whole brisket - smoked then sous vide

[saltysandman]

morning to y'all!

any of you have any experience with smoking a whole packer brisket and then finishing with sous vide? i saw an episode of sous vide everything and the plan was to smoke for 3 hours and then finish in the sous vide. Alas, my execution didn't go as planned. got busy and then fell asleep. i woke up from a dream that i forgot my guitar in my car and went back for it and the car was towed. damn! hahaha only a dream. went straight to the smoker, camp chef was almost out of pellets. brisket looked good. temp read 175. got some great bark. thought about finishing it in the smoker but then remembered the plan to sous vide. i have it in the sous vide @ 175. was thinking another 6-9 hours?

final step will be to use my flame thrower to get some char back on in the end. any thoughts?

 

[SmokinAl]

I do pastrami that way. I smoke it to 150 IT, usually takes about 6 hours, then SV for 24 hours at 155. Comes out perfect every time. But I use the flat for pastrami. I have never done it with a full packer.
Al

 

[saltysandman]

I do pastrami that way. I smoke it to 150 IT, usually takes about 6 hours, then SV for 24 hours at 155. Comes out perfect every time. But I use the flat for pastrami. I have never done it with a full packer.
Al

thanks al, i see many posts with the SV for 12-24 hours after a short 3-6 hour smoke. just curious to see how much SV time i saved by the 12-hour initial smoke. i guess i'll have to just see. planning on pulling out of SV around 3pm est. only fear is that it won't be pull apart tender.

 

[zwiller]

Have not done it but plan to kinda/sorta. Plan is to smoke one day and SV another day. Not sure if you are aware but one of the lesser known secrets about Franklins brisket is a very long rest in his warmer. I always forget the exact time but it's around 8-12hrs. What is not known is his pull time, but I actually think he pulls when it's just about done and not real early. Your plan sounds doable to me, good luck!

 

[SmokinAl]

thanks al, i see many posts with the SV for 12-24 hours after a short 3-6 hour smoke. just curious to see how much SV time i saved by the 12-hour initial smoke. i guess i'll have to just see. planning on pulling out of SV around 3pm est. only fear is that it won't be pull apart tender.

I think the problem will be taking it to 175 IT will change the texture of the meat. At 150, then SV at 155 the texture is just awesome. Not falling apart but definitely tender & juicy. The pull test just pulls apart perfectly. But as I said before I have never done a full packer that way. I have a Prime one in the freezer & may give it a try!!
Al

 

[saltysandman]

hey all,

sorry for the late update but it turned out awesome. did a standard SPOG rub and...

smoked at 225 for 12 hours. internal temp was at 175. vacuum sealed and put into the sous vide for another 9 hours at 175. kept in the plastic bag and wrapped with a towel and rested in an insulated hot box aka cooler for 3 additional hours. sliced it and it was super juicy especially the point. great smoke ring. bark was flavorful and passed the bend test. gave it a final brushing of some bbq sauce and was excellent. served some to the neighbors and they all raved that it was the best brisket they've had ever. only self-criticism was the bark. doing it sous vide first and then finishing on the smoker would probably solve this. it seems that the whole packer brisket is more forgiving and able to take some variations in cooking.