How to Reheat Brisket Without Drying It Out (Updated 2025)

Name: How to Reheat Brisket in Microwave
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 6 min
Cuisine: Meal
Ingredients: Brisket; Microwave-safe bowl; Microwave; Plastic wrap or paper Towel

Updated Mar 13, 2023Recipe Marker

Want to learn how to reheat briskets at home? Read below as we share some ways.

Barbeque brisket is one of the best grilled meats, and sometimes, firing it up for the second time can ruin the beautifully cooked meat and its juices. If you have leftovers at dinner and want to reheat brisket without drying it out, you need to do it correctly.

There are several ways to heat this kind of meat. The best methods ensure that it will come out perfectly, almost like freshly grilled. To retain the texture, juiciness, tenderness, and taste, you need to keep some of the juices and drizzle them on before heating.

No oven? No worries. You can also use other kitchen equipment such as a microwave to reheat the grilled meat. Read on to find out the best ways to reheat brisket at home.

How to Reheat Briskets

1. How to Reheat Briskets Using an Oven

The oven is arguably one of the best kitchen appliances to use to reheat leftover brisket. Popping everything inside the oven is easy and requires no additional procedure.

In order to keep the meat moist, make sure to drizzle stored juices at the bottom of the cooking tray. Don’t have stored juices? Simply use apple cider and add a tablespoon of barbeque sauce to the pan. This will mimic the juices and make the meat moist. Make sure to drizzle or add a small amount to not end up with soggy meat.
After drizzling with juices, you can now preheat the oven to around 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the oven reaches temperature, pop the brisket in and cover it with foil. Make sure there are no holes in the foil as it leads to drying out the meat.
Remove the brisket from the oven after an hour or when the temperature hits 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. How to Reheat Briskets by Boiling

Another way of reheating brisket is with a boiling method.

Before boiling the meat, make sure that you defrost it properly. This means defrosting in a refrigerator for more than eight hours to prevent harmful bacteria from contaminating the food.
Wrap the meat in an airtight covering to get the desired juicy result.
The trick is simply ascertaining the temperature of the meat and ensuring it reaches at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also drizzle stored juice into the container to make sure it turns out soft and tender, instead of dry and chewy.
Remove the meat from the boiling water once it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. How to Reheat Brisket Using a Grill

Reheat your brisket on a grill to achieve juicy, tender meat. Using a grill is similar to the oven, it only takes longer.

Once the meat is thawed out, foil wrap it before popping it on the grill. The reason why you shouldn’t burn the foil is to avoid drying the meat out. If you simply leave it on the grill, the meat will turn out bad.

What you should do is heat the grill to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the 2-Zone cooking setting for reheating brisket.
Place the foil-wrapped brisket into the indirect zone until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
While heating, keep an eye on the foil and make sure it does not burn where it is on direct heat. Cooking with a gas grill has a higher temperature, and cooking it in medium heat is about the right to keep the meat tender.

4. How to Reheat Brisket with a Sous Vide

Sous Vide sounds fancy but it is not complicated at all. This simply means a water bath, similar to boiling. The only downside of using this method is you need the right equipment to reheat the brisket.

The first thing to do is vacuum or seal the meat in an air and water-tight plastic wrap.
Before the water bath, make sure the temperature of the water is between 110 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove from the bath after the meat is heated through.

Brisket Proper Storage

How you store the leftover brisket will impact its taste and texture when you reheat it. Therefore, it is important to store it properly: tightly seal it, and then toss it into the fridge.

Some experts say to drizzle the juices on it before sealing the meat because the liquid will make the meat tastier when you reheat it.

For easy reheating, you can also slice the meat into bigger portions. Drizzle the stored juice and pop it inside the fridge.

What to Do with Leftover Brisket

There are more things to do with leftover brisket than eating it with side dishes. After heating, you can cut it into smaller pieces and then make various dishes including cottage pie or a bowl of soup.

For snacks, try using the meat to make quesadillas, tacos, or a classic stroganoff.