Reheating Ribs and Brisket

[BethV]

Hi Friends,
I do a lot of cooking for just me and my hubby and I freeze most of the leftovers. I have some questions regarding reheating.

1. I am FINALLY getting to go visit my kids and grandkids this coming weekend. I plan to cook 2 racks of St. Louis Ribs the day before I leave. I want to package these properly, store on ice, in a cooler and take them up (5 hour drive) for dinner when I get there. So they will have cooled down after being cooked and refrigerated. I am thinking I will vacuum seal them unless there is a better option.

QUESTION #1 What is the best method for reheating pork ribs? I do have a Sous Vide but I would have to cut the ribs in half to do that and then seal. For those of you who have had success in reheating St. Louis Ribs the next day, what method would you recommend?

QUESTION #2 What is the best way to reheat slabs of smoked brisket that have been frozen? Thaw first? For the leftovers that were already sliced, I put them in a ziplock baggie, unsealed for about 30 seconds on 20% power and they come out very moist. I would be grateful for some reheating options that have worked well for you.

Thanks for your wisdom. Love the forum.

P.S...I'm thinking I will go through withdrawals not using my RT 590 for 3 weeks.

 

[Mac2bdr]

Sous Vide is the way to go in my book. Keeps the BBQ very moist and brings out the smoke flavor in my experience.

I’ve also put it back on the smoker at lower temperatures, 180 or so, that works well, but that’s not an option in your case here. I’ve used the oven as a last resort.

When I freeze any of the meats I cook I like to save some of the fat, drippings, etc and freeze that along side it.
Before I reheat the meat I put the frozen fat, etc in a pan and melt them down to a liquid. I’ll then drizzle that over the meat before I put it on the smoker or in the oven to help keep the meat from drying out while I’m reheating.

I’m sure others will have some good ideas for you as well! Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[BethV]

Thank you for your suggestions. Great idea about saving juice and fat. Something I have not done yet but will start doing.

 

[Buckeye1]

For the ribs you can put in the oven wrapped in foil at 225 or 250 and warm to the temp you want them at. They seem to stay moist that way.

 

[mooncusser2k]

A warm water bath is a popular method, whether you use sous vide, stove top or a crock pot. Oven can work but need to take care to not "recook" food. I'll also use the microwave, sometimes managing moisture with a damp paper towel and/or reserved drippings or au jus. That can soften bark, but it's kind of inevitable as most of these reheat methods involve something to supplement moisture.

Saving cooking liquid is a good idea no matter what. I put it in the fridge, allow the fat to solidify, and discard most of that. Depending on the cook, the liquid can set up like Jello. Keep in the fridge for leftovers and put it in with the meat when packaging for the freezer.

AmazingRibs also has a write-up on freezing & reheating: https://amazingribs.com/freezing-and-reheating-leftovers

 

[BethV]

A warm water bath is a popular method, whether you use sous vide, stove top or a crock pot. Oven can work but need to take care to not "recook" food. I'll also use the microwave, sometimes managing moisture with a damp paper towel and/or reserved drippings or au jus. That can soften bark, but it's kind of inevitable as most of these reheat methods involve something to supplement moisture.

Saving cooking liquid is a good idea no matter what. I put it in the fridge, allow the fat to solidify, and discard most of that. Depending on the cook, the liquid can set up like Jello. Keep in the fridge for leftovers and put it in with the meat when packaging for the freezer.

AmazingRibs also has a write-up on freezing & reheating: https://amazingribs.com/freezing-and-reheating-leftovers

Thank you! Great article with lots of info.

 

[mooncusser2k]

You're welcome! Hope it helps.

 

[Mastertech59]

A warm water bath is a popular method, whether you use sous vide, stove top or a crock pot. Oven can work but need to take care to not "recook" food. I'll also use the microwave, sometimes managing moisture with a damp paper towel and/or reserved drippings or au jus. That can soften bark, but it's kind of inevitable as most of these reheat methods involve something to supplement moisture.

Saving cooking liquid is a good idea no matter what. I put it in the fridge, allow the fat to solidify, and discard most of that. Depending on the cook, the liquid can set up like Jello. Keep in the fridge for leftovers and put it in with the meat when packaging for the freezer.

AmazingRibs also has a write-up on freezing & reheating: https://amazingribs.com/freezing-and-reheating-leftovers

Great information and I liked reading the article.

 

[Gotbbq]

I have done the Sous Vide route for the ribs (ok), although I usually just wrap then in foil and heat in the oven. Open the foil last 20 or so min to let the bark re-establish. Sous vide doesn't over cook but does keep in too much moisture for me. I like slightly drier outside on the ribs, moist inside. Embarrassed to say but I have reheated brisket in the microwave. Sliced first and then gently reheated. Have to watch carefully cause they can get overdone quickly. I usually do 30 seconds at a time. They stay moist. Who ever thought leftovers could be a problem? ??

 

[BethV]

Thank you for the tips!

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Around our house, it's just me and my wife. So, reheating is a daily routine for my bbq. Tough meats like brisket, ribs and pork butt (pulled) have already been cooked to high internal temps. So, unlike steak, tritip, etc., when reheating they have lot of tolerance, but you need to prevent drying them out. We generally just microwave the ribs and they stay moist, but for keeping the slabs whole, foil (or covered aluminum restaurant tray)and a little moisture in the oven should work nicely. Brisket gets dry (the flat) very easily. So, I treat brisket like my tritip. I make an au jus with beef stock, rub, soy sauce, wine, hot sauce and cover the sliced meat about 1/3-1/2 way in plastic containers in the fridge. I reheat the meat in the au jus either in the microwave or covered in the oven.

 

[BethV]

Around our house, it's just me and my wife. So, reheating is a daily routine for my bbq. Tough meats like brisket, ribs and pork butt (pulled) have already been cooked to high internal temps. So, unlike steak, tritip, etc., when reheating they have lot of tolerance, but you need to prevent drying them out. We generally just microwave the ribs and they stay moist, but for keeping the slabs whole, foil (or covered aluminum restaurant tray)and a little moisture in the oven should work nicely. Brisket gets dry (the flat) very easily. So, I treat brisket like my tritip. I make an au jus with beef stock, rub, soy sauce, wine, hot sauce and cover the sliced meat about 1/3-1/2 way in plastic containers in the fridge. I reheat the meat in the au jus either in the microwave or covered in the oven.

Thanks for the tips!