Finally, The 72 Hour Brisket Movie

Spring Chicken · December 2015

I worked late into the night and put together the photos and some video of the infamous 72 Hour Brisket Cook I just finished. Here's the YouTube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2901T_t15E

Now let's see if there are any details you may ask about.

First of all, although this brisket, a 3 pound flat, only spent a grand total of 1½ minutes on the Egg, it was cooked sous vide style for a total of 72 hours.

As some of you know, sous vide means 'under vacuum' and in this instance the brisket was sealed in a Food Saver bag with all air removed. Then it was place in a container of 131° water where it remained for 72 hours.

Yes, it broke down the connective tissues and killed all the bacteria without having to be cooked to the 160° - 200° range we are familiar with. If you are curious as to why I did not have to reach those high temperatures, you may want to read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide

Before I placed it in the bag I injected it with about two tablespoons of marinade consisting of water, brown sugar, salt, Dizzy Pig Cowlick rub, and a small amount of powdered garlic and maybe a teaspoon of worcestershire sauce. I added some DP Cowlick to the outside before bagging it just because that's what I'm used to doing to brisket.

72 hours later, I took it out, patted it dry and seared it on a very hot Egg. Then let it rest for a few minutes before slicing.

It sliced like butter, very tender to chew and was very juicy. Texture wise, I think maybe a very good beef tenderloin. Judy thinks it was more like a good rib roast. All I can say is that it was the most tender brisket I've ever eaten.

Flavor wise, it was delicious, but it tasted more like steak than brisket. She preferred it with some BBQ sauce to give it more of a BBQ flavor. It was good that way but I think I prefer it without the sauce.

The one thing that was missing was the smoke flavor. There was none, of course, because it was only on the Egg for 1½ minutes and no time for smoke. Next time there will be, thanks to some suggestions from some Eggheads who know briskets well.

One neighbor absolutely loved it. Another neighbor liked it.

In summary, it was a fun cook that definitely tested my patience. The results were exactly what I was lead to believe from watching YouTube videos about sous vide briskets.

I'm beginning to understand why the Sous Vide process is gaining in popularity, not only among chefs, but among curious cooks like me.

I can now recommend sous vide cooking if you really want to take cooking to the next level.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Spring "The Deed Is Done" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Jeepster47 · December 2015

Very neat cook ... great documentation ... thanks for sharing.

fishlessman · December 2015

nice looking cook. i never get 72 hours for a cook, is this something that could be done in two stages, maybe in the pot tue, wed, thu, then reheated and seared on the weekend

Eggaroo · December 2015

Thanks for posting this. Looks delicious even without the smoke.

Carolina Q · December 2015

Spring Chicken said:

It sliced like butter, very tender to chew and was very juicy. Texture wise, I think maybe a very good beef tenderloin. Judy thinks it was more like a good rib roast. All I can say is that it was the most tender brisket I've ever eaten.

Flavor wise, it was delicious, but it tasted more like steak than brisket. She preferred it with some BBQ sauce to give it more of a BBQ flavor. It was good that way but I think I prefer it without the sauce.

The one thing that was missing was the smoke flavor.

Great post, Leroy! I am not a brisket fan, but I suspect that's because the only briskets I have ever had, were briskets that I cooked!!

That said, I AM a rib roast and tenderloin fan! If I can have either of those, especially at a price like that, I just have to try it!

I have been using the water bath for steaks lately, followed by a quick sear. That is to say, no smoke. I'm fine with that.

Thanks for posting!

Darby_Crenshaw · December 2015

not what i expected (and my guess stands to be corrected), but looks great. wasn't sure if you were going for a steak, or something more like a traditional smoked brisket, but seems like you got the best of both.

DMW · December 2015

Looks great. I like how SV can create textures that really aren't achievable any other way. Short ribs are another cut that is a great candidate for this SV methodology.

Canugghead · December 2015

Great result and documentation Leroy, thanks for sharing.

btw, did you forget to burp the egg

Foghorn · December 2015

Great cook. On the video it looks like you used your gasket as a fuel source to maximize the sear temp.

Toxarch · December 2015

I'm not judging or preaching, this is just a question: Are you not worried at all about foodborne bacteria? A 72 hour warm bath of a meat in a bag leaves that meat in the FSIS "danger zone" (40-140 degrees) for 60+ hours. FSIS says it shouldn't be at those temps for more than 2 hours. Foodborne microorganisms grow rapidly between 70 and 117 degrees.

DMW · December 2015

Toxarch said:

I'm not judging or preaching, this is just a question: Are you not worried at all about foodborne bacteria? A 72 hour warm bath of a meat in a bag leaves that meat in the FSIS "danger zone" (40-140 degrees) for 60+ hours. FSIS says it shouldn't be at those temps for more than 2 hours. Foodborne microorganisms grow rapidly between 70 and 117 degrees.

That's a great question. Understanding safe temps for extended times is very important for sous vide cooking. For anything over 4 hours, you don't want to cook below 130*.

At 140* pathogens die quickly. At 130*, they take longer to die (several minutes), but considering you are holding at temps about 130* for hours, you are effectively pasteurizing the food.

Here's heaps of food safety info as it relates to sous vide.
http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Safety

Finally, The 72 Hour Brisket Movie

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