# How long can I keep a smoked brisket in the refrigerator?



## SolHero (Feb 28, 2022)

Left over brisket, not sliced. How long can I keep it in fridge?


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## 912smoker (Feb 28, 2022)

Not much help from me but is it vac sealed ?
Satan .. I mean saran wrap ?

Keith


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## DougE (Feb 28, 2022)

Until it starts turning funky colors and stinking. Jokes aside, I routinely hold cooked meat in the fridge for up to a week, in ziplock bags with as much air removed as possible.


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## SolHero (Feb 28, 2022)

912smoker said:


> Not much help from me but is it vac sealed ?
> Satan .. I mean saran wrap ?
> 
> Keith


No, not vac sealed. Just inside of a ziplock bag.


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## schlotz (Mar 1, 2022)

A few days is fine, but I start to get queasy at 5.  If you don't have one, pick up a food saver vac.  Not that expensive and money well spent, IMO. With only two of us there is always an abundance of brisket left over.  I portion out meal size bags, vac & freeze. Also portion out sized bags for pots of chili. Nothing better than smoke brisket chili.  BTW: just made our last pot from a bag frozen 8 months ago. Came out perfect!


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 1, 2022)

SolHero said:


> Left over brisket, not sliced. How long can I keep it in fridge?





DougE said:


> Until it starts turning funky colors and stinking. Jokes aside, I routinely hold cooked meat in the fridge for up to a week, in ziplock bags with as much air removed as possible.


A week is my limit, too...


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## texomakid (Mar 1, 2022)

Yeah we pitch anything left in the fridge over 3 or 4 days. Rare that any leftovers makes it that long around here


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## tallbm (Mar 1, 2022)

SolHero said:


> Left over brisket, not sliced. How long can I keep it in fridge?


Hi there and welcome.
Living in brisket country, I probably average 1.5 smoked whole packer briskets a month if I look at how many I smoke over a year.

I go 5-7 days with smoked sliced brisket in foil in the fridge eating on it daily until it's gone or until I need to freeze it.

A whole brisket should last a little longer but honestly at about day 4 or 5 you are better off bagging and freezing what you won't finish eating (vac seal is best way to go).


Pulled pork work for me along the same timeline but they are smaller than my 15lb+ briskets so they rarely make it to 5 days in the fridge before completely eaten up.

Chicken or turkey usually doesn't make it bas 3-4 days before eaten up and I try to go through it faster not wanting to chance it lasting too long in the fridge and spoiling.

I hop this info helps :)


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## SolHero (Mar 1, 2022)

schlotz said:


> I portion out meal size bags, vac & freeze. Also portion out sized bags for pots of chili. Nothing better than smoke brisket chili.  BTW: just made our last pot from a bag frozen 8 months ago. Came out perfect!



Thank you for that suggestion. I will do the same and portion them out. My in-laws have a food saver that they rarely use (maybe once last year), maybe I'll offer to buy it from them.


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## noboundaries (Mar 1, 2022)

Depends on fridge temp, too. My lowest shelf on my side-by-side is also the shelf with the cooling vent. It consistently reads 34°F. That's where I put leftovers of any kind, both vac-sealed and merely covered with cling wrap or foil. I don't like going more than a week, but I have gone 9 days with no problems. Not recommended, though. 

My top shelf reads 38°F, BTW.


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