Best Sous Vide Brisket (With Maple Soy Apricot Sauce)
Prepare to be wowed with this tender, moist sous vide brisket in a delicious maple, soy and apricot sauce. The cooking time is long but worth it. And it's a great make-ahead recipe for holiday season or anytime.
Servings (change as needed): 4
Ingredients
Brisket Prep
- 2 pounds brisket, Note 1 (flat cut or point cut)
- seasoning: kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder
Maple soy apricot sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium is good`
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves (or peach or apricot jam or marmalade)
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1 package, onion soup mix, Note 2
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more to taste)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Optional: 1 tsp sriracha and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- OPTIONAL BRINE: To dry brine the brisket (to make it more flavorful and juicy), coat it with kosher salt ( (about 1/2 teaspoon per pound/450 grams of meat or 1/4 teaspoon of table salt per pound) and place it in the fridge uncovered (preferably on a rack or inverted plate) for 4 hours or overnight. No need to rinse. It will not be overly salty.
- PREPARE FOR SOUS VIDE: Heat water bath to the temperature for your desired doneness, Note 3. Sprinkle brisket with pepper and garlic powder (and kosher salt if you didn't brine the brisket). Note 4 for oven method. 135F/57C for 48-72 hours. Medium-rare.155F/68C for 26-36 hours. Medium-well. More traditional. As pictured
- SOUS VIDE BRISKET: °For water displacement method: place brisket in large zipper freezer plastic bag. Lower bag into water, unsealed, until top of the bag is just above water level. Then seal bag once all air is pressed out by water.°For vacuum seal method: place brisket in vacuum bag. Seal bag with vacuum sealer. Lower bag into water.Bag should not float. Use clip to attach to side of container or hang bag over side when you put on lid. Cover container with lid, towel or aluminum foil to reduce evaporation. Sous vide brisket for 26 hours - 36 hours, depneding on thickness). If brisket is thicker than 2 inches/5 cm, you can sous vide up to 36 hours.At this point you can remove brisket, cool and refrigerate or freeze if you like, Note 5. If serving that day, continue to next step.
- MAKE SAUCE: Mix together sauce ingredients in a microwaveable dish. Microwave for 1 minute to slightly thicken sauce. Taste and adjust to what you like, adding more lemon, heat, etc. Alternatively, heat in small saucepan on medium-high heat for a few minutes.
- FINISH BRISKET IN OVEN/BROILER: Set oven temperature to 300F/149C. Remove brisket from bag and discard cooking liquid. Place brisket in a roasting pan lined with alumimum foil for easy cleanup. Pour over half the sauce or less. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Add a little more sauce and, if you like, broil in same pan for 3 minutes until bubbly and well glazed. Slice brisket across (perpendicular to) the grain. Transfer to a platter, pour on remaining sauce or sauce from pan and serve. If not ready to serve, immediately, place sliced brisket in sauce, cover pan and keep in a warm oven.
Notes
Recipe can be doubled or tripled. Times and temperatures won't change. If brisket is thicker than 2 inches/5cm or a lower quality of meat (e.g. Select grade), cook for longer, 36-40 hours.
- Brisket cuts to buy: Try to buy at least the Choice cut of brisket (AAA in Canada). Prime is even better. The more marbled, the more exceptional. If you buy a Select grade, cook at the upper end of the time range (36 hours or a bit more). The flat cut or point cut is a personal preference. The flat cut is leaner and can be a bit drier, but it is much more widely available in grocery stores.
- Onion soup package alternative: Here's a homemade version of dry onion soup mix by Tastes Better From Scratch if you want to control the salt or you don't have any on hand.
- Time and temperature:
- 135F/57C temperature comes out medium rare-ish and very tender. However, the cook is very long and some may not like the idea of medium rare brisket.
- So I usually stick to 155F/68C. If the meat is 2 inches/5 cm thick or less, I sous vide for about 26 hours. If it's thicker, I sous vide the brisket for closer to 36 hours. Soft and tender every time
- Oven method: If you don't have sous vide equipment, you can prepare this recipe in the oven. Here's the original recipe for maple-soy oven-cooked brisket.
- Variations for the sauce:
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- Tomato sauce: you can use ketchup instead but use half the amount of maple syrup so the sauce is not overly sweet.
- Add ins: In addition to lemon juice, cinnamon and/or sriracha hot sauce, you can try a splash of bourbon and/or a bit of wholegrain mustard.
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- Make ahead:
- To store sous vide brisket in fridge for 3-5 days (before adding and finishing with the sauce), cool the sous vide brisket in an ice bath, then place in fridge in the bag with the juices. Then proceed with oven/broil step.
- To freeze, cool brisket in an ice bath for 30 minutes, then place in freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in fridge or place frozen brisket in bag into water bath at 135F/57C for 30-60 minutes to warm the meat. Then proceed with oven/broil step.
- To reheat refrigerated cooked brisket, place in foil-lined pan and proceed with baking/broiling as per recipe instructions.
- Store sauce in fridge for up to a week.
- Store leftover brisket in an airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days.
Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 1380mg | Potassium: 887mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 5mg