Brisket for reheat

[BBQ_Ben]

I'm doing a brisket mid week to take to a family get together over the weekend.  Pondering how this influences target ITs and process.  Should I pull it a little earlier than I might ordinarily (say 180)? Should I skip the FTC? Should I slice before reheat or reheat whole then slice before serving?

TIA!


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[KyNola]

I would cook it 100% as normal.  I would reheat whole and then slice.  Once you slice it your brisket will begin to dry out fairly quickly. To reheat I would wrap the brisket in foil with a little beef stock and place in a low oven, 200-225, until it comes up to temp. 

[dave01]

I would go along with what KyNola said

[tskeeter]

KyNola has years of extensive experience smoking and cooking a wide variety of items.  His advice is always sound, and you can bank on his recommendations.

As an alternative technique, I've been reading and playing with some of Cook's Illustrated's make ahead recipes.  They suggest taking the meat you are cooking out of the oven before it is completely cooked.  Some carry over cooking will occur while the meat is cooling to a temperature where you're ready to put it in the fridge.  Some additional cooking will occur as meat is reheated.  Their logic is that allowing the meat to finish cooking during the cool down and reheat processes helps to minimize the risk that the meat will be over cooked and become dry.

As an example, I've been playing with a beef carbonade (a beef and onion stew) recipe that braises for about three hours.  After about an hour and a half in the oven, I take it out and let it cool to about 70 or 80 degrees, before putting it in the fridge or freezer.  To reheat and finish cooking, I bring the stew to a simmer on the stove, then move to the oven for about another hour, to bring everything up to about 165F.

I expect that KyNola's technique and the Cook's Illustrated technique work equally well.  But, if you find your smoke running a little long and starting conflict with other plans you have, knowing that you can pull the meat before it is completely cooked and that you can rely on the reheating process to finish the cooking gives you some options. 
 

[BBQ_Ben]

This has been helpful. These two angles are exactly the positions I was considering :).  Think I'm going to follow KYNola's advice this time 'round.

One other question.  Target IT?  I've seen a lot of numbers floating around on the forums. I'm planning to slice, not shred.

TY!


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