Don't Waste Overcooked Brisket, Deep Fry It Instead

Whether you prefer roast or smoked brisket, the meat should ideally be tender and juicy, ready to slice or shred. The low and slow cooking required for tenderizing these big cuts of meat is certainly more forgiving than, say, grilling a steak, but it's still possible to overcook your brisket, leaving it dry and tough. If you get to this point, there's no going back, but you can repurpose the brisket so that it doesn't go to waste.

Most advice calls for finding ways to add moisture back into the meat, like finely chopping it and adding it to a sauce, but butcher Ryan Byrd of New York's Fleisher's Butchery suggests quite the opposite. Speaking to Bon Appetit, he advised leaning into the dry texture, taking it even further by crisping it up in the fryer. 

The overcooked beef will naturally separate into strands, giving you thin strips that when given a good fry will end up somewhere between crispy bacon and beef jerky. These meaty treats have the benefit of being perfectly pre-seasoned, thanks to the brisket's dry rub treatment. "It's already been kind of cured the way you would a pork belly," Byrd explained.

If you think this tip is right up your alley, you'll be pleased to know that deep frying works just as well on any leftover brisket you might have. And regardless of whether it's perfectly cooked or overdone, there are many options for what you can do with it.

With leftover smoked brisket, you can put a twist on chicken fried steak. Cut the meat into thick slices across the grain, then bread with seasoned flour and fry until golden — as the brisket is already cooked, you only need to worry about crisping up the outside. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy or use it to create an incredible sandwich.

For smaller pieces of leftover brisket, try deep frying them in a beer batter, which will help keep the meat as moist as possible. You can serve this with a spicy jalapeno mayo. Alternatively, you can take some inspiration from chicken wings and deep-fry cubes of brisket until crispy before smothering them in buffalo sauce.