Barbeque Brisket Ideas

A sliced barbecue beef sandwich is just one use for leftover or fresh brisket.

Brisket is a cheap cut of meat that requires a long, slow cooking time to tenderize it. Slowly cooking the brisket enhances its flavor, making it useful as the centerpiece for holiday meals. The only problem with barbecued brisket is its large size, which means that, inevitably, there will be leftovers. Even after the main meal, there are many uses for the leftover brisket to create new dishes and avoid waste. Does this Spark an idea?

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Sliced Beef Sandwich
- Slice the leftover brisket while it is still cold to keep the slices from falling to bits. Lay the slices in a microwave-safe container and cover with barbecue sauce. Heat the brisket on high power for one to three minutes or until warmed through. Serve the barbecue sauce-covered slices on toasted hamburger buns. Toasting the buns before adding the saucy beef will ensure the bun doesn't become soggy from the barbecue sauce. Serve the sandwiches with a side of coleslaw or potato salad.
Chili
- Using cooked barbecued brisket will save time on traditional chili recipes since you do not have to cook the meat before using it. Replace ground meat or diced beef in your chili recipe with chopped brisket. Add the meat at the end of the cooking time to just warm it through. If you smoked the brisket or used a smoky-flavored barbecue sauce, that flavor will improve the overall flavor of the chili.
Shepherd's Pie
- Make a Texan twist on shepherd's pie using leftovers. The traditional English dish consists of a base of cooked ground meat and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes. Chop barbecued brisket and cook it in a skillet with vegetables of your choice. Spread it into the bottom of a casserole dish and top it with mashed potatoes and brown the top in the oven. A sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese over the mashed potatoes before baking adds a cheesy dimension to the dish.
Tamales
- Tamales are a specialty food in Latin American cuisine that have migrated north of the border into the southwestern United States. These treats consist of a filling with a cornmeal dough wrapped around it and steamed in a corn husk. The fillings for tamales are extremely versatile, ranging from savory to sweet. Using brisket is a twist on traditional beef tamales. Incorporating leftover Texas barbecue brisket into the filling for tamales melds these two cultures seamlessly.