Thanks Spinaker!
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dirtman
Kenji is a bit of a dabbler when it comes to SV.
Norm is King (it's his last name)
For your plan, or at least to contrast with Kenji's,
Try:Naked Sous Vide 150Fx24. Shock down to fridge temp, fridge overnight. Rub, then smoke at 180 for 6 hours. Alternatively 225 for four. If you have to season before, salt. About half what a traditional brisket recipe would have. Or less.
That should produce results similar to the St. Helens brisket in the linked article.
I prefer a smoke-sous-smoke process with a lower sous temp for the elusive med-rare tender brisket, but if you want something more towards traditional, sous-smoke is workable.
I dunno that I see the point of injecting a sous vide brisket. Sous-vide at 150-155 will produce a LOT of purge. Norm got 5 cups. Your mileage will vary, but be in the same ballpark, or at least national park. At any rate, since that 150+ temp is squeezing a lot of liquid out of the brisket, I don't see the point of adding a lot of liquid that isn't going to be in the muscle fibers... it's just gonna flavor the purge, which is already culinary gold.
You can rub ahead of sous, but I don't find it makes a better bark. Smoke-Sous-Smoke makes the best bark, imho.
don't get me wrong. I love Kenji. But he's not as full on committed to sous as someone like Norm, so he tests something, but he doesn't do a ton of community discussion, so Norm leverages folks like The Alcoholian, Kosher Dosher, and even PotkettleBlack on occasion. There are only so many briskets that Kenji can cook.Comment
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Potkettleblack Thanks! I have read the article and it has lots of detail. I didn't see where he ever discussed which of the 3 methods he preferred. I did post to the comment section asking Lipavi's opinion but have not heard back.
To clarify if I SV first and finish on the smoker you would recommend brining with 1/2 typical amount MH advocates and not to rub until after SV/ice bath/fridge/dry brisket and then ultimately Rub and put on the smoker?
I will try SV medium rare brisket sometime but I think I will try that for a small gathering. This is for our Super Bowl party and unfortunately my buddies are like average Joe and "ruin" their steaks by wanting medium well. Unfortunately, I think pink Brisket would keep them from eating.
I can't remember where but I also read that someone really enjoyed fat that had been cooked SV/Smoke. I typically clean mine per MH at about 1/8 of inch as well as dig out much between the flat and the point.
Thanks for everyone's input!Comment
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If you're frisky, beat an eggwhite to until it's fairly even in texture, brush a thin coat on the brisket, then rub. The eggwhite will make the rub adhere much better and will form the bark a little stiffer. -
Potkettleblack, am I correct that you prefer smoke/SV/smoke? -
Yes. I do. I think the smoke flavor is better developed and the bark comes out a bit better.
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Will probably try this on my next brisket.
Modified from an earlier experiment I did with chuck roasts after studying PKBs methods. The chuck had the best smoke and moistness I’ve ever tried.
1. Dry brine plus BBBR 24 hours ahead ( I’m lazy so I just throw the rub on on top of the salt layer. One step.)
2. Smoke at 225F until about 130F IT
3. Bag the meat, vacuum seal
4. Cook in sous vide at 135F for 72 hours
5. Ice bath and put in fridge.
6. A few hours ahead of dinner, unbag and save all the purge
7. smoke at 350F to avoid the stall until an IT of 135F ( 350 hardens/dries the bark and you don’t need a stall because the time in SV took care of the collagen breakdown)
8. (Optional) And/or. Heat trimmed and rendered brisket fat to 375-400F and pour over brisket (safely, outside) right before service.
9. Remove the meat. Heat the purge and pour over after slicingComment
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Just want to share my brisket cook. I have experience cooking @ low temps but I especially don't like the raw color. It creeps me out and some of my guests as well.
So I just cooked a full packer 36 hours @ 155 degrees which is supposed to give you a "traditional texture." However, when I cut into it (prior to the final smoke) I was surprised that the whole inside was pink! I wondered what I did wrong but then I remembered a medium-well steak should have some pink in the center. Thus, with SV's even cooking the whole thing is gonna be pink.
Traditional Texture was correct, it turned out "melt-in-your-mouth" tender and rendered well without drying out. There was nothing chewy or tough that I had to spit out. It was juicy enough that I didn't even need to put the purge back in for moisture.
I was concerned about using a higher temp because there's stories all over the internet about how all the fat melted away so the meat turned into cardboard. I figured for best success I'd need a prime packer, leave some fat on and be very careful with the post smoke.
So overall I'm happy with the texture but not the color. Note how the top half is tan and the bottom is pink. After the final smoke I took it out at 135 IT but the resting temp spiked way more than I thought. So the top half went into the well-done zone and changed color while I kept the bottom cooler than the cook temp which is how it's supposed to be done.
So next time I'll try a "well done" temp (160-165) @ 24 hours. Once I get the color I want then I won't have to worry about running too hot on the final smoke to get rid of the pink. I'll set the bark the same way - hot & fast @ 350 then pull at 125 IT.
Brisket salute: good luck on your long journey!
Slippery plate after eating:
Last edited by Larry Grover; December 29, 2018, 03:31 AM.Comment
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