Well I've tried cooking brisket low and slow to smoky deliciousness (a lot), SVQ (or sous vide then smoked for the uninitiated) and finally QVQ (smoke first, sous vide to tender, post smoke) to both medium rare or traditional. The one we like the best is QVQ medium rare because Mrs. Troutman doesn't like "gray" meat. So to make her happy (happy life !!) I have gone that route lately.
Well, I got to thinking if I'm relatively happy with the bark from the initial smoking, then why bother with the post smoke if it survives the long bath? To be honest I've never tried that way before. So I got my hands on an A Bar N Ranch American Wagyu 16# brisket, divided the two muscles into point and flat then corned the flat for 7 days to make pastrami. With the point I seasoned, smoked and brought it right up to the 125*F IT range with some mesquite wood. Got a nice mahogany bark like you'd expect on a good steak prior to hard searing, then bathed it. After bathing I shocked it and stuck it in the frig. Later in the week I re-heated it via sous vide and served.
The result? Well it didn't have the smoky characteristics of a full QVQ, but other than that it was pretty darn good. Perfectly rendered, medium rare and very juicy with a decent smoky flavor. So the verdict, for us anyway, if you want to skip the final step and have something during the week for a quick dinner, this isn't a bad way to go.
So I've completed the cycle, cooked barbecued brisket about everyway I can think of ! Give this method a try and see what you think !!
QSV Brisket
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. American - BBQ
Makes. 4 to 6 servings
Takes. 30 minutes prep, 1 to 1 1/2 hours smoking, 52-60 hours sous vide
Technique
1. Take a uniform sized portion of brisket (either flat or separated point) and give it a good trim leaving 1/4" of fat cap in place on the bottom portion. Try to keep the piece uniform in thickness for a more even cooking result.
2. Salt brine your brisket over night with approximately 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt per pound. When ready to cook, season your brisket with whatever seasoning you prefer. Here in Texas that means a healthy dose of ground black pepper.
3. Fire up your smoker. Suggest low and slow to develop as much bark as possible but cooking up to 275*F works as well. Use either oak or mesquite wood with your charcoal or splits if in an offset. Suggest having some form of moisture in the cooking chamber or spritz during cooking. I prefer a pan of water over spritzing because with this step you don't want to interrupt the cooking cycle. Again this is about as much smoke, bark and flavor as you can at this point.
4. Monitor the internal temperature. You'll want to pull the brisket off between 125-130*F IT. Do not let it exceed that range.
5. After a brief cool down, seal your brisket in a vacuum bag. Prepare your sous vide bath and get your water temps up to 131*F. Place the brisket into the bath and SV for the next 52 hours for slice and more al dente finishing. Do up to 60 hours if you want a more fall apart finish.
6. When finished, plunge the hot bag into a large bowl of ice water and shock it down to below 40*F for about 30 minutes and place into your refrigerator. At this point the meat is fully cooked and can be kept for up to a week. If you don't plan to consume it right away, freeze it for later use.
7. When you do decide to serve it, simply setup your sous vide bath and re-heat it to that 131*F temperature for 1-2 hours. Carve and enjoy either as a dinner meal or in some killer sandwiches for lunch.
Again this is my lazy man's way to get brisket during the week. I do it over the weekend and leave it sit until I'm ready for it. If you have an extra hour or so, by all means give it a final smoke to re-establish that bark it took so long to achieve. QVQ is still my preferred method but this ain't too shabby !!!
Gotta admit, a deep smoke ring on rare brisket is an unusual sight !! Next I'll corn that flat and make some pastrami, stay tuned !!
Trout is out and ready for some briskie !!!
Well, I got to thinking if I'm relatively happy with the bark from the initial smoking, then why bother with the post smoke if it survives the long bath? To be honest I've never tried that way before. So I got my hands on an A Bar N Ranch American Wagyu 16# brisket, divided the two muscles into point and flat then corned the flat for 7 days to make pastrami. With the point I seasoned, smoked and brought it right up to the 125*F IT range with some mesquite wood. Got a nice mahogany bark like you'd expect on a good steak prior to hard searing, then bathed it. After bathing I shocked it and stuck it in the frig. Later in the week I re-heated it via sous vide and served.
The result? Well it didn't have the smoky characteristics of a full QVQ, but other than that it was pretty darn good. Perfectly rendered, medium rare and very juicy with a decent smoky flavor. So the verdict, for us anyway, if you want to skip the final step and have something during the week for a quick dinner, this isn't a bad way to go.
So I've completed the cycle, cooked barbecued brisket about everyway I can think of ! Give this method a try and see what you think !!
QSV Brisket
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. American - BBQ
Makes. 4 to 6 servings
Takes. 30 minutes prep, 1 to 1 1/2 hours smoking, 52-60 hours sous vide
Technique
1. Take a uniform sized portion of brisket (either flat or separated point) and give it a good trim leaving 1/4" of fat cap in place on the bottom portion. Try to keep the piece uniform in thickness for a more even cooking result.
2. Salt brine your brisket over night with approximately 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt per pound. When ready to cook, season your brisket with whatever seasoning you prefer. Here in Texas that means a healthy dose of ground black pepper.
3. Fire up your smoker. Suggest low and slow to develop as much bark as possible but cooking up to 275*F works as well. Use either oak or mesquite wood with your charcoal or splits if in an offset. Suggest having some form of moisture in the cooking chamber or spritz during cooking. I prefer a pan of water over spritzing because with this step you don't want to interrupt the cooking cycle. Again this is about as much smoke, bark and flavor as you can at this point.
4. Monitor the internal temperature. You'll want to pull the brisket off between 125-130*F IT. Do not let it exceed that range.
5. After a brief cool down, seal your brisket in a vacuum bag. Prepare your sous vide bath and get your water temps up to 131*F. Place the brisket into the bath and SV for the next 52 hours for slice and more al dente finishing. Do up to 60 hours if you want a more fall apart finish.
6. When finished, plunge the hot bag into a large bowl of ice water and shock it down to below 40*F for about 30 minutes and place into your refrigerator. At this point the meat is fully cooked and can be kept for up to a week. If you don't plan to consume it right away, freeze it for later use.
7. When you do decide to serve it, simply setup your sous vide bath and re-heat it to that 131*F temperature for 1-2 hours. Carve and enjoy either as a dinner meal or in some killer sandwiches for lunch.
Again this is my lazy man's way to get brisket during the week. I do it over the weekend and leave it sit until I'm ready for it. If you have an extra hour or so, by all means give it a final smoke to re-establish that bark it took so long to achieve. QVQ is still my preferred method but this ain't too shabby !!!
Gotta admit, a deep smoke ring on rare brisket is an unusual sight !! Next I'll corn that flat and make some pastrami, stay tuned !!
Trout is out and ready for some briskie !!!
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