Brisket for a crowd

Former Member

Posted this in the owner's forum & it was recommended I post here also. I've been elected to smoke brisket for our family reunion. Just found out there will be at least 100 attending. I'm figuring that'd be about 10 briskets. I'd like to smoke them in advance. Any suggestions on the best way to store and reheat?

7/20/0811:47 PM

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Former Member

Question is how much do you want to work on that day. Will you be able to reheat and cut on site?

IF you slice them in advance, you'll need to rewarm it with some beef stock. Make sure to keep and collect all juice from that day.

How will you be reheating/serving?

7/21/087:37 AM

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Former Member

quote:
Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
Question is how much do you want to work on that day. Will you be able to reheat and cut on site?

IF you slice them in advance, you'll need to rewarm it with some beef stock. Make sure to keep and collect all juice from that day.

How will you be reheating/serving?

Thanks for the questions Smokin.

The meal will be at noon in a town about 90 minutes away, so I'd like to have the briskets cooked at least a few days in advance if not longer. I'll be able to reheat and cut on the day of the reunion. I can use an offset smoker or a regular oven or both. I'm just not sure what method would result in the best finished product. Vaccum seal & freeze it whole, cook a day or two ahead of time & hold in
coolers/refrigerator?

7/21/0811:13 AM

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Former Member

The best is ..."it depends".

There are some great brisket reheating threads have you searched?

I like to keep them whole until the last possible time, then slice as needed. Once you start slicing, they'll start drying out. Slice to order is best, but hard to do for that many.

Maybe slice 5 in advance, put them in half pans with some beef stock/broth, reheat to 140 and serve. For the other 5 keep them whole, wrap in plastic (not the cheap stuff, the good restaurant kind) and reheat. Hold in a ice chest and slice to order.

Fill them up on sides and you'll have plenty.

7/21/0812:23 PM

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Former Member

quote:
Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
The best is ..."it depends".

There are some great brisket reheating threads have you searched?

I like to keep them whole until the last possible time, then slice as needed. Once you start slicing, they'll start drying out. Slice to order is best, but hard to do for that many.

Maybe slice 5 in advance, put them in half pans with some beef stock/broth, reheat to 140 and serve. For the other 5 keep them whole, wrap in plastic (not the cheap stuff, the good restaurant kind) and reheat. Hold in a ice chest and slice to order.

Fill them up on sides and you'll have plenty.

Thanks for the advice SmokinOkie. Did a search as suggested & found some good threads. Some of the threads mentioned puting them in HD plastic & then wrapping in foil. Do you have any experience using vacuum seal bags? Can they be covered with foil & reheated? I was thinking of freezing the briskets & vacuum sealing them with a couple "beef broth" ice cubes.

7/21/0810:18 PM

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ezgoinMember

If you have a sealer big enough to handle a whole brisket, go for it. I reheat vacuumn sealed meat in nothing but the bag set in a pan. As long as you have your oven/smoker or whatever set at about 200˚-225˚, you won't melt the bags.

7/21/0810:31 PM

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Former Member

Now you have lots of options. The plastic wrap is the stuff I buy at Sam's and a roll lasts you for a decade. Now why can't the foil last as long as one of those rolls.

7/22/087:35 AM

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tomMember

That's because you keep trying to pick whether the dull side goes up.