According to celebrity chef Michael Symon, you should never risk it with your brisket. When a Twitter user asked, "have a 20 pound waygu brisket going to smoke. Is it okay to smoke it day before, wrap it in butcher paper and heat it up the next day," Symon replied, "I would avoid at all costs if possible ... brisket is best when not reheated… especially using such an expensive waygu."

As American Cafe noted in March 2022, waygu beef can cost upwards of $200 per pound — meaning Symon does have a point. Moreover, BBQ Revolt shares that the meat is prone to drying out when the air hits, especially if stored improperly — so cooking it through using one method instead of splitting the preparation process up can eliminate the risk of your brisket drying out.

As Meat Smoking HQ details, smoking your brisket to where it's ready to eat can take from an hour and a half to two hours per pound of meat, thereby tempting people to smoke it part of the way and then finish it up in an oven to cut down on that time. According to Symon, though, when it comes to the quality of the finished product, you'll lose what you save in labor and time.