Leftover Smoked Brisket Taquitos | System of a Brown (2023)

FAQs

What to do with leftover tough smoked 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.

Cooked brisket without liquid or gravy will last longer in the fridge (up to four days) but less time in the freezer (up to two months). If the brisket is stored in the gravy, it may be refrigerated up to two days and frozen up to three months.

The only way to break it down to get tender brisket is to expose the meat to heat for an extended period of time. As such, if you don't cook brisket for long enough, the connective tissue isn't going to have time to break down. Therefore, you will be left with a still tough brisket.

If a perishable food (such as meat or poultry) has been left out at room temperature overnight (more than two hours) it may not be safe. Discard it, even though it may look and smell good.

USDA recommends using cooked beef within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days.

Reheat the brisket in the oven for about an hour for large pieces and less time than that for thinner pieces. You can let the internal temperature hit about 165-degrees for the best tasting reheated brisket that tastes like it's fresh from the smoker.

Brisket fat trimmings have multiple uses. You can use them to make beef tallow, hamburger meat, homemade sausages, and Yorkshire pudding. You can also use them as meat moisturizer when smoking brisket. So if you have been throwing away brisket fat trimmings, you now know not to do that.

Technically, burnt ends and brisket are the same things. Burnt ends are the trimmings from a smoked brisket. During the smoking process, the point cut of the brisket develops a rich, smoky bark and crunchy texture.

How do you reheat smoked burnt ends? ›

Leftover pork belly burnt ends can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They reheat really well in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes or you could always throw them back on the smoker.

After beef has been refrigerated for about five days, it may turn brown. This darkening is due to oxidation, the chemical changes in myoglobin due to the oxygen content. This is a normal change during refrigerator storage.

Due to the higher fat content of the brisket point, it takes longer to fully cook to tender and render out fat and collagen. This longer cooking gave rise to the name "burnt ends". Sometimes when the flat is done, the point is returned to the smoker for further cooking. Some cooks re-season the point at this time.

Burnt Ends

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove burnt ends from package and wrap in aluminum foil. Heat in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from foil and serve.

No matter the cooking method (smoking, roasting, etc.), cooked brisket should rest for at least one hour but not more than two hours. After more than a couple of hours at room temperature, the brisket starts to get cold, and reheating it can cause it to dry out.

It's because you haven't let the collagen break down. Extend the cook time, make sure there's enough liquid and keep an eye on the dish.

Smoking duration will be 18 to 22 hours. After smoking, it should rest for at least 1 hour, but can be held in the oven at 140°F for several hours. Plan to put the brisket in the smoker 24 hours before serving so that you can be confident it will be done and ready.

If the majority of your brisket is overcooked, it's possible that the point end might still be salvageable. This can be used to make a simple version of brisket burnt ends. Usually, the point would be separated from the rest of the brisket before cooking and smoked in a dry rub mixture.

It's a tough cut of meat, which is why the best way to cook brisket is a low-and-slow method: Long, slow cooking makes it tender.

How Long Can I Safely Hold Meat In A Cooler? — The standard advice on food safety is that you can safely keep food in the "danger zone" for a maximum of four hours. The danger zone, of course, is between 40°F and 140°F.

How do you reheat a brisket after resting overnight? ›

Preheat oven or smoker to 250°F. Wrap brisket in two layers of aluminum foil and place in heated oven or smoker . Your brisket is done when it reaches 165°F which will take between 20-55 minutes depending on the size of your brisket and if you are heating a large chunk or individual slices.

How to tell if beef brisket is bad? The best way is to smell and look at the beef brisket: signs of bad beef brisket are a sour smell, dull color and slimy texture; discard any beef brisket with an off smell or appearance.

Bad meat will have a sour smell, almost like spoiled milk. It will also turn from its red color to a murky brown shade. If any of the meat in your refrigerator has a strange smell or color, it's best to throw it away rather than take your chances.

Next, preheat your oven to 325˚and place your brisket in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle the meat with some of the original cooking liquid or a little beef broth, then cover the dish tightly with foil. Heat until the brisket is warmed through (cooking times will vary depending on whether your brisket is sliced or whole).

Cover the brisket with slices of butter. This fat is your friend to provide much needed moisture when reheating. Reheat until the internal temperature is over 140. This will take 90 - 120 minutes depending on the size of your brisket.

Brisket is a great make-ahead dish since it actually tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to develop and come together. Another advantage is that the fat that melts into the cooking liquid will solidify and be easy to remove after a stay in the refrigerator.

For a 100% brisket burger – cut trimmings into small pieces and add to grinder. Make note to have approximately 25% of the total weight in fat. Run cold trimmings/meat through a chilled meat grinder on the coarse setting. Run it through an additional time if you desire a finer grind.

The point cut is the fatty part of the brisket, which is called the deckle. The flat cut, also known as "first cut", has the deckle removed, which makes it leaner and causes it to lay flat. Early on the brisket was not very popular and was often discarded for stew meat or to be ground up.

Pandemic-related shutdowns that slowed parts of the production process. Not having enough workers in the factories or transporting the beef. High gas prices for transporting. A drought, leading to less healthy grass for calves to eat and therefore less calves.

Point: The thicker, pointy, fattier end. Stall: The point while cooking a brisket when the internal temperature stops rising, usually around 160 degrees.

Can you make burnt ends after smoking? ›

You can make burnt ends from an entire brisket but be sure to separate the point from the flat, after smoking and cutting into cubes. Use a Kansas City Style BBQ sauce for a more authentic flavor, however you can modify with any sauce you like.

Remove burnt ends (with supplied burnt end juices) from plastic container (DO NOT PLACE PLASTIC CONTAINER IN OVEN – IT WILL MELT!) and place in oven safe Pyrex (or equivalent). Cover top with foil. Place in oven for 1 hour per pound (typically) and they are ready to serve when internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Make Burnt Ends Another Day

If you don't have the time to make burnt ends right away, simply refrigerate or freeze the brisket point and make them another day.

That colour actually indicates a lack of exposure to oxygen, which is normal. Grocery stores will often discount meat, such as ground beef, that has turned brown, though it's well within its shelf life. If the meat turns brown or grey on the outside, though, it's likely not yet unsafe, but it is beginning to rot.

Ground beef turning brown is a normal reaction involving myoglobin and oxygen. And the hamburger is usually still good to eat.

As the internal temperature of the meat rises above 140 degrees, however, myoglobin loses its stability and forms a new molecule called hemichrome. Hemichrome is the compound that gives medium-cooked red meat its slightly browned color.

Personally I want at least 5-6 hours of smoke and a dark, mahogany-colored bark. Typically when those two things happen, the internal temperature has reached the point where the brisket is stalling (150-170F). The fat should also feel like you're pushing into a marshmallow and have a slight jiggle.

The reason for this discoloration is that this edge of the brisket is exposed when the carcass is split into sides, and these sides have various antimicrobial treatments applied to them such as organic acids (lactic acid is the most common), hot water, and/or steam pasteurization to destroy potential pathogens.

“With smoke and enough time, it can be transformed into a licorice-black, shiny lacquer.” That's why the bark on a pork shoulder or beef brisket can make your meal look like a meteor, but there is no carbon burned flavor.

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.

How do you reheat leftover smoked brisket? ›

After two or four hours of cooking, you can lightly spray your brisket with water, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, or apple juice. You can do this every 30 minutes or every hour, based on preference.

If your brisket is tough, chances are it needs more time to cook and become tender. Heat: Cook brisket over low heat. If you cook the beef quickly over high heat you will end up with tough, dry meat. Rest: It is imperative you let the meat sit for a little bit before you cut into it.

Why is My Brisket Tough and Dry? Your brisket may be dry because it lacks marbling, is cooked at a high temperature, cooked for too long, not wrapped, or not allowed to rest for long enough.

Simmering in a little bit of liquid or broth is a great way to tenderize. Acidity can also be your friend here. A little bit of vinegar and lemon juice in the liquid can help you tenderize the meat.

Next, preheat your oven to 325˚and place your brisket in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle the meat with some of the original cooking liquid or a little beef broth, then cover the dish tightly with foil. Heat until the brisket is warmed through (cooking times will vary depending on whether your brisket is sliced or whole).

We cook our brisket at 250 degrees Fahrenheit (F) using cherry or apple wood from the Northwest. This temperature will break down the connective tissue, rendering some of the intramuscular fat, which in turn keeps the tenderness, and juicy flavor.

How do you make dry meat moist again? ›

The quickest way to reintroduce moisture back into your meat is to add a liquid. You can easily do this with water but it's best if you use a liquid that's flavorful. This is because with the evaporation of the moisture that originally was in the meat went some of the flavors, too.

If you are using the words "chewy" or "tough" to describe the texture of your meat, in nearly all cases it has not been cooked enough. Your time/temperature pretty much confirms it.

Undercooked brisket will be tough and chewy, while overcooked brisket will be dry and crumbly. Ideally, you want to achieve a “fall off the bone” tenderness – whereby the meat is cooked all the way through but still has a slight resistance when pierced with a fork.

If you cooked the brisket too long, so the internal temperature reached past 208°F, the meat dried out. Rest the brisket for at least 30 minutes before slicing, or the juices won't redistribute and end up running out onto your cutting surface instead of remaining in the meat.