If you ask Meathead from Amazing Ribs, he will tell you he invented the term "Sous Vide Que" a couple of years ago when he started playing around with the method and noticed it would work great with some of his barbecue recipes. I have always admired Meathead as he has always been more science focused on how barbecue and most other cooking preparations work instead of going by tradition, rumors, and old wives tales. Meathead went on to do some work with the guys over at Chef Steps to some joint videos and articles showing how they can work together. I have to admit, some of the hardcore BBQ guys out there will never accept anything but wood, fire, and smoke as the way to cook some things, but i have always been open minded when it comes to cooking and always love to learn and try new things.
One thing that I have found that can be done by mixing the two methods, is the ability to take a tough piece of meat like brisket, chuck roast, or top round and cook it to exactly 134 degrees (medium rare) and make it super tender by cooking it for a longer period of time, like 48 hours. This way lets you also throw it on the smoker for a while to get some smoke and bark, but NOT have to worry about it drying out and overcooking! The picture above is of some beef ribs I cooked sous vide for 135 for 36 hours, and them smoked them at 250 for 1 hour and they turned out FANTASTIC! Some of the most tender and juicy beef ribs i have ever done, and they were medium rare!
If you are interested in learning more how sous vide and barbecue can work together, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on Facebook in our Fire & Water cooking group. You can also check out this book from Greg Mrvich who has the YouTube channel "Ballistic BBQ".