Brisket is a labour of love when it comes to cooking. We all love eating it but cooking it takes some skills. It is one of the largest, less tender, but definitely one of the tastiest cuts of beef due to the largest fat marbling through the meat.
Unfortunately, this cut of beef takes a good couple of hours in the oven to cook, but once you have done all the preparations and the cooking, the reward is mouth-watering, melt in the mouth, delicious.
As tasty as it is, there is bound to be leftovers, so be sure to keep these and any leftover cooking juices so you can reheat the brisket to be just as juicy as the first time. Ensure the brisket is completely cooled before you place it in an airtight container.
Add any leftover cooking juices to the meat; this will help keep the brisket moist and easy to reheat without drying out.
Once you’ve done that, here are a few options for reheating your brisket.
How to Reheat Brisket without Drying Out
To prevent drying your brisket, ensure the leftovers have come to room temperature by taking the leftovers out of the fridge and allowing them to stand for at least 30 minutes.
This action of bringing the meat to room temperature lessens the time it has to be in the oven and then, in turn, reduces the time in the oven which means less chance of drying the meat out. It is also essential to reheat your leftover brisket in any leftover cooking juices that you saved.
If the cooking juices were tossed, one could simply water down some gravy and reheat the brisket in that. Allowing the meat to reheat in some sort of liquid helps retain the moisture and keep it as juicy as it was the first time it was served.
How to Reheat Brisket Slices
Make sure to take the leftover brisket out of the fridge to come up to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 160 C, place the brisket in an ovenproof dish, try separating the slices slightly and cover with the leftover cooking juices.
Wrap the ovenproof container tight with tin foil- ensuring to secure the edges tightly to prevent any steam from escaping.
Place in the oven for 30 minutes. The juices will heat and steam the meat and provide moisture to ensure the brisket stays juicy and tasty.
How to Reheat Brisket in a Slow Cooker
This method is excellent as you can control the heat and time of reheating without keeping an eye.
Slow cookers are also great as they heat evenly, with no “hot spots”. The airtight lid will also help lock in any moisture and prevent the brisket from drying out.
Bringing the brisket to room temperature will ensure even reheating and not having a hot exterior with a cold interior. Place the leftover, room temperature brisket in the slow cooker ceramic dish, pour over the leftover cooking juices.
If you are short on juices, add a little chicken stock or beef stock. Set the temperature low at 90 C, and leave to heat for 4 hours or until hot.
How Long to Reheat Brisket in the Oven
How long the brisket will take to reheat depends on a few things, if the brisket whole, if it is sliced, what quantity is to be heated, and is it at room temperature before being heated.
Sliced brisket will take quicker to reheat due to the more extensive surface area, and the slices will allow the heat to penetrate much faster.
The whole brisket will take longer, as the heat will take longer to penetrate the meat and reach the centre of the roast.
How Long to Reheat Brisket in Oven at 200°C
If time is short, and there are hungry mouths to feed- the leftovers can be pushed and reheated at a higher temperature.
Make sure there are sufficient leftover juices and that the ovenproof container with the brisket in is wrapped tightly in a double layer of tinfoil to keep the moisture in.
Depending on the amount of the leftovers, and if the brisket is whole or sliced, allow for a minimum of 20 minutes- 40 minutes heating time. Slicing the brisket will lessen the reheating time and will allow the cooking juices to moisten the meat.
Reheating Brisket in the Microwave
Reheating brisket in the microwave is not ideal as the risk of drying the meat is great, but sometimes being short on time, this is the only option one would have.
Place the brisket in a microwaveable container, cover with any leftover cooking juices and cover with a microwave plate cover. Reduce the microwave heat settings to low; this will prevent overcooking and drying the brisket out.
Turn the microwave and heat for short 30 second intervals, and keep checking the internal temperature. It could take up to 4 minutes.
To Sum Up
Moist, tender brisket is everyone’s favourite, and that’s why it is worth knowing how to reheat your brisket so that it is still moist and tender even a few days after it has been cooked.
Most important is storing the leftovers correctly, saving any leftover juices, and then ensuring that when it comes to reheating that the brisket is reheated in tightly fitted tinfoil and the meat is covered in the leftover juices.
This will ensure leftovers that are tasty and juicy, just like the first time it was served.