or grill, but in an oven. The oven’s shorter cooking time means your brisket will be exposed to less high temperatures and therefore less likely to dry out.
The oven is the best way to ensure the brisket tastes like it just came out of the smoker.
The truth is that by this point we’ve already smoked our brisket, so all the hard work of flavoring and smoking it is already done. We just have to warm up.
Preheat oven at 160°C.
While the oven is preheating, remove the brisket from the refrigerator and allow it to come back to room temperature.
Transfer the brisket from the food pan to a deep baking dish. Use the juices to pour over the brisket and fill the deep dish of the pan.
Cover the breast and tray with aluminum foil. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30-45 minutes. The time will depend on the size of your brisket, so be sure to check and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your meat. As soon as it reaches 60 °C, it is ready to be served.
How to reheat breast in the microwave
Using a microwave to reheat meat is far from ideal and probably not the first choice if quality is paramount. But sometimes time and resources can mean that this is the only option you have. No problem, because we can easily warm up the brisket in the microwave.
Transfer the brisket to a microwave safe container or Tupperware with the lid loosened to allow steam to slowly escape as it cooks.
Reduce your microwave’s heat setting to 20 percent(one above “defrost”). This will prevent the breast from drying out or overcooking.
Turn on the microwave in 30 second lads. Use your meat thermometer between each heating interval to measure the internal temperature of your meat. We want to reach a temperature close to 60 °C. This may take 2-4 minutes but keep in mind the size of the breast.
How to reheat brisket in a sous vide machine
I’ll admit that very few people are lucky enough to own a sous vide machine, but for certain who do, they’re a great way to bulk up food without drying out or overcooking.
For those available among you who are unfamiliar with the cooking method, a pretty good way to cook food is by heating it in a water bath. It has grown in popularity, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a great way to keep food moist without the risk of burning or losing moisture.
It’s not the quickest way to reheat food, but if you’ve got the equipment it’s definitely worth a try.
To reheat the sous vide brisket, first vacuum-seal it in airtight plastic wrap before submerging in water heated to 70°C/160°F.
Allow your brisket to heat until the internal temperature matches the water temperature of 70°C.
Again, the time required will depend on the size of the skirt cut, but as a general rule of thumb, it should take between 4 and 6 hours. Use a meat thermometer to get an accurate reading. Just make sure you insert the sample before vacuum packing the meat.
How to reheat brisket in a slow cooker or crockpot
I love cooking in a pot. It follows an oven because it provides even heat distribution to keep meat warm, which is instrumental in reheating food, but it also does so at relatively low temperatures, which allows juices and marinades to penetrate the meat better with food. Which is great in this case as we still have our recycled juices!
Our only real caveat here is that most crock pots or slow cookers aren’t big enough to hold standard sized brisket so YOU may slice the meat & before putting it in the pot. This isn’t a bad thing, however, as it helps reduce the time it takes to reheat the meat.
What I also really like about crock pot cooking is that YOU can control the heat and how long it takes the brisket to reheat. This can be a lot harder when you put it back on the grill or smoker, and to some extent is even the case with microwave cooking. They also have airtight lids that can help retain moisture, preventing the breast from drying out.
To reheat it in your crockpot, place the brisket in the ceramic bowl. Cut it off if necessary. Pour the remaining juice over the meat. Set to 85-95°C(185-200°F) and leave for 4 hours or until internal temperature reaches 75°C/165°F.
How to reheat brisket in a convection oven
While I mentioned oven cooking, I wanted to mention convection(or convection) ovens because you treat reheating a little differently with them.
Convection ovens are much more efficient than traditional ovens because they have a built-in fan that forces hot air through the inside of the oven, distributing heat much more evenly and draining to reduce the risk of hot spots.
Not only does this mean YOU don’t have to adjust or turn the food anywhere, but also the overall temperature in the oven.
If you’re using a convection oven, or using your oven’s convection setting, I recommend reducing the temperature by 25°F and also the cooking time by about 20 percent. This should mean about 200°F for 2 hours per pound of meat.
However, the internal temperature of the brisket is still key, so the time taken will ultimately be dictated by how long it takes the brisket to reach 140F-160F.
As with our oven method, pour any leftover juices over the breast, then wrap in foil before placing in the oven.
When done, remove from the oven and wrap in aluminum foil and let stand for 30 minutes.
What is the best way to reheat brisket?
Much of what you’ve described above assumes you’re warming up the whole breast or in large portions. However, in many cases you may want to reheat brisket.
This will greatly reduce the time it takes YOU to heat up your brisket, which is why I would recommend using an oven.
The reduced cooking time doesn’t really make the smoker worth the hassle, while using a microwave just dries out very quickly.
10-20 minutes depending on thickness of slices, same temperature and cooking settings. Once again, the signal that it’s done is when the temperature of the meat reaches 60-70°C(140-160°F).
I cut the brisket before slicing?
Having the luxury of choice here is entirely up to you, and it came down largely to how much time you have to warm up or are willing to put in.
If you’re short on time, then slicing up before warming up is a great way to get things going quickly. Just be sure to use a knife that’s up to the task.
Personally, however, I would prefer to leave the breast whole. While this means it takes longer, it gives you a much greater opportunity to re-infuse the breast with the flavors of the juices, improving the quality of the meat and its flavors.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
