Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (2024)

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This brisket quesadilla recipe is absolutely savory and delicious. Using leftover beef brisket, these quesadillas are super easy to make, topped with tender brisket, shredded cheese, barbecue sauce, and crispy fried onions strings all stuffed between flour tortillas.

Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (1)

Brisket is a classic barbecue favorite here in Texas, where we love our barbecue as much as we love our Mexican and Tex-Mex food. I’ve been making brisket for years, and while most of it gets eaten, I do still have a bit of leftovers. That’s why I started trying to come up with creative ways to reuse my day-old brisket, and I must say, I’ve come up with some great recipes.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been sharing delicious ways to use leftover brisket, and today I have another delicious recipe for you. These quesadillas have become a family favorite sense I first started making them to use up our leftover brisket, and I think your family will love them, too.

Brisket Quesadilla

Brisket quesadillas are a fantastic way to use up your leftover brisket. Tender, pulled barbecue brisket is combined with cheese and crispy onion strings to create a loaded quesadilla that is absolutely overflowing with flavor. Every bite brings the flavor of the classic barbecue beef we all love, melty cheese, and the sweetness and crunch of the crispy onion strings. You’ve never had quesadillas like these!

Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (2)

Why You’ll Love This Brisket Quesadilla Recipe

  • It’s so versatile and is perfect for a delicious lunch, dinner, appetizer, or simply an afternoon or after-school snack.
  • It’s a simple recipe that uses your leftover brisket, almost all of the cooking has already been done.
  • These quesadillas are so hearty and delicious. You’ll know you had something substantial after eating one of these bad boys.
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Tips and Variations

This recipe is very easy, but I have a couple of tips to make it the best it can possibly be. I also have some great options for changing things up if you’d like.

Tips

  • Only heat the leftover brisket until it’s just heated through. It’s already wonderfully tender. You don’t want to cook it more.
  • Heat the brisket over medium heat. Don’t try to rush it by using higher heat. You could burn the beef.
  • You can cook the quesadillas by filling half of a tortilla and folding it over or topping an entire tortilla with ingredients and then top with a second tortilla.

Variations

  • Try using any of your favorite cheeses for this recipe. Pepper jack cheese will add a bit of heat, colby jack and Monterey jack cheese are a great choice. They’re all delicious.
  • For a spicy variation, add diced jalapenos to the brisket before heating it up.
  • For even more flavor, add a thin layer of refried beans to the quesadillas.
Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (4)

Storing and Reheating Brisket Quesadillas

Never store quesadillas after they’ve been made. The moisture from the barbecue brisket will make the tortillas soggy. Instead, store your brisket in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and all other ingredients separately. Then, when you’re ready to serve them, make more quesadillas.

Brisket Quesadilla Ingredients

It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this recipe.

  • Leftover beef brisket
  • Barbecue sauce
  • Beef broth
  • Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, add more if desired
  • Flour tortillas
  • Crispy onion strings, if desired
  • Additional BBQ sauce, for drizzle
Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (5)

Brisket Quesadilla Instructions

Making these quesadillas is as easy as the ingredient list. In just a handful of steps, you’ll be enjoying delicious quesadillas!

Step 1: Heat the Brisket

Heat leftover brisket, barbecue sauce, and beef broth over medium-high heat in a small saucepan until heated through. Stir frequently.

Step 2: Make the Quesadillas

Place a flour tortilla in a frying pan, or skillet, on medium heat. Spread shredded brisket on one half of the tortilla, sprinkle shredded cheese and crispy onion string on top of the brisket. Then, fold the tortilla in half and cook until it begins to brown. Flip and cook the other side in the same manner until the outside is toasted and the cheese is melted. Serve with an extra side of barbecue sauce for dipping, or sour cream if desired.

If serving as an appetizer, place finished quesadilla on a large cutting board and cut into three equal pieces.

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Try This Delicious Brisket Quesadilla Recipe Today

Whether you make it for lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer, these tasty quesadillas are always a huge hit with everyone. Tender, barbecued brisket, cheese, and onion strings come together to create a beefy, cheesy quesadilla that will have everyone coming back for more. Give it a try, and I know you’ll find yourself making it again and again.

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More Brisket Recipes You’ll Enjoy

Beef Brisket – A super easy oven baked brisket recipe that makes amazing leftovers!

Brisket Mac and Cheese – A homemade, creamy, and delicious mac and cheese recipe that is topped with tender brisket, crispy onion strings, and barbecue sauce.

Brisket Tacos – An amazing brisket taco recipe that is loaded with brisket, onion strings, barbecue sauce, and soft flour tortillas.

And, Brisket Grilled Cheese – Crispy and toasty bread filled with brisket, BBQ sauce, lots of cheese, and topped with onion strings.

Here is a delicious BBQ Brisket Breakfast Tacos Recipe from Traeger that you might enjoy as well.

Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (8)

Brisket Quesadilla

Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (9)Great Grub, Delicious Treats

These delicious and cheesy beef brisket quesadillas are super easy to make using leftover brisket, sharp cheddar cheese, fried onion strings is a flour tortilla, and served with a side of BBQ sauce.

4.80 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 543 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, add shredded brisket, barbecue sauce and beef broth. Cook over medium heat until heated through, stirring frequently.

  • In a frying pan over medium heat, place a flour tortilla into the pan.

  • Spread brisket on one half of the tortilla followed by shredded cheese and top with crispy onion strings, if desired. Fold tortilla in half and cook until tortilla starts to brown then flip over and continue cooking until the cheese is melted.

  • *Or spread brisket over the entire surface of the tortilla, top with cheese, onion strings and the top tortilla. Cook and then cut into desired size.

Notes

Nutritional Values are Approximate

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 41gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 932mgPotassium: 552mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 620IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 454mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Beef and Cheese Quesadillas, Beef Brisket, Brisket Quesadilla, Leftover Brisket Recipes

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Here are a few pics that are perfect to pin to your favorite Pinterest boards.

Enjoy, Terri

Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (10)
Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (11)

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Brisket Quesadilla {Leftover Beef Brisket Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

How to reheat fully cooked brisket? ›

Here's how to do it:
  1. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
  2. Place your brisket in a pan or dish.
  3. Pour beef broth over the brisket. ...
  4. Cover the brisket tightly with aluminum foil, creating a double layer.
  5. Place the brisket in the oven and reheat for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Apr 12, 2023

What can you do with dry brisket? ›

If your leftover brisket seems a bit dry, never fear. It can still be revived and no one will be the wiser. To moisten the meat, give it a marinade in some warm beef broth, and make sure to add broth when reheating. Another option is to use the meat in dishes where it can soak up a rich sauce.

What to do with leftover tough smoked brisket? ›

13 Best Leftover Beef Brisket Recipes
  1. Smoked Brisket Chili.
  2. Chopped Beef Sandwich.
  3. Texas Twinkies.
  4. Brisket Grilled Cheese.
  5. Leftover Brisket Bolognese.
  6. Grilled Brisket Breakfast Burrito.
  7. Breakfast Brisket Hash.
  8. Four Ingredient Breakfast Quesadillas.

How do you keep brisket warm and moist after cooking? ›

Holding Brisket For 4 Hours In My Oven

When it was done, I placed it on a rimmed baking sheet pan and moved it into the electric oven set to 170°F. The oven temperature wandering between a low of 143°F and a high of 147°F. I held the brisket shown above for 4 hours and as you can see it was still nice and juicy!

Can you reheat brisket in an air fryer? ›

As long as the portion of brisket you're reheating fits in the air fryer basket without too much crowding, you're good to go. But be warned: It may dry the brisket out a bit and cause the texture to be a little chewier, so have plenty of warm gravy at the ready.

How do you make leftover brisket moist? ›

Cover the brisket with slices of butter. This fat is your friend to provide much needed moisture when reheating. Reheat until the internal temperature is over 140. This will take 90 - 120 minutes depending on the size of your brisket.

What is beef brisket best used for? ›

What is beef brisket? Brisket runs from the bottom of the neck down under the ribs. It's great for casseroles and pot-roasts, but is also much more versatile than that. In the USA it's very much associated with barbecue and smoking, as well as salt beef.

What not to do with brisket? ›

12 Brisket Mistakes Everyone Should Avoid
  1. Cooking at the Wrong Temperature. ...
  2. Using the Wrong Rub. ...
  3. Not Allowing (More Than) Enough Time to Smoke. ...
  4. Not Letting Brisket Rest Long Enough. ...
  5. Making Too Many Changes Between Cooks. ...
  6. Only Looking at Time and Temperature Before Wrapping. ...
  7. Spraying the Fat. ...
  8. Over or Under Smoking the Meat.

How good is brisket after cooked? ›

USDA recommends using cooked beef within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days.

What to do when brisket is cooked? ›

Hold The Meat For Serving

Alternatively, place the wrapped brisket in an empty cooler and hold until ready to serve. A 1-2 hour rest will help keep the meat moist, and it will remain safely above 140°F for 2-4 hours.

How to moisten a dry brisket? ›

As we mentioned, to keep your brisket moist, you can also splash a little beef broth, cooking liquid, or water on it before you put it in the oven, and you can drizzle on some gravy or barbecue sauce once it's heated to liven it up again.

Can you tenderize brisket after it has been cooked? ›

Slice the brisket into 1/4-inch-thick slices and put the slices into a roasting pan. Cover the sliced meat with the defatted cooking liquid and reheat slowly. All the fat is gone and the meat is tender and juicy.

How do you make a brisket super tender? ›

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
  2. Coat the inside of an oven roasting bag with flour. Place brisket inside of bag. Pour liquid smoke over the brisket and sprinkle on garlic powder, dry onion soup mix, and ground black pepper. ...
  3. Lay bag in a broiling pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 6 to 8 hours.
Aug 10, 2022

How to reheat a vacuum sealed whole brisket? ›

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Remove from vacuum seal bag, place in baking dish or foil pan, add 2 sticks of butter or 2 cups of brisket drippings to pan, cover with foil. Reheat your smoked brisket to an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Place the covered brisket in 250 degree oven and set time for 1 ½ hours.

What to do after brisket reaches temp? ›

The brisket is ready to eat once the internal temp in the thickest part of the brisket registers 140 degrees. Then and only then, should you enjoy the fruits of your labor. Remove the brisket from the cooler and slowly unwrap your triumph being sure to have an audience.

Can you partially cook a brisket and finish later? ›

Never brown or partially cook meat or poultry to refrigerate and finish later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially cook meat and poultry in the microwave or on the stove only if the food is transferred immediately to the hot grill to finish cooking.

How to reheat smoked meat? ›

Tightly cover meats in foil place in oven for 30 or until internal temperature reach's 135 degrees. (For whole briskets, turkeys and larger items, plan 1-2 hours.) 5. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.

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