Resting/Refrigerating/Freezing Cooked Meat

[Mlmurrah]

All too often I smoke meat for a dinner and do not get it finished until shortly before the meal. That does not leave much time to rest it as is recommended by most pitmasters. It never seems as smoky or flavorful as I would like. I have always been reluctant to cook ahead and refrigerate, but two recent experiences have changed my mind.

Recently I saw on a college sports board where Rec Teq is a favorite, someone suggested vacuum sealing leftover meat and reheating it in the sealed container in boiling water. I tried it on a brisket and pork ribs, and it works very well. The meat appears fresh, and the flavor is greatly improved. It seems especially to improve the smokiness.

Last week I smoked a Boston butt for a party the day before the party and shredded it I tasted it, and I was not very impressed. It was bland and had little smoky flavor. I was sure it would be a flop at the party. I said, "Oh, well," and refrigerated it overnight. The next day I reheated it in a crockpot, and it was delicious. Very smoky, great flavor. Several partygoers commented on how good it was.

 

[mikeporter616]

I too have noted that refrigerated and reheated meat often tastes better that it originally did. I smoked a brisket Saturday, cooled it, vacuum sealed and froze. We'll see how it turns out next week.

 

[MikeyB]

I too have noted that refrigerated and reheated meat often tastes better that it originally did. I smoked a brisket Saturday, cooled it, vacuum sealed and froze. We'll see how it turns out next week.

Let us know how it is

 

[AlphaPapa]

I have found this to be true with a lot of the meals I cook. So much so that I always do a pot of shrimp and andouille sausage, or chowder, or even spaghetti sauce at least a day ahead of when we want to eat it.

 

[Mlmurrah]

My mother used to say that butterbeans or purple hull peas (yes, I am from the South, well, Texas anyway) were better the second time around.

I wonder if refrigeration is just an extreme form of resting. I have never read anything about it either on BBQ boards or otherwise.

 

[Mlmurrah]

My mother used to say that butterbeans or purple hull peas (yes, I am from the South, well, Texas anyway) were better the second time around.

I wonder if refrigeration is just an extreme form of resting. I have never read anything about it either on BBQ boards or otherwise.

Here is the answer from a food web site:

According to the Institute of Food Technologists, flavors can be enhanced overnight due to chemical reactions, which continue to take place after cooking and produce more and/or new flavor molecules in a variety of ingredients, which is why leftovers can taste so good.

Another section says:

Spices and aromatics

Foods such as garlic, onion, and peppers react with proteins and starches while cooking, and they'll continue to do so when left in your fridge overnight, which helps make your leftovers taste good. When you go for round two of your sausage and pepper stir fry, the result is an even better flavor. The main reason? Time.

And finally:

Meats

Pairing meat with sauce or broth makes for a next-day winner. "When stewed meat cools down, the gelatinous material from the collagen and tendons, etc. that has melted during cooking begins to gel in and around the chunks of meat," Dr. Kantha Shelke, a member of the Institute of Food Technologists and founder of Corvus Blue LLC, a Chicago-based food science and research firm, told Forbes. The result is flavor compounds trapped within the gel, which is even more prominent in ground meat.

This sounds like the rationale for resting meats after smokingl. There is probably a connection between my mother's leftover butterbeans and refrigerated 'Q.

 

[JGW]

I always calculate resting time in my cooks, but I do vac seal left over meat and toss them in the fridge or freezer for later. I then reheat by putting the bag in boiling water, but reduce the temp once I get the food in there as I don't want to re-cook the food, just get it warm to serving temp.