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Warm up left over smoked goods IN the VAC PACK

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crankybuzzard

crankybuzzard

Smoking Guru
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Jan 4, 2014
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Montague County, TX
Yesterday I made a couple of smoked chickens. We only ate about 1/2 of one bird, so I vac packed the 1/2 that was left.

Tonight, we wanted the rest of the chicken, so I warmed it up in the vac pack BEFORE opening.

I know some of you are familiar with this method, but we have some new folks, so I thought I'd post it again.

This isn't the best photo "how to", but it should get the point across.

First, take the left over item out of the frig. It needs to be unfrozen for this to work best.
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Place the vac packed left overs in an empty pot, and then add cool tap water to just over the top of the leftovers
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Place the pot of water, with the leftovers in the water, onto the stove. Turn the burner to high and allow to come to a boil.
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As soon as the water comes to a boil, set the timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the leftovers are ready. This pic is of the chicken breast right after I pulled it from the pot. It's still in the vac pack.
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Open the vac pack, mind the steam, and serve!
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It's almost like it just left the smoker!
 
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Reactions: dirtsailor2003, GaryHibbert, bdskelly and 2 others
Great info. I never tried this before.

The 5 minute time works for pp too? Any meat?
 
c farmer said:
Great info. I never tried this before.

The 5 minute time works for pp too? Any meat?
Click to expand...

Yep! Well, for normal sized portions... If you fill a 1-gallon vac bag with PP, it may take a bit longer. :biggrin:

For the average stuff, whole chickens, 1 pound of sliced brisket, 1 pound of PP, spaghetti, etc, it works great! This even works for fish.

As the water warms up, the cold mass of the leftovers warms at almost the same rate as the water. Over the years, I've found that 5 minutes after the boil begins works best for most items. Works really well, and is a major time saver!

Hint: When vac packing, if you have any juice, drippings, etc., add a bit to each bag before sealing. That makes for a great bonus when you open the bag.
 
I've been doing this for PP and it's always turned out great. Never really thought about it for much else...Now that I've seen you do it, I have a value-pack of chicken drums in the freezer waiting to be smoked, I think I will vac-seal the leftovers in portion sized packs!
 
I've been using this reheat method with pulled pork and sliced brisket out of the freezer for a while now. I like to freeze the vacuum packs into single-meal portions, then just pull a vac-bag out of the freezer and allow it to do some defrosting in the fridge for a few hours before dinner. I'm with you, Cranky...comes out great every time! In fact, our dinner tonight was some vac-sealed sliced brisket out of the freezer that I smoked several months ago. A few minutes in boiling water, and it was as good as the day I smoked it!

Red
 
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Great info. I have a few additions if you don't mind 
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1. When I reheat things that were originally cooked to a lower temp (think prime rib or pork loin) I bring it to a simmer then turn it off and let it sit for 20 minutes. This way it doesn't overcook the meat.

2. When I am in a hurry and the item is still frozen, I will put it in a bowl of warm water (straight from the sink so it is around 125) and let it thaw for 30-45 minutes then proceed with boiling it. 

I really like this method and use it all the time. Since we are just a family of three we can't eat a whole brisket or butt before it goes bad but using this method I can make way more than we need then portion it into meal size bags and have it for quick weeknight meals. 

I have even used this method to reheat food for company and they never knew that I didn't spend the whole day tending to the smoker! 
 
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bmaddox said:
 
Great info. I have a few additions if you don't mind 
biggrin.gif


1. When I reheat things that were originally cooked to a lower temp (think prime rib or pork loin) I bring it to a simmer then turn it off and let it sit for 20 minutes. This way it doesn't overcook the meat.

2. When I am in a hurry and the item is still frozen, I will put it in a bowl of warm water (straight from the sink so it is around 125) and let it thaw for 30-45 minutes then proceed with boiling it. 

I really like this method and use it all the time. Since we are just a family of three we can't eat a whole brisket or butt before it goes bad but using this method I can make way more than we need then portion it into meal size bags and have it for quick weeknight meals. 

I have even used this method to reheat food for company and they never knew that I didn't spend the whole day tending to the smoker! 
Click to expand...
Good addition!

I love the convenience like you say.  It's nice to come home from work, drop supper in a pot of water, chill for a few minutes, and it be done when you're back in the kitchen!
 
CrankyBuzzard said:
(snip)

Hint: When vac packing, if you have any juice, drippings, etc., add a bit to each bag before sealing. That makes for a great bonus when you open the bag.
Click to expand...

Sometimes the liquid can make a mess. The last time I did this I froze the juice in a small plastic sauce cup, then popped the cube out and vacuum sealed it with the meat. I put it into the refrigerator and the next morning all the ice had disappeared and you couldn't see any trace of the liquid -- until it was reheated. Worked good.
 
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FloridaSteve said:
Sometimes the liquid can make a mess. The last time I did this I froze the juice in a small plastic sauce cup, then popped the cube out and vacuum sealed it with the meat. I put it into the refrigerator and the next morning all the ice had disappeared and you couldn't see any trace of the liquid -- until it was reheated. Worked good.
Click to expand...
Great idea!  I'll try that one.  I ordered 100 of the small condiment cups with lids a few years ago, the sent me 1000!  I have a few to play with...
 
CrankyBuzzard said:
 
Great idea!  I'll try that one.  I ordered 100 of the small condiment cups with lids a few years ago, the sent me 1000!  I have a few to play with...
Click to expand...
We do this with stock that we make except I use an ice cube tray. Pour from a 2 cup measuring cup. Count the number of cubes 2 cups makes. Freeze the cubes the crack out of tray.  Write on the vac pac bag how many cubes make a cup. Freeze as many cubes as you want in a bag. If you need a cup, or two, or three for a recipe count out the proper amount of cubes. I usually freeze in 2 cup increments as that seems to be what I normally need.
 
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dirtsailor2003 said:
 
We do this with stock that we make except I use an ice cube tray. Pour from a 2 cup measuring cup. Count the number of cubes 2 cups makes. Right on the vac pac bag how many cubes make a cup. Freeze as many as you want in a bag. If you need a cup, or two, or three for a recipe count out the proper amount of cubes. I usually freeze in 2 cup increments as that seems to be what I normally need.
Click to expand...
Love this idea. Thanks, Case!
 
Just be aware that some of the thinner vac pack bags can soften and leak when simmered in water. If you can buy the ones that are rated for sous vide and are designed to be taken up to 120 C (250 F).
 
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This is a great thread! In the past I have seen most if not all of this info from you guys in your other threads but its great to have it all in one spot. Thanks everyone!
 
Wade said:
 
Just be aware that some of the thinner vac pack bags can soften and leak when simmered in water. If you can buy the ones that are rated for sous vide and are designed to be taken up to 120 C (250 F).
Click to expand...
That is a great point Wade. 
 
I have never done the boiling water thing but I take my vacuum packed pulled pork, bresket, ribs and everything else I smoke from the freezer thaw it on the counter then put it in the microwave on the defrost cycle for 6 min. Don't want to cook it just heat heat it through,everything comes out like the day it came off the smoker. I slather my ribs with sauce after the 6 min in the microwave and put them under the broiler for 5 min or until the sauce bubble a bit.
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