Xan: Sous Vide Brisket!

This brisket was brined, cooked sous vide at 155 F for 48 hours, then roasted in the oven for a few hours to develop the bark. 155 F is a nice compromise -- the texture is still like typical barbecue, but noticeably juicier.

Next time I'm going down to 24 hours, which should make it even juicier. 

Barbecue is such a religion. I feel like I'm expected to have an opinion. But my only opinion is that it's a silly thing to be religious about. I'm still waiting to encounter a regional BBQ style that isn't delicious. I guess I like KC barbecue sauce the best, but that's probably just the sugar talking.

On the other hand, BBQ a great thing to be scientific about. If you're friends with science, you can get away with things like not having a smoker. Liquid smoke is legit, my friends. And there's no need for a smoke ring, because smoke rings don't contribute to taste. Actually, you can create a "smoke ring" by brining meat in curing salts for a few hours, but never in history has there been a better time to call something lipstick on a pig*. It's cosmetic!

* Sorry, I just couldn't save this one up for the next time we are cooking pulled pork.