Sous Vide Sweet and Sour Brisket from #anovafoodnerd Jeff Akin

Living in Kansas City, I certainly appreciate smoked beef brisket, and the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker offers a great method for delivering that fork-tender BBQ favorite. At the same time, I love the simplicity of braised brisket, especially this variation on the classic Jewish sweet-and-sour brisket. (I also love not having to tend to my smoker in the middle of a sub-zero Midwest January.)

If you can find a point cut brisket, which offers far more marbling, use it. Unfortunately, these cuts are harder to find in most retail locations. Fortunately, with the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker, even the leaner flat cut turns out wonderfully moist and tender, and with 48 hours in the bath, you get a deeply flavorful sweet-and-sour gravy that perfectly complements the unctuous brisket.

This brisket is a great centerpiece for entertaining or feeding a crowd on a cold winter’s day. Our favorite sides to accompany are buttered egg noodles and roasted carrots, and the leftovers make for a great brisket sandwich: crusty bread, brisket, sauce, and a layer of melted cheese.

Sous Vide Sweet and Sour Brisket

What you'll need:

• 6-pound brisket
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup honey
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 2 cups Dr. Pepper
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 dried allspice berries
• 2 dried whole cloves
• Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 155°F (68.3°C). 2. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Season brisket generously with salt and sear in pan until golden brown on both sides. (Depending on the size of your brisket and pan, you may need to cut the brisket in half to sear.) 3. Remove brisket and set aside. Add shallots and garlic to pan, reduce heat to medium, and saute until tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes. 4. Whisk together vinegar, apple cider, ketchup, honey, mustard, Dr. Pepper, peppercorns, bay leaves, allspice, and clove. Add to shallots and garlic and remove from heat. 5. Add brisket and sauce to large vacuum or Ziploc plastic bag, seal, and cook for 48 hours.

Finishing Steps:

1. Remove brisket from bag and pat dry, reserving cooking liquid. 2. Place brisket on roasting rack and broil until top is golden brown, about five minutes. (Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.) 3. Add cooking liquid to large saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by two-thirds, about 10 minutes. 4. Remove brisket from oven, slice, and serve with sauce.

Time to Cook!

Be sure to check out the full recipe for this sweet-and-sour brisket, and give me a follow on Instagram: @feedmecreative. After you whip up all these totally tasty recipes available on the Anova Recipes Site and the Anova App, make sure to tag them with #anovafoodnerd to show off your work to the whole food nerd family! Happy cooking.