would like to freeze cooked/sliced beef brisket-anyone tried this??

[wintkat]

hi, I want to cook/slice beef brisket and freeze it to take along for a weekend trip. will bring along BBQ sauce and add it at serve time

has anyone tried this and how did it work out?

thanks
wintkat

[testkitchen45]

Yes; the freezability is what it makes it perfect make-ahead party food for a big casual dinner!

I make a 14-pound brisket (or close to it), and the recipe produces a fair amount of watery gravy. I slice the brisket as the gravy, poured off, sits separately. I defat the gravy (use a fat separator) and then either pour it over the sliced brisket in a flat, shallow pan (you do NOT want to freeze it totally dry, or it'll be Sahara brisket), or, time permitting, refrigerate the sliced meat & gravy separately for long enough for any remaining fat to rise to the top & solidify. Remove the fat; pour drippings over sliced meat; freeze.

Defrost overnight in fridge. For a huge pan, this will not be enough time, but that's OK. Reheat in the oven, turning the heat down if you need more time such as if the center was still a little icy. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the center for heat; it's fully cooked, of course, but you want to make sure the prefrozen center is hot enough for your buffet.

For smaller portions, such as for your trip, do the same thing but of course portion it into smaller flat containers. Flat is important so that each slice of brisket is sitting in some defatted gravy. Enjoy!

[wintkat]

thanks testkitchen45 for all the good info

I was planning to freeze it "dry" and add BBQ sauce for the reheating process. now I'll use your suggestions for the watery gravy

I suspect your 14 lb brisket is the whole brisket with both flat and point muscles? I buy my brisket at Costco, which is the flat portion, and the largest available is usually in the 5.5-6 lb range

if in fact you are cooking a whole brisket do both parts cook/taste the same?

thanks for sharing
wintkat

[sharhamm]

I made this recipe just last week from a 4.5lb brisket I bought at Costco. Making it ahead and eating it two days later is the way to go. Very tender and delicious. I made my own BBQ sauce from another Zaar recipe.
Link didn't post but it Recipe # 158398 at Recipezaar.com.