How to Smoke and Sous Vide Brisket

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Are you looking to try smoked sous vide brisket? When my wife added a sous vide to the kitchen collection, I researched it and realized it could add some delicious flavors to my BBQing.

I used to think it was for fancy-smancy Michelin-star restaurants. But the sous vide helped produce one of the BEST briskets I’ve ever cooked. The brisket turned out delicious, tender, juicy and melted in your mouth.

Are you convinced yet? I didn’t think so. Below, I’ll show you exactly how to smoke and sous vide brisket like a professional. But first, let’s start with the basics: What is sous vide, and how does it work?

How Does The Sous Vide Work?

Sous vide is a French technique where food is vacuum-packed into a bag and then cooked to a precise temperature in a water bath.

Sous vide has existed since the 1960s. However, it was an exclusive method practiced by chefs because the equipment was far too expensive. Now, with entry-level devices available, home cooks can try sous vide!

Submerging the meat into a water bath, with the help of a heater known as an immersion circulator, heats the water to an exact temperature. This is precisely why sous vide became popular: the device won’t go over 132°F. So your food is always near perfect.

But How Do You Get The Smoky Flavor in Sous Vide Beef Brisket?

Sous vide can outperform your BBQ tenfold. You can leave the meat for hours in the water bath and let the temperature break down the connective tissue without losing moisture. The result? Juicy, tender beef.

But what about the smoky flavor of barbecue? The sous vide will not add the smoky flavor, so we smoke it after it has been sous vided.

If you enjoy this recipe, try my sous vide London broil.

Unsure of how to smoke a brisket?
We have a guide on how to smoke meat here!
It will take you on your journey to becoming a pitmaster!

The Tools You Need For Sous Vide Beef Brisket

Immersion Circulator: this is another name for a sous vide.

Vacuum Sealer or Ziplock Bags: You will also need bags to seal your food. While sous vide is typically used with a vacuum sealer, it isn’t essential for cooking at home, as you can use freeze-safe zipper bags.

Smoker: I have a Pit Boss Navigator, but you can use any smoker. You can use the charcoal snake method or a smoke tube using a grill.

Large Container: You need a large container for the water bath; it needs to be large enough to fit the meat and the immersion circulator.

Sous Vide Brisket Recipe: My 8-Step Guide

1. Pick Your Rub: I usually use 1/3 cup of store-bought rub or combine three tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of crushed black pepper. You can see more of my brisket rubs here
2. Give Your Brisket a Rub – Give the whole brisket a good rub down. Don’t just do the top; give the entire piece some loving!
3. Cut it in Half – Cut your brisket in half at this point and seal them separately in vacuum bags.
4. Preheat The Sous Vide – Preheat your sous vide. At this point, you have two choices. If you like your brisket moist and tender, set the sous vide to 155°F, or if you’re looking for a meatier, more steak-like texture, try 135°F.
5. Sous Vide Brisket Times & Temperatures—If cooking at 155°F, set your time to 24 to 36 hours. If cooking at 135°F, set your time to 36 to 72 hours. It’s good to cover the top of the sous vide when you’re doing a long cook.
6. Smoke it Up! Preheat your smoker to 250°F (149°C). I recommend hickory or mesquite if you like a deep, smoky flavor. Once up to temperature, place the brisket in the smoker or grill. Make sure it is away from any direct heat. You want to get it to an internal temperature of 195°F. I find this usually takes around 2 – 2.5 hours.
7. It’s time to Slice and Serve! Tent your brisket with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then, slice it thinly with a carving knife.
8. Got some leftovers? Try one of these recipes for leftover brisket, or my family’s favorite recipe is brisket pie. My mom makes it after a big cookout!

Reheating Brisket Using a Sous Vide

Using a sous vide is also one of the best ways to reheat brisket. It ensures you it stays juicy and moist. Many other methods dry out the brisket.

Looking for a tasty sauce for your sous vide brisket? Take the juices that come out of the meat to turn them into a sauce!  Just put the liquid into a pan, with a bit of butter and herbs, or use a bit of flour to thicken it and turn it into a gravy. Bloody delicious!

Sous Vide Smoked Brisket

Charlie

Turn your tough brisket in a tender fall apart cut with some super smoky flavors

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 days d 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 days d 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, main

Cuisine American, Barbecue, bbq, grill

Servings 8 serves

Calories 512 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 whole beef brisket flat up to 8 pounds
• 1/3 cup of store-bought rub or combine three tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of crushed black pepper.

Instructions

 

• Pick Your Rub: I usually use 1/3 cup of store-bought rub or combine three tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of crushed black pepper. You can see more of my brisket rubs here
• Give Your Brisket a Rub – Give the whole brisket a good rub down. Don’t just do the top; give the entire piece some loving!
• Cut it in Half – Cut your brisket in half at this point and seal them separately in vacuum bags.
• Preheat The Sous Vide – Preheat your sous vide. At this point, you have two choices. If you like your brisket moist and tender, set the sous vide to 155°F, or if you’re looking for a meatier, more steak-like texture, try 135°F.
• Sous Vide Brisket Times & Temperatures—If cooking at 155°F, set your time to 24 to 36 hours. If cooking at 135°F, set your time to 36 to 72 hours. It’s good to cover the top of the sous vide when you’re doing a long cook.
• Smoke it Up! Preheat your smoker to 250°F (149°C). I recommend hickory or mesquite if you like a deep, smoky flavor. Once up to temperature, place the brisket in the smoker or grill. Make sure it is away from any direct heat. You want to get it to an internal temperature of 195°F. I find this usually takes around 2 – 2.5 hours.
• It’s time to Slice and Serve! Tent your brisket with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then, slice it thinly with a carving knife.

Keyword Brisket, Smoked Brisket, sous vide beef

Other Delicious Sous Vide Brisket Ideas!

Don’t get me wrong, I love smoked brisket; however, there are many more ways to use the sous vide! Like the sous vide ribeye steaks, tri tip, or salmon, it’s actually easing then grilling them and more tasty!

You can also try sous vide beef shanks, it’s way better than braising them I promise! If you’re wondering if you can sous vide frozen steak, you can, you can need to follow these steps.

Not only do I love good old American BBQ, but I also love French cooking! When I came across this Beef Bourguignon, I had to try it. It was incredible and took me back to my younger years traveling around France trying all the local food!

Wrapping It Up

Sous vide allows us to have the best of both worlds. Using it, we have created the most tender meat and the incredible flavors that can come out of our smoker and grill.

Author: Charlie Reeves
Hi, I’m Charlie, I am head taste tester at Simply Meat Smoking! I love it grilling, smoking, and getting out in the yard with the kids! The family also love to test all my recipes (especially my EXTRA CRISPY pulled pork, smoky pork loin, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill)

You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling adventures with you!

You can read more on our About Us page.

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