I had an idea for cooking tri-tips, then vac sealing whole and freezing, then reheating in the oven at a later date. The problem is I don't know if it's technically safe or not.
I started thinking about this as I'm wanting to start cooking extra when I smoke and "squirrel away" some good Q in the freezer for those times where for whatever reason firing up the smoker is not possible. And, I also have a few friends that are bugging the living sh*t out of me to smoke some meat for them (not doing any get togethers with this covid stuff going on). Brisket, pulled pork, and ribs I'm not worried about as for all of those the original cook is to somewhere north of 200 and the reheat is to at least 165. And I see a ton of big name restaurants doing exactly this type of thing to ship those meats on Goldbelly (at ridiculous prices I might add) so clearly it must not be an issue with them. But tri-tip is an absolute favorite, and it's got to be no more then medium rare, or not worth doing at all and therein lies the potential problem. I also don't see anyone doing pre-cooked tri-tip on Goldbelly which is another thing that has me thinking maybe it's just not considered safe because of the medium rare target finish temp.
Basically my process would be as follows:
1. Smoke the tri-tip to an IT temp of about 115.
2. Reverse sear to finish it to about 125, noting that carryover should bring it to somewhere between 130-135.
3. Allow the tri-tip to rest and cool for about 30 minutes.
4. Vac Seal the tri-tip whole and allow it to fully cool in the refrigerator before putting it in the freezer (thinking putting it directly in the freezer may shock it?)
Then the reheat process would be as follows:
1. Place the tri-tip in the refrigerator for 24 hours or until completely thawed.
2. Preheat oven to 250.
3. Wrap the tri-tip in foil with a little beef broth for moisture.
4. Cook to an IT temp of 125, noting carryover should again bring it to 130-135.
I will say that I did attempt it once before I even realized it might be considered unsafe, and I had no ill effects whatsoever, but that could have just been luck. As it was my first attempt I underestimated the carryover and the final product ended up closer to medium than medium rare, so IF this is not deemed unsafe I would adjust my process to keep it to medium rare.
Please keep in mind that I'm recognizing that I am not an expert when it comes to food safety, but I do recognize that there is a potential this could be considered unsafe because it's a reheat of pre-cooked meat with a medium rare target for serving vs taking it to 165, and in an effort to be safe, I'm consulting those with more knowledge than myself. Obviously there is no issue with medium rare when it is first cooked, but I have no idea if reheating whole after being frozen and then thawed changes that in any way. Better safe than sorry.
Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I started thinking about this as I'm wanting to start cooking extra when I smoke and "squirrel away" some good Q in the freezer for those times where for whatever reason firing up the smoker is not possible. And, I also have a few friends that are bugging the living sh*t out of me to smoke some meat for them (not doing any get togethers with this covid stuff going on). Brisket, pulled pork, and ribs I'm not worried about as for all of those the original cook is to somewhere north of 200 and the reheat is to at least 165. And I see a ton of big name restaurants doing exactly this type of thing to ship those meats on Goldbelly (at ridiculous prices I might add) so clearly it must not be an issue with them. But tri-tip is an absolute favorite, and it's got to be no more then medium rare, or not worth doing at all and therein lies the potential problem. I also don't see anyone doing pre-cooked tri-tip on Goldbelly which is another thing that has me thinking maybe it's just not considered safe because of the medium rare target finish temp.
Basically my process would be as follows:
1. Smoke the tri-tip to an IT temp of about 115.
2. Reverse sear to finish it to about 125, noting that carryover should bring it to somewhere between 130-135.
3. Allow the tri-tip to rest and cool for about 30 minutes.
4. Vac Seal the tri-tip whole and allow it to fully cool in the refrigerator before putting it in the freezer (thinking putting it directly in the freezer may shock it?)
Then the reheat process would be as follows:
1. Place the tri-tip in the refrigerator for 24 hours or until completely thawed.
2. Preheat oven to 250.
3. Wrap the tri-tip in foil with a little beef broth for moisture.
4. Cook to an IT temp of 125, noting carryover should again bring it to 130-135.
I will say that I did attempt it once before I even realized it might be considered unsafe, and I had no ill effects whatsoever, but that could have just been luck. As it was my first attempt I underestimated the carryover and the final product ended up closer to medium than medium rare, so IF this is not deemed unsafe I would adjust my process to keep it to medium rare.
Please keep in mind that I'm recognizing that I am not an expert when it comes to food safety, but I do recognize that there is a potential this could be considered unsafe because it's a reheat of pre-cooked meat with a medium rare target for serving vs taking it to 165, and in an effort to be safe, I'm consulting those with more knowledge than myself. Obviously there is no issue with medium rare when it is first cooked, but I have no idea if reheating whole after being frozen and then thawed changes that in any way. Better safe than sorry.
Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
