Frozen Brisket

[Son of a Son]

Ok, so I am responsible for 2 briskets at noon on the 19th and 2 more at noon on the 26th. Since I will be attending parties rather than hosting them, I want to do the 4 briskets this weekend when it won't hurt to stay up with them all night/day.

My thought is that once they are done smoking, put them in foil to finish. Once finished, rest as normal. Once rested, leave in foil but drain excess liquid, then seal foiled briskets with saran wrap for freezing. Thaw in fridge beginning Thursday morning, then remove the plastic and re-warm either on the pit or in the oven.

Thoughts, suggestions, life-experiences?

 

[cbs]

Get a foodsaver.

 

[hornian]

I know brisketexan has cryovacced briskets before. Hopefully he chimes in.

 

[Sooner-Tuf]

I slice them before I freeze them. I think it gives you a better idea of how to reheat them when are you ready to eat them.

Using one of the various food vacs would be a huge plus. I don't own one but I have a neighbor that has prepared things for me before freezing. It does seem to make a marked difference in the quality after thawing.

 

[Son of a Son]

I have a deep freeze and they won't be frozen for more than about 10-11 days, so I am really hoping I don't need to buy a food saver.

 

[cbs]

The food saver would be a more than 1 time event. If you will use it, they are great for just about anything. In the freezer now, I've got pork butt in bags that we'll reheat for quick lunches or dinners; pizza dough; cooked chicken breasts that we can heat up in 3-4 minutes for sandwiches or fajitas; brisket; several links of Kreuz sausage (bought a box and froze them in 2 link packs), and some leftover steak that will heat up almost as tasty as just off the grill. It also works great for fruits and veggies that are going out of season.

 

[brntorng]

While vacuum-packing and freezing sliced brisket is an excellent approach, an additional benefit is for reheating the meat. Just drop the frozen or thawed brisket--still in its sealed vacuum bag--into a pot of boiling water and it will be perfectly reheated without drying out at all. The amount of time depends on the size of the package, but several smaller packages will reheat faster than larger packages. I do this all the time when I smoke up to 3 briskets at a time and then freeze meal-sized portions for the family.

 

[MirrOlure]

^
^
^>>>>>> I used this exact method over the 4th of July (smoked the Brisket 2 weeks earlier) and I dare say, the meat may have been better when we ate it than it was the day it was smoked!

As someone stated above, getting a Foodsaver is not a temporary fix......it is an investment, and one of the most useful kitchen products ever invented.

 

[hullabelew]

Mirr, thanks for posting that. I was curious how you experiment went. Good to hear it turned out OK.