We decided to try a sous vide approach to both beef ribs and buffalo brisket this time.

4 beef ribs
1 slice onion
1/4 tsp garlic

1/2 buffalo brisket (about 5 pounds)
1 slice onion
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp garlic
1/4 pepper
2 tbsp duck fat

We first smoked the ribs and the brisket for 2 hours over a cool (200-250) smokey fire using cedar and mesquite for the wood. At this point they had a nice surface color and a strong smokey odor. We then vacuum bagged the separately with the spices shown above (adding the duck fat frozen because the brisket was very very lean). We then load them into a Sous Vide Magic cooker at 172 F and cooked them for 20 hours. Since it was not close to dinner time then, we quick cooled them in a sink filled with ice/water 2:1. Removing them from the bags let us defat them and collect the juices for future us. When dinner time came around, we heated them back to 150 F on the grill and then blasted them with our chili forge burner to get a nice crust. You could cut the ribs with a fork and we served them with dumplings and salad. Bioth they and the brisket had distinct red lines from the smoke and the contrast between the crispy crust and the tender inside was perfect.


Update on 6/17: The brisket was cut very very thin and reheated in the jus from the bags from yesterday. We made snadwiches on french bread with slices of brisket, tomato, brie, aged english cheddar, lettuce and mango slices. Yum.