This delicious sous vide smoked beef brisket recipe takes time, but you’ll be rewarded with an absolutely delicious feast. This recipe cooks in a sous vide bath and is finished off in a smoker (or an oven). The texture is perfect and the flavor is out of this world.
My favorite combination of kitchen gadgets: my immersion circulator (for sous vide) and my smoker. Sous vide guarantees the perfect texture and the juiciest meat without having to babysit the cook. My smoker gives my cooks that classic smoky bark I’m looking for when it comes to BBQ.
There is no question: this recipe takes effort and time. But it is WORTH IT. Believe me.
After you’ve made this recipe, I’ve got plenty of other sous vide beef recipes for you here on the blog and in my cookbooks, Everyday Sous Vide and Sous Vide Meal Prep. Can you tell I like sous vide cooking?
What You Need to Make Sous Vide and Smoked Brisket
I keep the seasoning really simple with salt, pepper, and curing salt, but you can opt for a rub if you prefer. Spiceology has some great ones.
- Obviously, you’ll need a beef brisket. Costco generally has some but you can often find them in your local grocery store or head to your local butcher.
- Kosher Salt. I usually use Diamond Crystal.
- Black Pepper. Freshly cracked, if you please.
- Pink curing salt. You can easily get this on Amazon. You can skip this if you want, but it definitely helps achieve that pink color.
You will need a few gadgets to pull this off. You can skip the smoker and finish this beef brisket in the oven if you’d like, but a smoker is great for achieving that classic brisket flavor.
- Immersion circulator for sous vide. I’ve been loving the Joule lately!
- A vacuum sealer. I’ve been using one from Mueller that works well.
- A large container for the water bath. You could use a cooler – I like to use Cambro containers. You can also get these at restaurant supply stores.
- A smoker. We have the Green Mountain Grill Davy Crockett – it’s the perfect size for our tiny balcony!
How to Make a Rub for Brisket
I wanted to keep this rub really simple and traditional, so mine contains only three ingredients:
- 65 g kosher salt
- 30 g black pepper
- 7 g pink curing salt
If you cook or bake a lot, it’s worth getting a kitchen scale. It’s so much more accurate than measuring and frankly, easier!
Then really rub it into the brisket. I’m talkin’ all the nooks and crannies.
Time and Temperature for Sous Vide Brisket
Before cooking, you’ll want to vacuum seal the brisket. If you find it’s difficult to fit into vacuum seal bags, cut it into smaller pieces.
Okay, let’s get to the sous viding! Wondering what temperature to sous vide brisket and for how long?
Time and temp for beef brisket: 155 degrees F for 36 hours.
Long cooks like this tend to create air pockets in the bags, so make sure to weigh down the bag of brisket. I usually use a combination of sous vide magnets and a ceramic dinner plate or bowl – don’t overthink it.
How to Smoke Sous Vide Brisket
After the brisket is done cooking in the sous vide bath, the best way to finish it is on the smoker (although the oven will work, too, if you don’t have a smoker). To avoid the meat getting tough, I like a quick smoke of 250 degrees F for 2-3 hours, or until a nice bark has formed.
To finish in the oven, cook at 300 degrees F for 1 hours.
You’ll know it’s finished when it has a deep, even bark all over the surface! Then slice and serve.
What is traditionally served with beef brisket?
Don’t worry, I’ve got your side dish ideas to round this out into an incredible spread!
- Warm Potato Salad
- Skillet Cornbread
- Not Your Average Mac and Cheese
- Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
- Perfect Dinner Rolls
- Easy Baked Beans
Looking for a DIY BBQ sauce to baste with? Try my Plum BBQ Sauce!
If you make this recipe and like it, please leave a rating and review. It means the world to me, and it helps other people find this recipe!
You can also view this recipe as a step-by-step web story.
Get the Recipe:
Sous Vide Smoked Beef Brisket
Ingredients
- 1 Half Brisket, about 7 pounds
- 65 grams kosher salt, 1/4 cup
- 30 grams black pepper, 5 tsp
- 7 grams pink curing salt, 1 1/4 tsp
Equipment
- Smoker
- Sous Vide Magnets optional
Instructions
- Preheat a sous vide water bath to 155 degrees Fahrenheit using an immersion circulator.
- Combine salts and pepper in a small bowl. Rub thoroughly all over the brisket, getting into all the nooks and crannies.
- Vacuum seal the brisket. If the brisket is too big for your bags, cut it into smaller pieces and seal in multiple bags.
- Add the bag(s) to the preheated water bath and cook for 36 hours. Weigh the bag down with sous vide magnets and a ceramic plate or bowl.
- When finished, remove from the water bath and vacuum seal bags. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Preheat a smoker to 250 degrees F or your oven to 300 degrees F. Add the brisket and cook for 2-3 hours on the smoker or 1 hours in the oven. It's finished when there's a deep bark all over the brisket.
- Slice into 1/2 inch slices and serve with barbecue sauce.
Made this for Christmas dinner and it was amazing!!!
I love this recipe. I have tried several different recipes and this is my favorite. I always get rave reviews from my guests.
That’s so awesome!!! So glad you enjoy it!
It does seem like an excessive time requirement… However the hour prep Tim save overnight vigil tending smoker fires
The final six hours , smoked with Texas pecan produces a memorable meal.
Interesting recipe……a couple of questions please. Which part of the Brisket are you referring to here ( recipe calls for 1/2 a brisket ) flat or the point? I think whatever half you use, that it would make a difference in cooking times, temps, etc ).
Also, as I look at this recipe, I am thinking that if your smoked the brisket for a couple of hours FIRST ( you would get a better smoke ) and then sous vide and follow up with more smoke ( or heat ) to the ideal temp, again depending on whether it is a flat to the point.
I wonder the same thing.
In the oven or smoker the temperature will start rising. Is there a maximum internal temperature at which you pull the Brisket out?
I don’t like it to get above 160F!
I have a question…
I did not get the meat in the sous vide early enough. It has been in almost 15 hours, it is 9:30 am and I have to serve it tonight. Can I smoke it longer?
Yes you can!
I have made this several times and love it.
I followed the instructions and my brisket was dry AF!
I’m sorry to hear this, Tom – I’d love to hear more and see if I can improve the recipe.
Based on the video you posted where you are slicing the cap, it looks super dry. For the amount of time you’re investing here, you may as well smoke it the whole way through. I’m not making this based simply on how bad it looks in the video.
Chelsea I am wondering what the oven finish is for? Is it just for bark? Seems like the brisket would be cooked from the sous vide stage and flavored from the smoking stage. The oven seems like it would just risk drying out the brisket.
Sorry for the confusion – the oven is meant to be an alternative way to finish if you don’t have a smoker!
DO NOT PUT PINK CURE IN YOUR RUB It is highly toxic and is supposed to be washed off before preparation for cooking
Thank you for sharing your concerns about using pink curing salt in a rub. It’s important to discuss and clarify this for everyone’s safety and understanding. Pink curing salt, also known as Prague Powder #1 or #2 depending on the type, is formulated specifically for curing meats and does contain sodium nitrite and sometimes sodium nitrate. These compounds play a crucial role in preventing the growth of harmful bacteria, such as Clostridium botulinum, and in preserving both the color and flavor of the meat during the curing process.
It’s a common misconception that pink curing salt is ‘highly toxic’ in the context of its intended culinary use. While it’s true that sodium nitrite/nitrate can be toxic in large doses, the concentrations used in curing are regulated and safe when used according to guidelines. The key is in the precision of application—measuring the correct amount based on the weight of the meat to ensure that the final product is both safe and delicious.
Regarding the washing off before cooking, this advice might stem from an overabundance of caution or confusion with other non-culinary uses of salts with similar colors. The safety and efficacy of pink curing salt in meat preparation are well-documented, and when used correctly, there’s no need to rinse the meat after curing before cooking. In fact, the properties of pink curing salt are such that the amounts absorbed by the meat are at safe levels for consumption, contributing to the characteristic flavors and textures of cured meats like bacon, ham, and pastrami.
For anyone interested in the science and safety standards around curing salts, I recommend looking into resources from food safety organizations and culinary experts on the subject. It’s fascinating to learn how these processes have been perfected over time to balance safety with culinary artistry.
If you have the time, would you brine it before the sous-vide? I am thinking of brining it for 2-3 days, then sous-vide without the rub in the vacuum bag.
I think that would be delicious!
The video says 150 degrees for 6 hours but the instructions say 250 degrees for 2-3 hours. Which is best?
We’ve made this a couple times, it’s great and you can control your timing. What’s a delicious add is taking all the juice from the sous vide bags and reducing it with brown sugar (to taste). It will make the best BBQ sauce!. I also use some of the juice & brown sugar with cubed brisket tip to make burnt ends in the last hour of smoking.
So glad you like it!! I love using the bag juices!