27 Of The Best Leftover Brisket Recipes

No matter if you are cooking a weeknight dinner or having a massive cookout in your backyard, there are often leftovers after the initial cook. 

Thankfully, because it is such a versatile and tasty type of smoked meat, it can be utilized in many different ways to jazz up any leftovers.

Leftover brisket can be enjoyed in empanadas, BBQ sandwiches or in salads-no matter what you feel like, or the time of day for that matter, there is always a tasty recipe to be made with leftover brisket.

That is why this list of leftover brisket recipes has been made to give you inspiration on how to use that leftover brisket.

Instead of throwing it out, get your creative juices flowing with these leftover brisket recipes below. We’ve rounded up the best brisket recipes from around the internet (including a few of our own)!

27 Leftover Brisket Recipe Ideas

Brisket Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Kicking off our list of leftover brisket recipes is this gooey, cheesy, shredded leftover barbecue brisket, brioche bread grilled cheese sandwich from dudethatcookz. Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food and quick-fix meal. 

The beauty of this recipe is the combinations of cheese: stringy mozzarella, smoked cheddar and pepper Jack cheese. These cheeses compliment the smokey flavor of the shredded brisket and the sweetness of the brioche bread.

If you like, load it up with caramelized onion or perhaps some dill pickles or, if you want to heat it up, add some jalapeño peppers or your favorite chili sauce.

Leftover Brisket Hash and Eggs

All the usual culprits are present in this breakfast: hash-diced, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside potatoes, sautéed onions, red bell peppers and oregano-with the addition of some delightful leftover smoked brisket. 

Although this is labeled as a breakfast dish (yes, brisket for breakfast is wholly acceptable), it is so delicious that you could have it any time of the day and is great as a quick weeknight dinner fix if you are short on time or don’t know what to make. 

Arepas

Originating from the indigenous tribes across Venezuela in South America, Arepas are versatile cornbread that is made from precooked corn flour or meal. They are simple to make and are super soft and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. 

Shredded leftover brisket can be mixed in with chipotle sauce and served with the arepas with guacamole, cilantro, baked diced sweet potatoes and black beans, topped with cheese and pico de gallo. It is a great meal, appetizer, or snack for any occasion. 

Brisket Mac and Cheese

Brisket mac and cheese takes a traditional style come cooked mac and cheese and adds an explosion of brisket flavor.

It is smokey and there are hints of spice as well as a creamy richness that will make every bite super luxurious.

There are multiple types of cheeses in this recipe which add incredible depth to the flavor of the dish. With the brisket in there, this is plenty to be it’s own main course with your brisket leftovers!

Chili con Carne

Even if you have a small piece of brisket and want to make it stretch, you can always make a chili with it. This recipe pairs a smokey brisket with a lot of mixed beans, sweet corn and some fire chipotle in adobo sauce.

Throw in some beer, and coffee, along with all the other usual suspects that you would expect to be in a chili. This is a hearty and warming dish, perfect for winter’s nights. 

Brisket Banh Mi

Now usually Banh Mi is usually made with some pork or chicken (or tofu for the vegans out there) but it would be a totally exciting take to include some beef brisket in with all the beautiful Vietnamese flavors.

Work the meat in with some soy sauce, rice vinegar and maybe some chili and put it in a baguette with mayo, cucumber, pickled carrots and cilantro. 

The recipe that is linked here is from Viet World Kitchen, and is a great standard recipe that can be adapted to include brisket along with the fresh Vietnamese flavors and tastes. Give it a try-who knows, it may become one of your favorite recipes to cook from. 

Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a quick-fix meal if there ever was one, and they are kid-friendly as well. All that is really needed to make a stellar quesadilla is cheese, tortillas, and brisket.

This recipe includes the addition of BBQ sauce and thinly sliced red onion in the quesadilla itself and is served with cilantro, green onion and avocado. These could be served with an egg in the morning or, for an extra avocado kick, some guacamole, or even pico de gallo. 

Brisket Soup

Sometimes, all that is needed to improve that day is to sit down to a nice, hearty soup, especially when the nights are long and dark. This beef brisket soup is just the ticket.

It has a classically French-style flavor profile to it, and it is accompanied by soft and cheesy dumplings. This is a showstopper of a meal and can be served for weeknight dinners or as a dinner party main event-that is how good it is. 

Enchiladas

The ultimate Mexican dish-enchiladas, using smoked beef brisket as a filling. The chili sauce in which the tortillas are dipped in and covered with can be store-bought as well to make this a quicker recipe to make. 

The other fillings include goats cheese and a blend of Mexican cheeses, as well as frozen spinach. This classic dish is perfect for dinner and can be served with dollops of sour cream, cilantro and green onions. 

Brisket Pizza

If you are a lover of beef and pizza, then this is the recipe for you. The pizza dough is topped with a layer of sticky BBQ sauce and then topped with cheddar cheese, shredded brisket, jalapeño, tomato and red onion. It is colorful and fun to make and will be done in the oven within 15 minutes. 

For extra stickiness and maybe some burnt ends on the pizza, try marinating the shredded brisket in the BBQ sauce before putting on the pizza or if you like, add in some chili sauce into the base BBQ sauce. 

Brisket Street Tacos

Tacos are perfect meals packed with flavor. These leftover brisket tacos are no exception. The leftover brisket is mixed in with chili and all kinds of other spices and cooked until properly seasoned and browned. 

This is then put into taco shells along with pickled red onions made from scratch and an avocado cream sauce, which is made with mashed avocado and sour cream. As simple as that-ready in mere minutes! 

Beef Flatbread with Herb Sauce

Although this recipe calls for ground beef, you can skip cooking that and use the brisket instead. Then, all that needs to be done is lay store-bought pizza dough out on a baking tray and bake with the brisket on top. 

This flatbread is then served with a herb sauce that features parsley, cilantro, mint, lemon, garlic, and lots of olive oil. The herb sauce will bring a freshness to the smokey flatbread. It is a delightful accompaniment to any dish, or can be served as a main event with a salad. 

Slow-Cooked Shredded Beef Ragù Pasta

Probably one of the best uses of brisket is when it is used in a ragù pasta sauce.

This recipe describes how to slow-cook the brisket but if you have leftover, you can just skip that step and cook down onion, carrot and celery, add in the meat, canned tomatoes, red wine and dried herbs as well as water.

This is then spooned over al dente pappardelle, served with lots of grated Parmesan fresh parsley. 

Sort-of-Sloppy Joes

A traditional sloppy Joe is made of minced meat, but these call for leftover brisket which goes on top of sandwich buns and is paired with a light coleslaw made from red and green cabbage and carrots.

Additionally, you can top the sandwich with some bacon, avocados, hot sauce and jalapeño slices and cheese. This sandwich is a great lunchtime meal, just make sure to pack in extra napkins!

Stroganoff

An exciting twist to the classic Russian dish is a great winter warmer meal. The only difference to the usual stroganoff is the use of the brisket and lack of mushrooms and instead of paprika, the meat brings the smokiness.

However, it is loaded with sour cream and tomato sauce and is really delicious as a complete meal.

Cottage Pie

Some people shy away from making cottage pies because they seem complex to make as there are several elements to it, but this is a meal that can be eaten within half an hour. This take on a cottage pie has all the components found in the traditional British version. 

Brisket Baked Beans

This take on the tinned baked beans on toast, is an innovative upgrade. It combines baked beans, black, navy, and kidney beans with shredded beef brisket, all mixed in with a sweet, sticky, smokey and spicy sauce. This is great with toasted bread or can even be paired with pasta. 

It keeps for a few days so would be great to make as part of weekly meal plans, however, it is so delicious that it is doubtful that there will be any left over for you to use for various meals. 

Steak Stir-Fry

A stir-fry is always great for a busy weeknight and this beef brisket stir-fry with loads of garlic, green onions and mung beans and served with noodles and lashings of soy sauce and oyster sauce. 

Brisket Burrito

This brisket burrito is ready in a jiffy and combines roasted potatoes, cabbage, chipotle salsa, and cilantro, all rolled up into a neat, lunch, or dinner time meal.

Alternatively, add some eggs for a mega breakfast burrito!

Fully Loaded Brisket Tater Tots

Similar to the delightful invention that is loaded fries, these tater tots are similar to a BBQ baked potato with the added extra of crispy tater tots. They are topped with loads of cheese, cream and green onion. 

Empanadas

These super easy Latin turnovers are the sophisticated finger foods that you need for any occasion, be it a cocktail party or bridal shower.

Instead of using ground beef, fill them with the brisket, and they will be the showstoppers that your guests will beg you for every time. To maximize the barbecue flavor, dip the empanadas in BBQ sauce. 

Loaded Brisket Nachos

These leftover brisket nachos are the ultimate party snack. The brisket is mixed with pinto beans into BBQ sauce, which are thrown over tortilla chips and topped with Colby Jack Cheese. These are baked and topped with red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. 

Steak Fried Rice

This take on fried rice is a family favorite and one of the best leftover brisket ideas to satisfy your craving for takeout fried rice. This meal will be done in 20 minutes at the most, and even quicker if you use microwavable rice. 

Brisket Bowls

Brisket makes a flavorful  addition to a burrito style bowl. On top of a bed of rice or even quinoa, the meat is paired with avocado, black beans, pico de gallo, Mexican cheese and cilantro.

Of course, any grain that you have at hand can go in, and you can add any chili peppers or vegetables that you fancy. Chipotle or salsa is a great accompaniment to this dish. 

Caramelized Vietnamese Shredded Beef

This recipe marinades the leftover brisket in lemongrass, lots of garlic, sugar, some fish sauce, soy sauce and lime juice.

This is then cooked in oil until caramelized and crispy and is served with rice or noodles, fresh cilantro, sliced red chili, cucumber and crushed peanuts.  It is quick and easy and will be ready in a matter of minutes. 

Leftover Brisket Tostadas

Think crispy tostadas with leftover brisket, refried beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, avocado and sour cream, topped with cilantro and that is what these babies have in store for you.

They are packed full of flavor and can be eaten any time of the day-serve with extra bacon or eggs for a breakfast twist.

About Brisket & Why It’s Great For Leftovers

Brisket is a cut of beef that is from the bottom section of the sirloin area of the cow. It is a lean meat with excellent flavor holding-capacity and texture. However, if not cooked correctly, it can be tough and dry. 

Although a tough piece of meat with a lot of connective tissue and collagen, the collagen is made up of collagen fibers, which makes up the connective tissue in the beef brisket.

During cooking, when the collagen gelatinizes, it softens the beef brisket, making it more tender.

On the top of the brisket is a layer of fat called the fat cap that helps keep the meat moist during the long cooking time needed to break down the connective tissues in the meat.

Additionally, moisture, in the form of water from the fat, is needed for this breakdown of connective tissues.

Brisket can usually be cooked in many different ways, including baking, braising, and roasting. Basting of the meat is often done when it’s cooking.

Popular methods of cooking brisket in the U.S. include rubbing with a spice rub cooking it slowly over indirect heat from wood, also known as smoking.  

Hardwood, such as oak, pecan, hickory, or mesquite, may be added to the main heat source, either alone or in combination with one another.

The smoke from the wood and the burning drippings enhance the flavor of the meat.

Final Thoughts

So, if you have leftovers after feeding people brisket, you are in the right place. In the guide above, we’ve gathered lots of different recipes that you can make using your leftover brisket. So, if you want to get the most out of your leftovers, check out the guide above.