First Brisket - Smoker/Sous Vide/Oven

[Jiffylush]

My first brisket is currently in the smoker.

I've done some reading and watched some videos and my plan is 3 hrs on the smoker at 225, then SV @ 155 for 36, then either stick it under the broiler or on a very hot grill to crisp the outside a bit. There is no sugar in the rub so I'm not expecting a bark like I usually get with butts.

Picked up a 13lb whole brisket from Sam's this morning. Was intending to get something a little bit smaller but it was only whole one they had.

Trimmed it up pretty well (again first time), since I will be doing it SV I probably trimmed it more than I would have for smoking the whole way.

I cut it approximately in half so one part is just flat and I rubbed them slightly differently. I bought some 2.5 gallon heavy duty freezer bags to be sure they would fit. I will probably double bag to be safe since it will be unattended for long periods of time. My normal SV container is a 12qt container and I'm not sure both pieces will fit at the same time so I might use a cooler.

Since it's brisket I went real plain with seasonings - kosher salt, black pepper and a little garlic powder. On the point end I also used some smoked paprika.

I'm planning to smoke at 225 for three hours with mesquite, I usually use hickory for my butts but I am out!

When I pull it from the smoker I'm going to put at least the point in the SV at 155 for 36. If both pieces won't fit I may freeze the flat to SV later, potentially at a lower temp. I will post some pics of the finished product.

It's probably a little late for advice on this cook, but would love to hear any advice you have.

thanks!

 

[oddegan]

I'm not sure why you would SV instead of just cooking it in the smoker. Unless you have a specific goal in mind I'm not sure what you are gaining. I run mine at 260 - 270 and they are done in 12 to 14 hours for a 10-12 pound packer. Tender and juicy. Full of smoke flavor and I don't have multiple setups and in much less time. Using the SV to re-heat is a very good way to go. I guess I'm curious about what your goal is.

 

[kruizer]

Your sous vide temp of 155 will not yield a tender meat. You need to reach at least 195 to 205 to get a tender brisket.

 

[Jiffylush]

I'm not sure why you would SV instead of just cooking it in the smoker. Unless you have a specific goal in mind I'm not sure what you are gaining. I run mine at 260 - 270 and they are done in 12 to 14 hours for a 10-12 pound packer. Tender and juicy. Full of smoke flavor and I don't have multiple setups and in much less time. Using the SV to re-heat is a very good way to go. I guess I'm curious about what your goal is.

My goals are to get the best results I can while accommodating my schedule over the next few days. Concert tonight, then work tomorrow and Friday with a possible day on the road for work. Doing it this way will allow me to, hopefully, have a great brisket with only about 3 hours of work on Saturday.

As far as it getting hot enough to render the fat and connective tissue... Sous vide is a different process, lower temperatures over longer periods of time: https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08...de-sous-vide-barbecue-smoked-bbq-brisket.html

Update: I have decided that I am going to ultimately finish it on the grill with wood chips because a pretty terrible storm cut the pre-smoke down to just over two hours.

 

[oddegan]

With the time factor it does make sense. And yes the SV is a different breed of cat. I've taken Chuck and turned it into prime rib. Finishing on the grill works very well. I've done that many times and it ends up great. Check out some of Bearcarver's threads for his SV experiments. Best of luck and let us know how it comes out.

 

[Jiffylush]

It turned out great, and I've since done a 15lb one.

The second time I separated the point from the flat and removed a good bit of the fat. I smoked it for three and a half hours. Did the point in the SV at 155 for 36 and the point for 24 at the same temp. Haven't finished the point yet, planning to heat it up on the the grill with some wood chunks tomorrow. The flat turned out great.

 

[Dash]

I've done something similar several times with fantastic results. I never have time to monitor a smoker for 14 hours, so this was a game-changer for me. I read about it on "The Food Lab", which is my go-to for Sous Vide advice because it has great instructions and the Chef there tries several methods and temperatures and lets you actually see the results side by side.

155 for 36 hours (I did both the point and flat for this amount of time) followed by 3 hours of smoking on a 300 degree (I know... Hot for a smoker) green egg with the heat displacement plate in place for indirect smoking. As stated by many above, cooked/warm meat doesn't take to smoke very well, so I refilled wood chunks every 40 minutes or so to keep it flowing pretty heavy. Bark ended up great, and I find the smoke flavor to be perfectly adequate (You won't get the pretty smoke ring though, which isn't important to me as its purely cosmetic).

My friend's wife, who is a native Texan told me it was some of the best Brisket she ever ate.