Barbecue, Beef Brisket, Recipe
Sous Vide Brisket
Nov
Sous Vide Brisket
In January 2024 I was lucky enough to attend Camp Brisket at Texas A&M. For more information about Camp Brisket click here. One our presenters taught us how to smoke a brisket, freeze it and reheat it using a sous vide. In November 2024 I was able to use the method and found it to be as good as he said.
The story the teach began his presentation with was: “My wife and I like to serve brisket for parties occasionally. My wife wants to has dinner served at 6pm. The problem with that is brisket is done when brisket is done. To preserve my marriage I had to come up with a way to have the brisket ready when Momma want it. That is when I decided to try smoking a brisket or two weeks early, vacuum pack it and freeze it. Then defrost it days early and put it in a sous vide bath hours before the party. Lastly, cut it out of the vacuum packing and serve”.
I can validate that this method works!
This method is great when you’re smoking well ahead and freezing. If you’re cooking same-day and just want to hit an exact serving time without the freezer step, the Brisket Hold Calculator works backward from your serving time to tell you exactly when to start smoking and how long to hold.
Here’s what I did.
On Saturday night I smoked a 20 pound prime brisket from Sam’s Club. I followed my Overnight Brisket method.
After defrosting the brisket, place it in a sous vide bath set to 140 degrees F / 60 degrees C and heat for several hours until heated throughout. After reheated pull from bath, remove from vacuum packing, slice and enjoy.
Not freezing this time? The Brisket Hold Calculator will tell you exactly when to start your smoke and how long to hold so it’s ready the moment you want to serve.
How To
- Smoke your brisket
- Cool the brisket by putting it in a large ziplock bag in an ice bath
- Vacuum pack the brisket
- Freeze the brisket
- Defrost the brisket – plan on 24 hours per 5 pounds
- Reheat the brisket in a sous vide bath using these items
- Fill container with water
- Set the sous vide to 140 degrees F / 60 degrees C
- Place brisket still in vacuum packing into water bath
- 10 to 15 minutes before serving time remove brisket from sous vide bath
- Remove from vacuum packing
- Slice and enjoy
FAQ
Can you freeze a smoked brisket and reheat it later?
Yes. Smoke it fully, cool it in an ice bath, vacuum seal it, and freeze. Properly frozen and reheated, it tastes remarkably close to fresh off the smoker rather than reheated leftovers.
What temperature do you reheat brisket sous vide at?
140°F (60°C). Heat it in the water bath, still in its vacuum packaging, until warmed through, which typically takes several hours depending on the brisket’s size and how frozen it still is.
How long does it take to defrost a frozen smoked brisket?
Plan on roughly 24 hours of thawing per 5 lbs, done in the refrigerator, not on the counter. A 20 lb brisket needs about 4 days to fully defrost before it goes into the sous vide bath.
Does reheating a frozen brisket in a sous vide dry it out?
No, that’s the point of the method. Because it reheats sealed in its own vacuum packaging submerged in water, the brisket never loses moisture to air or direct heat the way an oven or microwave reheat would.
Why smoke the brisket weeks in advance instead of the day of the party?
So the actual event isn’t held hostage by an unpredictable multi-hour cook. Once it’s smoked, frozen, and thawed, reheating in the sous vide bath takes a fixed, predictable amount of time, letting you hit an exact serving time instead of hoping the brisket finishes on schedule.
Can I use this method without freezing, just to reheat a fresh-cooked brisket?
Yes. The same 140°F sous vide reheat works for a brisket that was smoked a day or two ahead and refrigerated rather than frozen; you’ll just skip the multi-day defrost step.
