Sous Vide Smoked Beef Brisket Recipe + Video! No Grill Required

Have you wondered how to sous vide brisket? There’s nothing quick about this delicious sous vide recipe, but it’s super easy: a great make ahead dish for parties and entertaining, easy for weeknights, and an easy work lunch.

This guide is perfect for a 3-5 LB brisket.

Do not miss the step by step sous vide beef brisket recipe video at the end of the post!

In celebration of the launch of my new book this week, I’m sharing this brisket sous vide recipe from The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

I love to make sous vide beef for a family dinner one evening and then reheat the leftovers next day for lunch: think barbecue brisket sandwiches or quesadillas. 

This beef sous vide recipe with a long cook time is an ideal sous vide recipe for a crowd. But it’s simple enough to put together; you’ll want to make it just for yourself sometimes too. In my house, we don’t mined a slow cook — especially when it comes to sous vide cooked beef.

New to sous vide techniques? Learn why is sous vide so popular.

Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy good cuisine.

Bake a few potatoes, pour yourself a glass of something yummy, and sit down to this 24 hour brisket sous vide style: smokey, juicy, and mouthwatering.

If you’re looking for something else delicious and easy to sous vide, see my favorite sous vide beef recipes.

What is sous vide brisket like? 

Think: delicious! After cooking, sous vide cooked brisket is extremely soft – your teeth should slide right through it, although it will still hold its shape.

Ingredients for sous vide style brisket

To make this sous vide brisket you’ll want 3-5 pounds of beef brisket, depending on how many people you anticipate serving.

Check your cupboard to make sure you have cumin, olive oil, smoked salt and pepper, and if you don’t put them on the shopping list too.

Not only will you use them for the brisket, you’ll want them for other sous vide main dishes later.

Will it fit?

We had to cut down this 5+ LB brisket because it wouldn’t fit in the sous vide bath container.

If you run into this same issue and have to cut your brisket for it to fit, you can sous vide two briskets at once (in separate gallon or vacuum bags) or save the other piece for another day.

If you sous vide multiple briskets at once, make sure they are separated in the water bath.

Have a smoker? Check out this smoked brisket flat.

How to make sous vide brisket

Step 1. Fill the water bath.

Preheat sous vide machine to 135ºF.

Step 2. While the sous vide bath preheats, rub brisket with dry rub seasonings. 

Step 3. Heat cast iron pan to medium-high and add olive oil. 

Step 4. When the pan is hot and shiny, add brisket and sear each side for 3 to 5 minutes to create a thick brown bark.

Step 5. Vacuum-seal it and add brisket to the sous vide bath.

Don’t forget to cover the water bath for this 2 day brisket.

Sous vide means “under water” – so you want to cover the sous vide beef to stay fully emerged in water for the 48 hour cook time.

If you don’t have a lid that fits your container, cover the water with foil and a kitchen towel to retain the heat.

How long does it take to sous vide a brisket?

You will want to cook the brisket for 48 hours. Because this cut of meat is generally tougher, a long cook time will allow the brisket to become nice and tender.

What is the perfect temperature for brisket?

The sous vide bath should be at 135ºF. This is a good temperature for your precision cooker to cook the meat to about medium rare. This brisket will melt in your mouth once it’s done!

Stop the heat with an ice bath

Step 6. When done, remove the brisket from the hot water and transfer it to an ice bath to cool down and come to room temperature. 

The easy way to finish brisket after sous vide cooking

To finish brisket, simply pull apart the beef with two forks.

If you prefer sliced brisket, you can also cut it in ¼ inch slices. Then stick your brisket in the broiler or in the smoker– more details on those two options below. 

Check out more of my favorite game day recipes. 

Finishing sous vide brisket in the oven broiler

Finishing in the oven broiler is a quick way to get a crisp finish, but it works best if you’re starting with a chilled brisket. 

Add a little BBQ sauce (optional, but good!) and stick it in the oven in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet; then turn the broiler on high for about five minutes.  

Warning, though: set a timer and don’t leave the brisket in the oven broiler too long!

If you overdo this step your sous vide brisket will heat up too much and cook beyond what you wanted. 

Finishing in a Smoker

If you prefer some intense smoky taste, try finishing your sous vide brisket in the smoker.

This is not the best way to finish brisket if you’re in a hurry. To get the best flavor you’ll need around three hours in the smoker. 

For this method, pre-chilling is a must, and the smoker will preheat it to 225-250 degrees.

You don’t want the internal temperature to go higher than about 155 F. 

If it fits better into your schedule, you can also smoke your brisket before sous viding it. 

Want to learn more about using a smoker? Check out this post on smoking meat for beginners!

Tips for storing and reheating sous vide brisket

How to refrigerate brisket

If you’d like to store your brisket in the refrigerator, cut it into thin slices first so it can cool within the recommended two hours to store safely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

How to freeze it

Freezing allows you to really plan ahead. Slice brisket into slices and store your slices in a sealed plastic bag for up to three months.

Reheating brisket in the sous vide bath

The best way to reheat brisket with the sous vide technique is to steam the moisture back in it – in the sous vide bath. Use the same brisket temperature. 

Unsliced brisket will take 20-30 minutes to reheat, while sliced pieces will reheat quicker.

Of coarse, you can always reheat brisket a million other ways.

I often reheat it in BBQ sauce with a tablespoon of water, in a pan on the stove.

What to serve with brisket

I like to serve this sous vide main dish with potato salad, beans, or in tacos. Leftovers usually become brisket scrambles, smoked brisket nachos, or breakfast tacos.

Brisket is an easy sous vide beef recipe to feed a crowd. It makes my list of top sous vide dishes for entertaining. 

Turn this recipe into tacos or brisket sandwiches.

Keeping low carb but want a pasta dish for your brisket? Check out this spinach pesto lasagna made with almond flour noodles!

Wine Pairing  

Try a strong and spicy red that can stand up to the smokey flavor of this sous vide brisket, like an Australian Shiraz.

Plating Tips 

I like to either pull apart or thinly slice brisket for serving.

Final tips for making brisket sous vide style

• With a long cook like this one, check the water level and make sure the beef remains fully submerged during the cook. I use something to block the heat from escaping the water – like tin foil or a sous vide bath lid to keep the water contained. 
• For a stronger flavor to your brisket, cool it in its cooking liquid to give it even more time to soak in the flavors. Then reheat the following day for an even stronger flavor.
• Finishing tip. If you finish it your brisket in the oven, be careful not to leave it under the broiler too longer. You want a crispy bark, but you don’t want the meat to overheat and start cooking again. 

The sky’s the limit when it comes to sous vide beef.

There are many ways you can vary my core recipe, and all the results vary slightly. Experiment to find what you like best.

The Perfect Sous Vide Setup

Everyday I’m asked, “what do you need to sous vide food?”. Here’s my answer.

1. A sous vide machine.
   Option 1: “stick” models like the Joule, Anova, or Instant Pot Slim.
   Option 2: “multipot” models like the SousPreme or InstantPot Duo Evo Plus.
2. Sous vide container.
   If using a sous vide “stick” model, you need something to hold the water the food cooks in, like a bucket or stockpot.
3. Bags to cook sous vide food.
   Keep it simple and sous vide in ziplock gallon bags, or get fancy like me with a vacuum sealer setup.
4. Nice-to-have accessories for sous vide cooking.
   – Sous vide weights to hold down food that floats.
   – Mini mason jars for desserts and sous vide egg bites.
   – Cast iron skillet to sear sous vide steaks to finish them.
5. My sous vide cookbook with 100+ recipes.

Other recipes readers like…

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• How to Sous Vide Frozen Steak
• Keto Sous Vide

Share your brisket 

If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t eat it it till it’s photographed– you need to share that beauty with the world! Include #sipbitego and tag @sipbitego on Instagram – I’d love to see your pic.