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Brisket cook-off: sous-vide first or last recipes?

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    Brisket cook-off: sous-vide first or last recipes?

    For fun, I've invited some friends over to help me judge whether sous-vide first or last is the best approach for brisket. It's easy to find the sv first recipe from seriouseats, but despite several references to people preferring the smoking first, I can't find a reference to the specific suggestions. Thanks for any help! Here is my current plan (comments welcome):

    Starting with 14 pound SRF Black:

    * Separate the Point & cook traditional BBQ style (I can't figure out how to split the entire packer in a way that will fit my sous-vide, so thinking to split off the point) on my pellet cooker
    * Cut the flat in half, and cook one part s.v. first (155 for 36 hours, then frig overnight, then smoker until serving temp) and the other half smoker first (this is where I'd love some ideas, otherwise will just make a guess).

    -- David

    #2
    My gut reaction (besides saying "WHY?!?") would be to smoke until you hit the stall, hoping for a decent bark, then SV from there shooting for 195F IT with the intention of finishing in the smoker to about 200F to set the bark.

    Comment


      #3
      I did before smoking and after smoking with the pastrami recipe and I much prefer it after smoking.

      Comment


      • boftx
        boftx commented
        Editing a comment
        Not being one who uses SV, this is a thought experiment for me. One thing that does cross my mind is what is the impact of using SV for the second half of the cook when the fat and connective tissues would normally render out and be collected in the wrap (if any)?

      • Jerod Broussard
        Jerod Broussard commented
        Editing a comment
        I used mine after the cook to reheat and tenderize a tad more for pastrami rather than steaming. I would love to be able to hold a bunch of fully cooked briskets with SV at 145. I have no desire to SV a regular smoked brisket for any part of the cook itself.

      #4
      I did a point in the PBC to a good bark (~170F), then SV at 195F for 3 hours. It was quite good, and I think I prefer it to using an aluminum foil wrap. Posted pics on here somewhere.

      Comment


        #5
        Originally posted by Jerod Broussard View Post
        I did before smoking and after smoking with the pastrami recipe and I much prefer it after smoking.
        Jerod - I saw your pastrami comparison, but what I wondered about was whether the greater-reliance on bark for brisket would change things. More specifically, for the brisket where I smoke, then sous-vide, I kind of assume I'd need to do something to restore the bark, but I'm not sure what that would be (torch, sear, short cook?) Any advice welcome.

        Comment


        • Jerod Broussard
          Jerod Broussard commented
          Editing a comment
          If you got bark no worries. I had mine in the bag for just over 2 hours in a 195 bath. It did not do one thing to the bark, negatively speaking. David Parrish did 4 hours. I've always stated to people who worry about losing their bark when they wrap, "if ya got bark, it ain't goin' no where."

        • David C
          David C commented
          Editing a comment
          Jerod Broussard -- Thanks!!

        #6
        Originally posted by johnec00 View Post
        I did a point in the PBC to a good bark (~170F), then SV at 195F for 3 hours. It was quite good, and I think I prefer it to using an aluminum foil wrap. Posted pics on here somewhere.
        john -- Did you do anything after the sous-vide to "restore" the bark, or was it okay even after that time in the water bath?

        Comment


        #7
        Okay, did a 3-way "taste test" using an SRF Black brisket:

        * Point cooked "traditional" (pellet smoker, about 225-235F)
        * 1/2 flat sous-vide @ 155F for 36 hours, frig overnight, then smoke @ 225-235 to get bark (internal got to 170, maybe too high?, but I was having some trouble with my iGrill probes and things got away from me)
        * 1/2 flat smoked for a few hours to get bark, then 195F sous-vide for 4 hours, then Cambro, then quick sear.

        Group of friends almost all rated traditional the best (of course it's cheating, as its the Point!), although one preferred the smoke then s.v. -- which is good to know because that seems like a good way to spread out serving a huge brisket if you don't have a big group. No one preferred the sous-vide, then smoke (it was the driest of the 3, for whatever reason).

        So, not very scientific, and this is the first time I've done the combo methods, but still, I was happy with the experience and resulting knowledge. Sorry, no pix, as this (along with all the side dishes and entertaining) got to be a lot to keep track of when I had a house full of hungry guests.

        Comment


        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          Good job, thanks for the experiment.

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