I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now. I'm
smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until late tonight,
butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next week.

I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling it. I'm
not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it or not. Any
recommendations?

How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge? Am I better off
freezing it?

Thanks for any help!

On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:39:22 -0400, "Scooter" >
wrote:

>I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now. I'm
>smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until late tonight,
>butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next week.
>
>I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling it. I'm
>not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it or not. Any
>recommendations?

Pull the brisket off the smoker, wrap it tightly in foil, then wrap it
in a towel. Put it into a cooler (no ice) and let it rest for a 3-4
hours; it'll still be warm after that time. Vacuum-seal it in the
foil. (Removing the towel is optional, but recommended.) Next week,
re-heat the foiled brisket in the oven at 200-250; it's ready when the
delicious smell of smoked brisket fills the kitchen.

>How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge?

That depends on how far into next week your vacation is planned. I
wouldn't worry about it being in the fridge for 3-4 days.

>Am I better off freezing it?

Maybe. It'll freeze fine, and you can reheat it in the vacuum bag by
immersing it in boiling water. If you freeze it, you might consider
dividing it into large serving portions, particularly if you're not
planning to eat the whole brisket all in one sitting.

Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:39:22 -0400, "Scooter" >
> wrote:
>
>> I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now. I'm
>> smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until late
>> tonight, butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next week.
>>
>> I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling
>> it. I'm not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it or
>> not. Any recommendations?
>
> Pull the brisket off the smoker, wrap it tightly in foil, then wrap it
> in a towel. Put it into a cooler (no ice) and let it rest for a 3-4
> hours; it'll still be warm after that time. Vacuum-seal it in the
> foil. (Removing the towel is optional, but recommended.) Next week,
> re-heat the foiled brisket in the oven at 200-250; it's ready when the
> delicious smell of smoked brisket fills the kitchen.
>
>> How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge?
>
> That depends on how far into next week your vacation is planned. I
> wouldn't worry about it being in the fridge for 3-4 days.
>
>> Am I better off freezing it?
>
> Maybe. It'll freeze fine, and you can reheat it in the vacuum bag by
> immersing it in boiling water. If you freeze it, you might consider
> dividing it into large serving portions, particularly if you're not
> planning to eat the whole brisket all in one sitting.

Thanks for the tips. I think I will freeze the meat after sealing
it....could be more than 3-4 days before we get to eat it. Would you still
recommend the foil for the brisket if I plan on freezing it?

Thanks

On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:37:08 -0400, "Scooter" >
wrote:

>Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
>> On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:39:22 -0400, "Scooter" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now. I'm
>>> smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until late
>>> tonight, butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next week.
>>>
>>> I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling
>>> it. I'm not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it or
>>> not. Any recommendations?
>>
>> Pull the brisket off the smoker, wrap it tightly in foil, then wrap it
>> in a towel. Put it into a cooler (no ice) and let it rest for a 3-4
>> hours; it'll still be warm after that time. Vacuum-seal it in the
>> foil. (Removing the towel is optional, but recommended.) Next week,
>> re-heat the foiled brisket in the oven at 200-250; it's ready when the
>> delicious smell of smoked brisket fills the kitchen.
>>
>>> How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge?
>>
>> That depends on how far into next week your vacation is planned. I
>> wouldn't worry about it being in the fridge for 3-4 days.
>>
>>> Am I better off freezing it?
>>
>> Maybe. It'll freeze fine, and you can reheat it in the vacuum bag by
>> immersing it in boiling water. If you freeze it, you might consider
>> dividing it into large serving portions, particularly if you're not
>> planning to eat the whole brisket all in one sitting.
>
>Thanks for the tips. I think I will freeze the meat after sealing
>it....could be more than 3-4 days before we get to eat it. Would you still
>recommend the foil for the brisket if I plan on freezing it?
>
If time allows, the "foil, towel, and rest in the cooler" is a
necessary step for all brisket. Letting it rest that way enables the
juices to redistribute throughout the meat from where the heat has
corralled them near the center. If you plan to reheat the brisket in
an oven or roasting pan, then you might want to freeze it in the foil
so that you can go directly to the counter or oven from the freezer.
But if you plan to reheat the vacuumed packages in boiling water, then
freeze without the foil.

You didn't ask about the pork shoulder, but I assume that you plan to
pull it and vacuum seal the results, rather than try to warm up the
whole shoulder. That's what I'd do.

Kevin S. Wilson wrote:

> If time allows, the "foil, towel, and rest in the cooler" is a
> necessary step for all brisket. Letting it rest that way enables the
> juices to redistribute throughout the meat from where the heat has
> corralled them near the center. I

Strong disagreement here. Allowing meat to rest is standard
operating procedure, sure, but that's not the same as wrapping and
putting in a cooler. Not necessarily. The meat will settle and
the juices will redistribute just fine sitting out, tented
with foil.

If you cook a brisket completely you don't need to wrap it.
It's a great way to keep it warm after cooking but it's otherwise
not a required step.

The standard tenting and resting works perfectly for brisket.
Sometimes I actually prefer it that way because it doesn't soften
up the bark by steaming it.

--
Reg

Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:37:08 -0400, "Scooter" >
> wrote:
>
>> Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
>>> On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:39:22 -0400, "Scooter" >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now.
>>>> I'm smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until
>>>> late tonight, butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next
>>>> week.
>>>>
>>>> I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling
>>>> it. I'm not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it
>>>> or not. Any recommendations?
>>>
>>> Pull the brisket off the smoker, wrap it tightly in foil, then wrap
>>> it in a towel. Put it into a cooler (no ice) and let it rest for a
>>> 3-4 hours; it'll still be warm after that time. Vacuum-seal it in
>>> the foil. (Removing the towel is optional, but recommended.) Next
>>> week, re-heat the foiled brisket in the oven at 200-250; it's ready
>>> when the delicious smell of smoked brisket fills the kitchen.
>>>
>>>> How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge?
>>>
>>> That depends on how far into next week your vacation is planned. I
>>> wouldn't worry about it being in the fridge for 3-4 days.
>>>
>>>> Am I better off freezing it?
>>>
>>> Maybe. It'll freeze fine, and you can reheat it in the vacuum bag by
>>> immersing it in boiling water. If you freeze it, you might consider
>>> dividing it into large serving portions, particularly if you're not
>>> planning to eat the whole brisket all in one sitting.
>>
>> Thanks for the tips. I think I will freeze the meat after sealing
>> it....could be more than 3-4 days before we get to eat it. Would you
>> still recommend the foil for the brisket if I plan on freezing it?
>>
> If time allows, the "foil, towel, and rest in the cooler" is a
> necessary step for all brisket. Letting it rest that way enables the
> juices to redistribute throughout the meat from where the heat has
> corralled them near the center. If you plan to reheat the brisket in
> an oven or roasting pan, then you might want to freeze it in the foil
> so that you can go directly to the counter or oven from the freezer.
> But if you plan to reheat the vacuumed packages in boiling water, then
> freeze without the foil.
>
> You didn't ask about the pork shoulder, but I assume that you plan to
> pull it and vacuum seal the results, rather than try to warm up the
> whole shoulder. That's what I'd do.



Thanks. And yes....I do plan on pulling the shoulder first.

Of course, I will need to try both first..... to make sure it's good enough
for the rest of the folks to eat

"Scooter" > wrote in message
...
> Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
> > On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:37:08 -0400, "Scooter" >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
> >>> On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:39:22 -0400, "Scooter" >
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now.
> >>>> I'm smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until
> >>>> late tonight, butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next
> >>>> week.
> >>>>
> >>>> I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling
> >>>> it. I'm not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it
> >>>> or not. Any recommendations?
> >>>
> >>> Pull the brisket off the smoker, wrap it tightly in foil, then wrap
> >>> it in a towel. Put it into a cooler (no ice) and let it rest for a
> >>> 3-4 hours; it'll still be warm after that time. Vacuum-seal it in
> >>> the foil. (Removing the towel is optional, but recommended.) Next
> >>> week, re-heat the foiled brisket in the oven at 200-250; it's ready
> >>> when the delicious smell of smoked brisket fills the kitchen.
> >>>
> >>>> How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge?
> >>>
> >>> That depends on how far into next week your vacation is planned. I
> >>> wouldn't worry about it being in the fridge for 3-4 days.
> >>>
> >>>> Am I better off freezing it?
> >>>
> >>> Maybe. It'll freeze fine, and you can reheat it in the vacuum bag by
> >>> immersing it in boiling water. If you freeze it, you might consider
> >>> dividing it into large serving portions, particularly if you're not
> >>> planning to eat the whole brisket all in one sitting.
> >>
> >> Thanks for the tips. I think I will freeze the meat after sealing
> >> it....could be more than 3-4 days before we get to eat it. Would you
> >> still recommend the foil for the brisket if I plan on freezing it?
> >>
> > If time allows, the "foil, towel, and rest in the cooler" is a
> > necessary step for all brisket. Letting it rest that way enables the
> > juices to redistribute throughout the meat from where the heat has
> > corralled them near the center. If you plan to reheat the brisket in
> > an oven or roasting pan, then you might want to freeze it in the foil
> > so that you can go directly to the counter or oven from the freezer.
> > But if you plan to reheat the vacuumed packages in boiling water, then
> > freeze without the foil.
> >
> > You didn't ask about the pork shoulder, but I assume that you plan to
> > pull it and vacuum seal the results, rather than try to warm up the
> > whole shoulder. That's what I'd do.
>
>
>
> Thanks. And yes....I do plan on pulling the shoulder first.
>
> Of course, I will need to try both first..... to make sure it's good
enough
> for the rest of the folks to eat
>

The pulled pork will reheat just fine if you use the boil in bag method,
but you will loose a bit of the crunch off the bark.

KW

"Reg" > wrote in message
...
> Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
>
>> If time allows, the "foil, towel, and rest in the cooler" is a
>> necessary step for all brisket. Letting it rest that way enables the
>> juices to redistribute throughout the meat from where the heat has
>> corralled them near the center. I
>
> Strong disagreement here. Allowing meat to rest is standard
> operating procedure, sure, but that's not the same as wrapping and
> putting in a cooler. Not necessarily. The meat will settle and
> the juices will redistribute just fine sitting out, tented
> with foil.
>
> If you cook a brisket completely you don't need to wrap it.
> It's a great way to keep it warm after cooking but it's otherwise
> not a required step.
>
> The standard tenting and resting works perfectly for brisket.
> Sometimes I actually prefer it that way because it doesn't soften
> up the bark by steaming it.
>
> --
> Reg
>

AND...if you're planning on cooling or freezing, the wrapping/place in
cooler-holding prolongs the cooling process. It needs to be cooled to below
40 degrees fairly quickly. There is no need to hold it to let it rest.

BOB

"Scooter" > wrote in message
news
>I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now. I'm
>smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until late tonight,
>butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next week.
>
> I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling it.
> I'm not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it or not. Any
> recommendations?
>
> How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge? Am I better
> off freezing it?

I've kept meat for a week with normal wrapping so vacuum sealing is at least
that good. If you know it will be consumed next week, freeze it until you
take it and be more confident, especially traveling in the cooler.

I cut a brisket into three pieces and freeze two, eat one. You may want to
do something similar as you go through the week so you can keep the majority
sealed. Oh, I freeze it in one piece and slice as needed. Heats up well in
the microwave once sliced too.

Pull the pork and put it into a couple of bags also.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

"Reg" > wrote in message
> Strong disagreement here. Allowing meat to rest is standard
> operating procedure, sure, but that's not the same as wrapping and
> putting in a cooler. Not necessarily. The meat will settle and
> the juices will redistribute just fine sitting out, tented
> with foil.

You are correct, but there is still valid reason to wrap and put it in a
cooler. Barbecue is done when it is done, not always on a tight schedule to
be ready exactly when you have guests arrive and ready to serve. So, by
putting it in a cooler, you can easily keep it hot and avoid drying it out
for three to five hours, a nice safety margin.

Over time, this method may have been confused with the normal tenting and
resting.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> "Reg" > wrote in message
>
>>Strong disagreement here. Allowing meat to rest is standard
>>operating procedure, sure, but that's not the same as wrapping and
>>putting in a cooler. Not necessarily. The meat will settle and
>>the juices will redistribute just fine sitting out, tented
>>with foil.
>
>
> You are correct, but there is still valid reason to wrap and put it in a
> cooler. Barbecue is done when it is done, not always on a tight schedule to
> be ready exactly when you have guests arrive and ready to serve. So, by
> putting it in a cooler, you can easily keep it hot and avoid drying it out
> for three to five hours, a nice safety margin.
>

It's a great technique for that. I've kept brisket for 4+ hours and
it was still 160 F when I served it.

> Over time, this method may have been confused with the normal tenting and
> resting.

My point exactly.

--
Reg

Scooter wrote:
> I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now. I'm
> smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until late
> tonight, butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next week.
>
> I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling
> it. I'm not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it or
> not. Any recommendations?
>
> How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge? Am I
> better off freezing it?
>
> Thanks for any help!

Thanks for all the advice. All went well.... and the results are now vac
packed and frozen.

Thanks!

On 11-Jul-2007, "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "Scooter" > wrote in message
> news
> >I have a 12lb brisket and a 9lb shoulder in the smoker right now. I'm
> >smoking it today cause we have no rain in the forecast until late
> >tonight,
> >butI plan on taking this meat on a vacation next week.
> >
> > I plan on pulling the pork and vacuum sealing it soon after pulling it.
> > I'm not sure if I should slice the brisket before sealing it or not. Any
> >
> > recommendations?
> >
> > How long will smoked, vacuum sealed meat keep in the fridge? Am I better
> >
> > off freezing it?
>
> I've kept meat for a week with normal wrapping so vacuum sealing is at
> least
> that good. If you know it will be consumed next week, freeze it until you
>
> take it and be more confident, especially traveling in the cooler.
>
> I cut a brisket into three pieces and freeze two, eat one. You may want
> to
> do something similar as you go through the week so you can keep the
> majority
> sealed. Oh, I freeze it in one piece and slice as needed. Heats up well
> in
> the microwave once sliced too.
>
> Pull the pork and put it into a couple of bags also.
> --
> Ed

I do the same as Ed. Anything that is still vac-packed, I reheat in the
bag in bioling water. I pull all the pork roasts, shoulders, picnics,
etc as soon as hey have rested sufficiently in order to get all the bark
mixed in. If it weren't for that, I would leave it in pound sized chunks
and vac-pack it that way. I do briskets just as Ed does. Most times
I spritz sliced brisket with a little EVOO prior to reheating in the
microwave. The oil aids in making heat and adds a little moisture
to the meat. I use one of those little pump up sprayers, so it's not
like dumping oil on it.

--
Brick(Divorcing Microsoft)