Vietnamese Brisket Tacos
I live in Los Angeles, where we are very fortunate to have a number of food trucks and eateries that serve stand-in-line-worthy Vietnamese-Mexican fusion. Vietnamese tacos might seem like a weird combo, but just trust me. It’s a match made in food heaven. Tender meat and crunchy veggies are dressed with savory, tangy, sweet, and salty ingredients for a happy marriage of flavors and textures—no waiting in line required.
I live in Los Angeles, where we are very fortunate to have a number of food trucks and eateries that serve stand-in-line-worthy Vietnamese-Mexican fusion. Vietnamese tacos might seem like a weird combo, but just trust me. It’s a match made in food heaven. Tender meat and crunchy veggies are dressed with savory, tangy, sweet, and salty ingredients for a happy marriage of flavors and textures—no waiting in line required.
- 1/4 cup water
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (smashed)
- 1 brisket ((2-2 1/2 pounds) at room temperature)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 2 cups rainbow coleslaw mix
- 1 cucumber (cut into matchsticks)
- 1 jalapeno (thinly sliced)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- tortillas (warmed for serving)
- Carbohydrate 12.2567478108683 g
- Cholesterol 0.768000000649229 mg
- Fat 3.62865680628673 g
- Fiber 0.862151986417515 g
- Protein 1.53004420193459 g
- Saturated Fat 0.536764760911174 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (68g)
- Sodium 1265.51975662815 mg
- Sugar 11.3945958244508 g
- Trans Fat 0.170612940280566 g
- Calories 87 calories
Step-by-step
- TURN on the Saute function. Add the sesame oil followed by the onion. Saute for 1 minute, add the garlic and ginger, and saute for 2 more minutes. Turn off the Saute function.
- SEASON the brisket with salt and pepper on both sides and add to the pot. Top with the hoisin sauce, fish sauce, sriracha, and water. Secure the lid.
- COOK at high pressure for 1 hour and use a natural release for 10 minutes followed by a quick release.
- IN a medium bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro, rice vinegar, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss together.
- ONCE the pressure has released, remove the brisket to a cutting board and let rest. Turn on the Saute function and boil and the sauce for 10 minutes to thicken. Turn off. Slice the brisket into thin pieces again the grain, discarding fat. Return to the sauce.
- TOP warmed tortillas with sauce-coated brisket and slaw and serve.
Fish sauce performs the heaviest structural lifting in this recipe by supplying hydrolyzed proteins that deliver immediate umami saturation to the meat fibers. Without this biochemical foundation, the braise relies entirely on surface-level salt rather than deeply penetrated savory depth.
- Brisket requires cutting against the grain after cooking to shorten the muscle fibers, transforming potentially chewy meat into easily biteable strips.
- Boiling the remaining braising liquid for 10 minutes post-pressure release drives off excess water content, concentrating the sugars from the hoisin and sriracha into a glossy coating glaze.
- Raw elements like cucumber matchsticks and coleslaw mix depend on acid from the rice vinegar and lime juice to draw out internal cellular water via osmosis, creating a snappy crunch that contrasts against the rich beef.
- Allowing the pressure cooker a 10-minute natural release phase before venting prevents rapid steam loss from the meat, which keeps soluble proteins from seizing and hardening.
Balancing moisture extraction in the vegetables with protein breakdown in the beef yields distinct layers of resistance. Preserved condiments like bottled sriracha provide consistent, shelf-stable capsaicin heat, whereas fresh ginger and garlic introduce volatile aromatic compounds that degrade rapidly under high sustained heat.
