14 Delicious Leftover Brisket Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with leftover tough brisket? ›

If your leftover brisket seems a bit dry, never fear. It can still be revived and no one will be the wiser. To moisten the meat, give it a marinade in some warm beef broth, and make sure to add broth when reheating. Another option is to use the meat in dishes where it can soak up a rich sauce.

When placing your meat, make sure the fattest side is facing upward. You want to do this so that the fat can dribble down over the meat to keep a brisket moist and juicy for longer.

As we mentioned, to keep your brisket moist, you can also splash a little beef broth, cooking liquid, or water on it before you put it in the oven, and you can drizzle on some gravy or barbecue sauce once it's heated to liven it up again.

Once that brisket is overcooked and starts to flake into strands, Byrd suggests going the whole way and deep-frying it to a beef-jerky-like effect. "It's very bacon-like and visually appealing because you get these big, long strands that look really cool and it'll cook up to a deep, rough brown."

The temperature of the meat begins to rise again -- which you want because brisket gets more tender the longer you cook it.

Keeping a water pan in the smoker is the best way to retain moisture. After the first 2-3 hours start spritzing your brisket with water, apple juice, hot sauce or apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes to an hour. This helps keep it moist and stops it from burning.

Reheat it in a moist environment: One of the easiest ways to soften a dry brisket is to reheat it in a moist environment. You can do this by placing the brisket in a covered dish with a small amount of beef broth, water, or tomato sauce. Cover the dish with foil and bake it in the oven until it is heated through.

Rubs and Marinades

Common go-to rubs include seasonings like garlic, herbs, and spices. Just be sure to take it easy on the rub so that your brisket doesn't come out too salty. If you plan to mop or baste your brisket while smoking, be sure to coordinate the flavors properly with your rub.

If the brisket is tough, it is because it needs more time to cook to tenderize and break down the connective tissues.

Is brisket better the next day? ›

If you have the time and foresight to plan ahead, make your brisket a day or two ahead– the meat will improve with time. I like to prepare the brisket the day before I serve it, then put it in the refrigerator overnight.

As the other answers point out your brisket was vastly undercooked. Understand that this style of cooking requires not only cooking to doneness but also "time at temperature" in order to break down the connective tissue.

Pour apple cider vinegar over the brisket. The vinegar will help tenderize the meat and will add sweetness to it. Proper brisket should be cooked low and slow in a smoker, using wood or charcoal.

Yes, it is in fact possible to overcook brisket in a slow cooker. While it is a tough cut of meat and slow cooking it over a long period of time is what makes it tender, cooking it for too long will result in mushy and unappetizing brisket.

It's more likely that a dry brisket is overcooked, rather than under, but the dryness can also be the result of improper seasoning or particularly low fat marbling. Not to mention, brisket usually is cooked to like, 180ºF, so overcooking it takes quite a bit of effort/negligence.

Yes. There is, in fact, a science behind the Double Smoked Brisket Points. Things we have discussed like caramelization, rendering, and the secret behind why grilled food tastes good.

Try Beef Stroganoff

Put leftover roast beef to good use and make slow cooker beef stroganoff, as cooking tough meat slowly in liquid tenderizes the tough fibers. To make beef stroganoff, place the tough roast beef in a slow cooker.