QVQ Question for Ernest, and anyone else

[Dr. Pepper]

Ernest I am near the end of the three stage QVQ brisket (when done I will post on SUWYC.) I have followed your advice.
1.Q on the KBQ to 150 with salt only

2. SV to 145 for 24 hours. (I had to separate the point and split the flat in order to fit in my 11" Food Saver bags.) Then I froze all three bags, still vacuumed. That was last month, when I thought my sister's Hanukah dinner was on Nov 4, instead of Nov 5!)

3. Today's the dinner. I pulled from the freezer 5 days ago. Today I pepper'ed them, and am smoking at 190-200 +/- with a target of 145 IT. As I type, the KBQ is at 196, and the point is at 123, and the flat pieces are at 120 and 115 (I will rotate that rack.)

My question to you: Does 2-3 hours at 190-210 set a bark adequately, vs a higher temp?
I plan on wrapping in paper and putting in my cambro for a few hours pending the dinner.

PS, I took the purge, and wiped the gelatin off the meat on removing from the SV bags. Made a butter/flour roux, added the liquids after boiling and straining, and have a nice batch of very flavorful gravy.

[CaptainMike]

Well, I ain't Ernest, not by a long shot, but I'll be earnest and say that while I have only done 2 QVQ briskets, both came out fantastic, perhaps the best I've ever done. I followed a similar process as you have with the exception of reheating at 250. The higher temp did reset the bark nicely.

I did one for Thanksgiving and my mother-in-law took one bite and exclaimed "Wow, this melts in your mouth!" That's about as good a compliment as it gets and you could have knocked me over with a feather.

Here's a great resource that Potkettleblack shared not too long ago: Sous-B-Q Archives - Sous Vide Resources Perhaps PKB will chime in as well.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

This post has the answer. I took my QVQ pork butts to well over 135 when reheating and they were amazing. I was cooking at 300+ actually to get them over 145 so I could drive to the picnic in time.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...38#post1075438

[Dr. Pepper]

Aha! Leave it to the Physics Doc! Thanks CaptainMike IFindZeroBadCooks Ernest and fzxdoc And the rest of you.

[Potkettleblack]

I’m late to the party and gonna be a bit heterodox, and say that, for brisket beyond medium rare with QVQ, the finish IT is less important that fixing the bark.

I haven’t checked Ernest’s process, and TBH, I’d probably go with his process ahead of mine, so grains of salt and 16 mesh pepper for my opinions on brisket. I just don’t do enough of them.

[Dr. Pepper]

Thanks, Potkettleblack CaptainMike IFindZeroBadCooks I finished the brisket, and we had it for our Hanukah dinner. I will be posting on SUWYC, but a teaser: Next time I will use the KBQ the whole way, no SV. Why: Texture & bark

[Spinaker]

Not much on QVQ, mostly cause I am not retired like a lot of you fine gents and I don't have that kinda time for all these steps. (That is my excuse anyway, LOL)

However, that GRAVY?????? Um, that might be worth every one of these steps.

Looking forward to your results, Doc.

[58limited]

Yep, the purge makes great gravy. "Purge" sounds kinda gross, I call it Gravy Base.

[Troutman]

I'm not sure if Ernest is a QVQ guy or not. Sorry I just now ran across this myself or I would have directed you to my premier on the topic. I've actually gotten away from the first Q in high temp brisket and chuck because it doesn't add anything to the final outcome. I explain in the write-up.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/beef-steak-brisket-roasts-prime-rib-etc/1090478-svq-%E2%80%93-30-day-dry-aged-select-brisket-to-conventional-finish-%E2%80%93-step-by-step

[Dr. Pepper]

I had saved your treatise when you first posted it, Sifu.

[Ernest]

My apologies for the late response, I just got the notification today.
How did it go?
You know you didn't have to defrost the meat. You can go from freezer to KBQ.
Cold wet meat attracts smoke

[Dr. Pepper]

Thanks, Ernest
I posted my experience here: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...94#post1138394

[fzxdoc]

Polarbear777 recommends smoking at 350° to an IT of 135°. He says that smoking at the higher temp hardens the bark. He cooks his Pastrami and Brisket the same way. Here's the link. I've used his method a few times with good results, FWIW.

Also, for the next SVQ brisket, I'm thinking of pouring the purge off the meat into a fat separator, then microwaving/filtering the juice before bagging and plunging it into an ice bath. Scraping the gelatinous purge off the cold meat is off-putting to me, plus the meat, sitting in the fridge for several hours may harden on the surface a bit leading to better bark. Thinking out loud here...

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

Dr. Pepper
Oh, I never waste a purge! I just wouldn't allow it to gelatinize on the meat in the fridge and have to scrape it off. I like the idea that you used it for gravy. Troutman pours it on the brisket, in lieu of spraying, as he smokes it, saying the brisket soaks it up.

So many good options!

K.

[Dr. Pepper]

So, that's why you asked about collecting the purge right after the sous vide, before either refrigerating or freezing. 🤔

[fzxdoc]

Dr. Pepper

Yup.