Sous Vide Brisket

This horrible sacrilegious recipe describes how to make something that supposedly tastes like the finest BBQ brisket using a sous vide bath.

I'm going to try it, but it rambles on and on, so I'll summarize the choices I'm picking here:

The Rub

• 55g peppercorns, coarsely ground (but not chunky)
• 65g kosher salt

The Bath

• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke added to the bags

The Brisket

• 5 lbs flat cut (OK, so the one I got was 4lb, too bad)

Rub the brisket all over with 2/3 of the combined pepper and salt mixture. Probably need to cut in half and use two bags for the bath. Add 4 drops (1/8 teaspoon) liquid smoke to each bag (it is powerful stuff - don't overdo).

Put in sous vide bath at 155 for 36 hours. Allow to cool to room temp before proceeding. (You can refrigerate for a week if you want at this point).

Preheat oven to 300. Remove brisket from bag and blot dry with paper towels. Rub with the remaining 1/3 of the salt and pepper mixture.

Place brisket on wire rack on baking sheet fat side up and roast for probably 2 hours till deep dark bark has formed.

Place on cutting board, tent with foil and rest for about 30min till between 145 and 165, then slice and enjoy.

Results

Wow! It really is terrific. Juicy and tender and flavorful. No sauce required for terrific wraps. I'll find out if I can reheat it to the same qualify next time I want some. Probably heat up in a foil pack in the oven with some of the juice (which I saved and have a vast quantity of now).

Re-heating in foil with a little of the saved juices works great. I use a 275 oven for 15 or 20 minutes and the slices come out just as juicy and tender as they were when I first cut it.

Notes

It takes a long time to grind out 55g of pepper, even with the Unicorn. I'm glad I've got a pepper canon on order (maybe to get here sometime this month) for the next time.

Since I'm leaving it in for 36 hours, I setup the pot in the back room and used towels to "insulate" it to hopefully give it less work to keep it at temperature. Also put plastic wrap on top to keep evaporation down. I hope we have no power flickers for the next couple of days.