Sous Vide Brisket | SO EASY and Perfect

Sous Vide Brisket is just one of those things… It’s kind of intimidating And is it really worth spending 48 hours cooking it?

Spoiler alert – YES IT’S WORTH IT! And just keep on reading to see how easy it is!

The process sounds almost absurd. Take a big hunk of beef brisket, season it, then stick it in a warm water bath for 48 hours! Yep… I said 48 hours. Then a bit more seasoning and char it up in the oven for another 1-2 hours. (Check out this article for more about sous vide cooking.)

Yes, sir. That’s a lot of time to invest in one brisket. But trust me when I tell you that it’s totally worth it! And believe it or not, it’s really really easy. So let’s get to it!

How to Make Sous Vide Brisket

Season a 3-4 pound brisket liberally with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Vacuum seal in a plastic bag and submerge in a sous vide water bath that has been brought to 140 degrees. Cook for 48 hours. Remove from water bath, submerge in an ice bath for 45 minutes then remove from water bath and take out of the bag. Season again with salt and pepper. Set on a broiling rack on the bottom rack in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour to char the crust. Remove from oven. Slice against the grain and serve on a platter or in sandwiches.

What’s the Best Way to Vacuum Seal a Brisket

There are 2 ways to vacuum seal food for sous vide cooking. One is to use a vacuum sealer (this is the one I use) and the other is by the displacement method. (See this article for more detail about sous vide displacement sealing techniques.)

While I often use the water displacement method for other sous vide recipes (check out my sous vide burgers here to see), I actually prefer to vacuum seal brisket for sous vide cooking due to the length of time the beef brisket cooks in the sous vide water bath.

This ensures the air will stay out of the bag and the brisket will stay submerged, giving you the best results for your sous vide brisket.

Should I Put Sous Vide Brisket in the Oven?

Although it is not necessary to put a sous vide brisket in the oven after cooking, doing so gives a nice crunchy finish to the outside.

Traditional beef brisket has a nice, crackly, crispy, peppery crust on the exterior of the beef and the best way to accomplish this is to season it well and put it in a 300 degree oven for one hour after the sous vide cooking time is done. (And while you’re doing that, try out this sous vide infused vodka for your favorite cocktail!)

What is the Best Sous Vide Brisket Temperature?

If you look around the internet to find the best temp for sous vide beef brisket, you’ll find numbers all over the map. And that’s for good reason.

It really is a personal preference. I cooked mine at 140 degrees for 48 hours in this recipe and that gives a more traditional pull-apart texture. (And be sure to get this free Sous Vide Time and Temperature Chart for all your sous vide cooking!)

But lots of people prefer to set the temperature to 135 degrees, which yields a pink very moist, steak-like texture. And still others cook it at 180 degrees, which is great if you want complete fall-apart chunks of brisket.

The choice is yours! Just pick the sous vide brisket temp for whatever type you want, and you’ll love the results!

Which is the Best Sous Vide Circulator?

Sous vide cooking is becoming increasingly popular and it has opened all kinds of doors for the home cook. Thankfully, there are many wonderful choices when it comes to sous vide circulators.

The two sous vide machines I use the most are the Joule (for those who are a bit more techy) and the Anova Precision Cooker (for those who want to keep it quick and simple.) Both are great and I use them all the time. Instant Pot also has an entry-level sous vide circulator that is a great way to start out.

No matter which sous vide circulator you have, you’ll get great results following this sous vide brisket recipe! Don’t be put off by the length of time. Although it may seem daunting, it really takes almost no effort at all. And, yes, it’s well worth it!!