Wedding help !!!

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My son has announced his engagement and upcoming wedding in May... he has asked that i do smoked butts, brisket and turkeys for the rehearsal dinner... so I am neeeding some advice and help...

So that I don't have to be cooking all this the day and night before, how can I do it up ahead of time and it still taste GREAT !!! Does anyone out use a food saver ?!? Does it really work - and does the ffod taste like it ws just cooked after it is frozen ?!?

Any advice and help with all this would be great.. My thinking is that I need to get a food saver - cook up the briskets and butts ahead of time - seal and freeze them - then doo the turkeys the day of the dinner...

Thanks for any and all suggestions !!!
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Hi Gary,
Sounds like you got a plan. I've never frozen brisket slices but I have had a lot of success with pulled pork. When I vacuum pack it I add some off the accumulated juices and a little apple juice. When I reheat I let them thaw at room temp and put the bags in simmering water till warmed thru. I don't see why it won't work for brisket as long as there are some juices in with it to help steam it back to life. The food saver thing is probably the most used gadget I have.
As far as reheat taste, there is very little difference, I know if I could tell the difference in a side by side test. -hey sounds like it's time for another experiment -must get beer!
Good luck and congrats on gaining a daughter in the family. Post how it goes with the taste, I'm curious about the brisket.
Dave
 
As opposed to buying a foodsaver or similar unit, if you're friendly with your butcher, I would ask him if after you're done cooking, pulling, slicing, etc., you can bring it in and have him use his industrial cryovac sealer to package it up for you.

Just a thought.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DarrenC:
[qb]As opposed to buying a foodsaver or similar unit, if you're friendly with your butcher, I would ask him if after you're done cooking, pulling, slicing, etc., you can bring it in and have him use his industrial cryovac sealer to package it up for you.

Just a thought.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Depending on your state or local health board, it may not be legal for your butcher to do so. Usually, they are pretty picky about him handling or processing any meats from uninspected sources, e.g. "Can you cut up this venison hind quarter I got from my brother-in-law?" May not apply to his Cryovac, but I would not be surprised if such a request was declined.
 
If you have a local source, consider using crushed dry ice to freeze your 'que after vacuum sealing it. The faster the meat freezes, the smaller the ice crystals will be and the less cellular damage will occur in the meat. This will make the meat less likely to get "mushy" after being frozen.

Alton Brown did this in an episode of "Good Eats" and I've done it for all my 'que leftovers since. I wrap the meat well, smack the dry ice to make dry ice "snow" with a hammer, then cover the meat in the snow (using gloves!!!!). 30 minutes later it's a brick. This is the only way I've been able to freeze some meats and have them come out fairly close to original. Works for me!
 
The Turkey especially breasts are fast and best fresh. I have great luck freezing pulled pork and cubed or thick slices of brisket. I always use some kind of dressing Au Jus works great or apple juice diluted BBQ sauce. I have a Food Saver and when this one pukes and dies I'll be getting the pro model from ebay.
I like to reheat by steaming, not boiling, but just using steam in a Costco Pasta pot.
HTH,
 
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