Sous vide

[T.G]

Interesting, thanks for taking one for the team, Dom.

I've been having good results with chuck for roast beef. I've been buying cross rib chuck point / tip roast and cooking it about the same as I do the tri-tip a few posts back - with the addition of sprigs of fresh oregano and thyme (and I usually remember to put in some hot peppers :bh). Just cooked at a bit higher temp, like 133-4 but about the same amount of time, 4-6 hours. Sear it then refrigerate it overnight and a quick 45 min freeze right before running it on the meat slicer. The hardest part is finding the point / tip cuts, which are necessary because otherwise I can't fit it in the slicer in a way to cut across the grain.

[Chainsaw13]

12 hours into a planned 32 hour cook of a bone in lamb shoulder. Seasoned with Indian flavors. Plan to shred and add to a spicy tomato sauce for dinner tomorrow. Thinking of maybe serving over some roasted cauliflower.

[Chainsaw13]

Lamb shoulder came out perfect. 32.5 hours at 133F. Cut off the bone, cubed and added to a nice tomato curry sauce. A bit of garlic naan. :dr

[CigarNut]

I am in the midst of cooking a brisket and had a weird thing happen with my Anova -- the unit stopped heating but it reported the correct temperature, both on the unit itself and via Bluetooth.

I power cycled the Anova and it started working again, but the temperature dropped significantly, so I don't know how my brisket is going to turn out...

I contacted Anova, but they had little to offer other than to watch for the problem and if it occurs again I should contact them for repair/replacement.

[massphatness]

Cooked a couple strip steaks to near perfection at 139.5* for about two hours

[CigarNut]

I am in the midst of cooking a brisket and had a weird thing happen with my Anova -- the unit stopped heating but it reported the correct temperature, both on the unit itself and via Bluetooth.

I power cycled the Anova and it started working again, but the temperature dropped significantly, so I don't know how my brisket is going to turn out...

I contacted Anova, but they had little to offer other than to watch for the problem and if it occurs again I should contact them for repair/replacement.

I called Anova last night and left a message on their support line (it was after hours). They called me back this morning and are going to exchange my unit for a new one.

The only drag here is that I use my Anova a lot -- 2 or 3 times per week, and it will take up to 10 days to get my replacement unit...

Overall, I am impressed with the customer service.

[BigAsh]

34 hour chuck roast at 130...salt, pepper,garlic, rosemary and thyme...out of the bath then onto a rack to "dry" a bit while I prepped other things...re-seasoned with salt and pepper then seared in very hot pan with some bacon grease...served with sweet potato fries and roasted spaghetti squash with caramelized onions and bacon...thought it came out great...texture was "primerib-ish" though I wouldn't pass up a prime rib for it...but at $3.50 /lb I make it again...

Pre-sear "ugly"
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/BDS%20Smoker/689FE16A-782F-4940-8068-0881547A26A4_zpsleuvzwyr.jpg

Post-sear yummy
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/BDS%20Smoker/89F0A1C2-A8B8-4A90-B8E1-77DFDBEB1FE4_zpsulll3ohm.jpghttp://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/BDS%20Smoker/945D4112-D14C-4993-BC68-5D07B01F600B_zpslxasq0ns.jpg

Plated...
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/BDS%20Smoker/7DAEBBF4-477C-4860-A6D3-62E763CDDF4A_zpsjghoz90c.jpg

[CigarNut]

Looks great, Keith! Did you also give it a sear before the bath?

[markem]

Very nice, Keith! Haven't done chuck roast yet as I'm still stuck on tri-tip. :tu

[BigAsh]

Looks great, Keith! Did you also give it a sear before the bath?

I did not...Haven't found pre-sear to have any appreciable effect, other than an extra step...

Very nice, Keith! Haven't done chuck roast yet as I'm still stuck on tri-tip. :tu

Not a bad resting stop!

[Chainsaw13]

A friend of mine is making yogurt with her sous vide. Seems really easy. Im going to give it a try once I'm back from my work trip.

[T.G]

Making some infused garlic oil now, I'll know in a few hours if it works.

Basically, I took the garlic confit idea, reduced the garlic and upped the oil. One bulb of very coarsely chopped garlic, a handful of coarsely ripped up dried peppers, a teaspoon or two of dried oregano, a tablespoon of kosher salt (diamond krystal) and one 500 ml bottle of bold flavored olive oil. Split evenly into two quart vacuum bags, and going in the bath for 4 hours or so at 190. Should get a decent extraction and hopefully shouldn't cook the oil. If it works, I figure the oil should be good for finishing or dipping bread.

Thinking I'll strain it when done, save the garlic cloves and some of the peppers for grinding into a sauce at a later date.

[T.G]

Making some infused garlic oil now, I'll know in a few hours if it works.

Basically, I took the garlic confit idea, reduced the garlic and upped the oil. One bulb of very coarsely chopped garlic, a handful of coarsely ripped up dried peppers, a teaspoon or two of dried oregano, a tablespoon of kosher salt (diamond krystal) and one 500 ml bottle of bold flavored olive oil. Split evenly into two quart vacuum bags, and going in the bath for 4 hours or so at 190. Should get a decent extraction and hopefully shouldn't cook the oil. If it works, I figure the oil should be good for finishing or dipping bread.

Thinking I'll strain it when done, save the garlic cloves and some of the peppers for grinding into a sauce at a later date.


So I ended up with an infused oil, but not with the flavor profile I had intended / hoped for.

I probably used too many peppers, this should be a real shocker for anyone who knows my cooking :rolleyes:, and they overpowered the garlic. Or I didn't use enough garlic. Or I needed to cook it longer to extract the garlic flavors. Or a combination of a few things. Whatever, there's not any garlic flavor to this. Dammit.

Didn't need the salt. AT. ALL. It sat like a lump in the bottom of the bag. In retrospect, there was no way it was ever going to do anything since it's not oil soluble and there isn't enough garlic to provide adequate moisture to dissolve it. I should have known better.

The good... I have almost a full bottle of some absolute kick-ass chili infused (with hints of garlic) extra virgin olive oil.

I'll come back to this idea and work on it some more once this bottle is done. Maybe I'll even try sciencing it next time.

[CigarNut]

Sounds really good, Adam!

[jonumberone]

Interesting idea.

[bonjing]

Adam, I've been using a baña calda recipe that uses anchovies for the salt. But I'm not using the anova just the toaster oven.

[T.G]

Greg, I wouldn't mind seeing that recipe if you have a link for it.

One of the reasons I made this though was that I wanted a shelf stable infused oil I could just pour back into bottle after straining. I can always sprinkle some salt into the oil once it's served on a small platter.

BTW, now that the oil has cooled off, the garlic flavor is coming though much better. Could have also just needed some aeration time.

[bonjing]

Sorrry spelled it wrong. Bana cauda

http://www.food.com/recipe/bagna-cauda-olive-oil-garlic-butter-and-anchovy-sauce-114729

[Chainsaw13]

Greg, I wouldn't mind seeing that recipe if you have a link for it.

One of the reasons I made this though was that I wanted a shelf stable infused oil I could just pour back into bottle after straining. I can always sprinkle some salt into the oil once it's served on a small platter.

BTW, now that the oil has cooled off, the garlic flavor is coming though much better. Could have also just needed some aeration time.

Adam, does the time/temp make this shelf stable? I know it's not recommended to store garlic in olive oil, the risk of botulism being an anaerobic environment.

[T.G]

Thanks Greg.

Adam, does the time/temp make this shelf stable? I know it's not recommended to store garlic in olive oil, the risk of botulism being an anaerobic environment.

You bring up an interesting point, one I don't have a complete answer for at the moment.

One point to make is that I'm not storing the garlic cloves in the oil, they are being strained out. The cook temp of 190 will break down the toxin if present, but won't kill any spores.

That leaves me some options:
1) Keep the oil in the refrigerator to retard growth if present and count on that botulism from garlic is pretty rare.

2) Acidify the oil - In theory it's easy to do since I keep a few different powdered cooking acids on hand and I would just have to figure out the needed concentration. Unfortunately, bringing it down to about pH 4 where botulism would be prevented could change the flavor. Another complication here is that taking pH readings of oil is a special lab process since there is no water involved, you can't just jab a pH meter probe in there and get a reading to see what my starting point is, since it might not be the same as the listed pH of the oil due to the cooking and ingredients. In short, I'd be guessing on how much acid to add.

3) I could pack the oil into a mason jar and give it a 5-6 minute process in my pressure canner. USDA says 3 minutes at 250F will kill botulism, I always figure an increased margin is needed for home equipment. This temp is well below the smoke point, so the oil should be ok. Not sure what will happen to the flavor here though.

Other treatments like irradiation aren't going to be achievable in a home setting.


So right now, I'm going with #1 on this test batch. If people have been making garlic confit in their SV setups for years and safely storing the cooked cloves submerged in oil in the refrigerator and they haven't died yet, I figure my odds of not having a problem are pretty good. And you are correct, I should have said "refrigerator stable" and not "shelf stable".

I probably will test out #3 soon enough though. Would definitely do it if I were going to ship a bottle.

I'll get back to you on the flavors once I've pressure processed a batch.

[markem]

Other treatments like irradiation aren't going to be achievable in a home setting.


I do believe that you are making excuses. :sl

I have friends in Livermore and I suspect that you do as well... -(P

[Chainsaw13]

Thanks for the reply. It's a topic I have to keep in mind when making dry cured sausages.

[T.G]

I do believe that you are making excuses. :sl

I have friends in Livermore and I suspect that you do as well... -(P

LOL. I actually do know someone at Los Alamos.

Thanks for the reply. It's a topic I have to keep in mind when making dry cured sausages.

I've never made dry cured sausage. I do have a contact at the UC who teaches the meat processing program if you have any questions you want forwarded, PM them to me, it's no problem at all for me to pass them on.

[nutcracker]

Tried slow cooked egg today - 4 large eggs - 65C for 60 mins in the sous vide supreme.

Failed - the yolk was firm and white still loose.

Conflicting info out there - lower temp for longer?

http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/ag202/neil_berrington/image_zpsqlp4jxua.jpeg (http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/neil_berrington/media/image_zpsqlp4jxua.jpeg.html)

[Chainsaw13]

Kinda surprising Neil, that the whites wouldn't set at that temp. You will always have some runny whites when doing sv eggs, in less you run a lot higher temp. Here's a great article that explains all the different times/temps for different consistencies.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/10/sous-vide-101-all-about-eggs.html

Me, I do 145°f for 50 mins.

[T.G]

Did a test run of tri tip at 16 hour @ 132.5F sous vide, finished on the santa maria grill. Came out at the upper half of medium when sliced, but super tender, almost too tender, if I had run this on the meat slicer rather than hand cut, I think it might have been too soft.

Happy with the results overall, but thinking that I might drop the temp a degree for next time.

[Padron42]

Got an Anova about a month and a half ago, just saw this thread. Love it so far but can't wait to read through this and get some ideas/tips.

[T.G]

Anyone else with a searzall starting to see deterioration of the outer screen? I haven't even finished going through the first tank of propane and the outer screen already has a hole forming in it.

[jonumberone]

Anyone else with a searzall starting to see deterioration of the outer screen? I haven't even finished going through the first tank of propane and the outer screen already has a hole forming in it.

Wow!

I will have o check when I get home.

[T.G]

How to crank out 20lbs of tri-tip in less than 30 minutes on a grill that barely holds two at a time.

Not my preferred way to cook tri-tip, but hey, everyone there loved it, so whatever.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=16806&stc=1&d=1461767411
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=16808&stc=1&d=1461767430
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=16809&stc=1&d=1461767435
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=16812&stc=1&d=1461768718
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=16811&stc=1&d=1461767729

[CigarNut]

What seasonings/veggies did you include in the bags, Adam?

[T.G]

Oh, and the MAPP gas torch wasn't mine, I just grabbed it from the tool bench. The searzall that failed on me a week or two ago was only being run with propane.

[T.G]

What seasonings/veggies did you include in the bags, Adam?

Per bag:
A handful of coarse chopped peeled garlic (about 1/3 cup I would guess)
about half an onion, sliced
1/3 of a head of cilantro, whole, stems and all
2 serrano peppers, sliced
4 fresh bay leaves*
2 tiny sprigs of rosemary (about 1" long each - don't overdo, this stuff will take over)

Divide the materials evenly across both sides of the tri-tip roast.

After I pulled them from the bags and cleaned up the herbs, I coated them with Pappy's Tri-Tip seasoning and seared over mesquite lump.

*: I have a bay leaf tree, so fresh in unlimited quantities is pretty easy for me. If you're buying bay leaf, you can probably just use one leaf torn in half.

[jonumberone]

Anyone else with a searzall starting to see deterioration of the outer screen? I haven't even finished going through the first tank of propane and the outer screen already has a hole forming in it.

Checked my Searzall and there doesn't appear to be any hole forming.
There is a dent right in the center where the flame from the torch is, but it doesn't seem any weaker than the rest of the screen.

Those Tri-tips look fantastic!
Please tell me you seared one off with that weed burner.... You know, in the name of science. :D

I'm getting close to convincing my wife that she needs a Santa Maria grill. When she eventually caves expect a PM, Adam.

[T.G]

Checked my Searzall and there doesn't appear to be any hole forming.
There is a dent right in the center where the flame from the torch is, but it doesn't seem any weaker than the rest of the screen.

Those Tri-tips look fantastic!
Please tell me you seared one off with that weed burner.... You know, in the name of science. :D

I'm getting close to convincing my wife that she needs a Santa Maria grill. When she eventually caves expect a PM, Adam.


Thanks for checking the searzall, Dom. Maybe the screen was just defective in the first one, the wires that failed were a distinctly different shade of blue/grey than the rest of the screen. Interesting about the dent, the screens on mine are bulged outward slightly. I've wondered about the tight spacing with the larger TS8000 torch.

I did not use the weed burner on the tri-tip. Too many witnesses.

Cool deal on the Santa Maria, lmk.

[CigarNut]

FYI, Received an email from Anova -- the Precision Cooker is on sale for Mother's Day for $129 -- a $50 savings.

https://store.anovaculinary.com/2827556/checkouts/b5a4d1b7f03101d42e9a08089f7e2d14?channel=buy_butto n&ct=t%28mothers_day_sale_5__2_2016%29&goal=0_f33347b916-a264b10a14-99716765&mc_cid=a264b10a14&mc_eid=04408a5df5&utm_campaign=a264b10a14-mothers_day_sale_5__2_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=01.+Primary+Marketing+List&utm_term=0_f33347b916-a264b10a14-99716765

[bugmenot]

FYI, Received an email from Anova -- the Precision Cooker is on sale for Mother's Day for $129 -- a $50 savings.

https://store.anovaculinary.com/2827556/checkouts/b5a4d1b7f03101d42e9a08089f7e2d14?channel=buy_butto n&ct=t%28mothers_day_sale_5__2_2016%29&goal=0_f33347b916-a264b10a14-99716765&mc_cid=a264b10a14&mc_eid=04408a5df5&utm_campaign=a264b10a14-mothers_day_sale_5__2_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=01.+Primary+Marketing+List&utm_term=0_f33347b916-a264b10a14-99716765

Picked one up and used if last night. No pics as I ate everything too fast, but turned out great! Did a NY and some tips. Seasoning wasn't quite what I am used to, but there's nothing left so that's a good sign.

[T.G]

Was feeling lazy yesterday, cooked a hanger steak SV. About 8 hours at 130F. Bagged with chopped habaneros, garlic, cilantro, onion, slices of lime and bay leaf. Pappy's santa maria tri-tip seasoning and granulated garlic (about 50-50) before going on the gas grill for a sear. Worked pretty decent for a cut that can be sometimes tricky to not accidentally turn into something with a texture resembling that of chewing on a car tire.

[mosesbotbol]

I have been doing a sous vide technique on steaks that does not require a sous vide...

Put steak in oven as low as it can go (200 f) for like 30-60 minutes depending on size and when it gets to around 100 or so degrees internal temperature, finish it (sear) as you normally would. Comes out great!

[bugmenot]

Did a cook today for some friends. Small 3lb tri tip at 132 for 6 hours, 3 racks of ribs smoked, grilled asparagus, pineapple, and corn. Tri tip came out excellent! Not sure I'll smoke one again, it was that good.

[Bill86]

So much good food, I had to order one. Just got it today. Any suggestions on what to start with? I'm thinking a large amount of brisket or pork. What would be easiest?

I'll have to buy a giant plastic container tomorrow and probably one of those Lodge cast iron pans.

[massphatness]

I am partial to tenderloin
Posted via Mobile Device

[T.G]

So much good food, I had to order one. Just got it today. Any suggestions on what to start with? I'm thinking a large amount of brisket or pork. What would be easiest?

I'll have to buy a giant plastic container tomorrow and probably one of those Lodge cast iron pans.


I've found the results to be more impressive with larger, tough roast type cuts. Like chuck roast or the various rounds. They take 18-20 hours to cook (at 131-135F) but they come out so different than how you could get them any other way. There is also something to be said about a 2" thick steak cooked to a perfect medium or medium rare all the way through without the "bullseye" effect. Something that dries out easily like pork chops or boneless chicken breast is also a good demonstration of the process.

That's where I leave off though. I only see this process as another tool, it's certainly not the be-all, end-all.

To me, things like pork butt or brisket, I can get way, way better results with my smokers. Plus, everyone knows that the ONLY true good use of brisket and navel is pastrami. Fish, shellfish, etc. - much better results with my pellet cooker than the whirlpool. Of course, YMMV.

[Bill86]

I tried a few chicken breasts, absolutely delicious. I need to swing by Costco or Sams and grab some roasts. Steak sounds great too.

[CigarNut]

I put a 4 1/2 lb brisket up this evening for a 48 hour cook @ 133 degrees.

I have pureed onion, avocado oil, pepper, garlic, (lots of) tobasco, and some salt in the bag with the brisket. I have used this marinade on Sous Vide Tri-Tip a few times and they came out great, so I have high hopes for the brisket :)

This will be my longest cook.

[Bill86]

Tried a grass fed ribeye yesterday. :dr

Perfect rare

[CigarNut]

I put a 4 1/2 lb brisket up this evening for a 48 hour cook @ 133 degrees.

I have pureed onion, avocado oil, pepper, garlic, (lots of) tobasco, and some salt in the bag with the brisket. I have used this marinade on Sous Vide Tri-Tip a few times and they came out great, so I have high hopes for the brisket :)

This will be my longest cook.

After I took the brisket out of the bath I let it rest for a bit, lightly seasoned it with Cook Shack dry rub and then seared it on a very hot grill for about 90 seconds on each side.

This turned out to be the best brisket that I have made -- much better than my previous one, which turned out very tough (too much salt in my rub leeched out all the moisture).

It's not near as good as the brisket markem makes on his BGE, but I was very happy with it:

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17058&stc=1&d=1466133542

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17059&stc=1&d=1466133542

[Bill86]

Looks good I might have to try a brisket. Did Italian sausage as well. Good stuff.

[Bill86]

Doing shredded pork next any advice? Time, temp or cut?

[benedic08]

Found this interesting video Adam Savage testing different ways to sear steak after Sous Vide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB1x0O-bhrw

[Bill86]

Kinda funny I just watched that video today. I really need to order a searzall. So far steaks, chuck roast, pork butt, chicken breasts, Italian sausage, and chicken tacos. Very solid cooking choice for that on-the-go lifestyle. Lots of food, no time spent actually cooking.

I think as usual my go to is chicken, cheap and easy.

[jonumberone]

Nice to see you're enjoying it, Bill.

I did a 8-9lb Rib roast yesterday. 10 hours @ 132°. Finished in the broiler for 5 min a side.
Came out fantastic.

I haven't been experimenting much with the Anova of late. Lot's of the same old, same old going in, and the same old, same old perfect results coming out.
I really wan't to do burgers, and give sausage a try. Every time I make either, I forget I want to sous vide them, throw them on the grill, then kick myself for forgetting.

[Bill86]

Was worth it. I need to get a bigger water bath and try some longer cooks. Really wanting to do a ham and beef tenderloin.

The sausage and burgers are quite fantastic. Did another 5 pounds of chicken yesterday

[Bill86]

Need advice 12 quart rubbermade
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R8JOUC?psc=1

Or

26 quart
https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Container-C20-Polycarbonate-Transparent/dp/B014U596GO/ref=pd_sim_79_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=31pTEft50OL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=2G1FVKP34HKXZ5T961PZ

Or both I guess?

[Chainsaw13]

I would say both Bill, if you can afford them. No sense heating all the water in the larger tub if you're doing smaller cooks.

[CigarNut]

Need advice 12 quart rubbermade
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R8JOUC?psc=1

Or

26 quart
https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Container-C20-Polycarbonate-Transparent/dp/B014U596GO/ref=pd_sim_79_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=31pTEft50OL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=2G1FVKP34HKXZ5T961PZ

Or both I guess?

I have the second -- the LIPAVI. I also purchased the lid (https://www.amazon.com/C20L-AP-LIPAVI-Container-Precision-circulator/dp/B017TMJV8S/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=27BS8JEC5XZWR4BA3QJE), which is cut to fit the Annova. It has worked out well and it is the only sous vide container I use now. I am very happy with it.

[jonumberone]

I would go with the Lipavi as well. The larger container will give you the ability to do larger cuts and more capacity, which is never a bad in my eyes

I have the 4.75 qt Cambro here. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NQB63E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I modified the lid myself. Modifying the lid was truly one of the hardest things I've ever had to accomplish in life.
Had there been a brand available with a pre-cut lid at the time, I would've ordered it.
I do have a Lipavi sous vide rack which I love.

[T.G]

Need advice 12 quart rubbermade
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R8JOUC?psc=1

Or

26 quart
https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Container-C20-Polycarbonate-Transparent/dp/B014U596GO/ref=pd_sim_79_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=31pTEft50OL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=2G1FVKP34HKXZ5T961PZ

Or both I guess?

Get a cooler, cut a whole in the lid. Not pretty, but very effective. You can go way over the rated 20 quart capacity if you charge with pre-heated water, the insulation makes it very easy for the machine to keep up with the larger bath size.

20+ lbs of tri-tip in a 56 (? 60?) quart cooler:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2084911#post2084911

[Chainsaw13]

Genius idea Adam.

[T.G]

Just curious, anyone here getting hit by the random temperature increase bug?

[icehog3]

Had my first Sous vide steak, a filet, thanks to Vin. Wow! :dr

[Bill86]

Sous vide steak is phenomenal. I finally bought a vacuum sealer, ziplock bags were way too much of a PITA.

[StuartIsRelaxed]

Oh wow this thread is fantastic! My first post and this is right up my alley.

So a few suggestions for everyone!

Typically you put olive oil in a bag with your meat to help the meat keep it's shape. It helps prevent those wrinkles from the bags. Also if you put something like rosemary in it it should help that flavor infuse with the meat.

My second suggestion for you to is to pre-sear your raw meat before tossing it into your vacuum bag. You may think this bizarre but take a moment to think it through with me here. When you sear first you are causing the outside of the meat to go through the maillard reaction (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction), which is the browning and the tastyness that you get when you finish it on a hot pan. When you sear first, you are letting the meat marinate in the maillard flavor for the entire duration of the cook, and since it is in a vacuum that flavor is also drawn deeper into the meat as well. Try it out next time!

Third suggestion is, if you are like me you are cooking this way a lot! and that means that you'll be going through a ton of vacuum sealer bags. I found a discount buyer's club for bags and rolls, you may want to sign up and stock up like I do when I get sale notifications. The site is here (http://www.thevacuumsealerexpert.com/discount-club). I found out about it when I was reading about different vacuum sealers when trying to figure out which one to buy.

Jo, all your pictures made me flood my house with drool. Damn you! All that food looks so good.

[croatan]

Largely thanks to this thread, I got myself an Anova yesterday and tried it out for the first time last night. I did four pretty thick ribeyes at 129 for a little under an hour (two with some rosemary and garlic sealed up in there) and then seared them on cast iron with a little oil and garlic butter. Turned out great. Nice crust and medium-rare throughout. I'm really looking forward to playing around with this thing. Planning on doing some turkey breast in there for Thanksgiving.

[DBall]

Planning on doing some turkey breast in there for Thanksgiving.

That's how I did Thanksgiving last year. Came out super good!

[Brlesq]

I did NY Strip steaks yesterday with the Anova. I rarely order a strip steak when we go out because they are a bit on the tough side, but 5 hours in the sous vide @ 130 and they were almost cut-with-a-fork tender (and a beautiful medium rare)

[CigarNut]

Annova is having a Black Friday sale: $99 -- a very good price...

[Brlesq]

Annova is having a Black Friday sale: $99 -- a very good price...

Yes, but that is the Bluetooth model and not the Wifi model. There is a difference in wattage and range. Just a consideration to make sure its the right one for your needs.

[Chainsaw13]

That's how I did Thanksgiving last year. Came out super good!

Same here. Look up the recipe on Serious Eats. That's what I did. Never went over 145°F. Best turkey breast I've had.

[CigarNut]

Yes, but that is the Bluetooth model and not the Wifi model. There is a difference in wattage and range. Just a consideration to make sure its the right one for your needs.

I have the Bluetooth model and have been very happy with it.

[croatan]

I tried burgers for lunch yesterday (45 minutes at 124, then sear). Sear wasn't the best and I thought they were maybe a little overcooked, but not bad overall. I also didn't season them as heavily as I usually do. Will try again and am once again reminded that I should grind my own meat.

Then did NY strips for dinner and artichokes for appetizers. After over an hour at 183 (recommendation I found online), the artichokes weren't even close to being ready, so those were kind of a fail. The strips, though, were delicious. 126.5 for 50 minutes and then got a good cast iron sear on them. Again felt like they could have been cooked to just a slightly lower temperature, though.

I also tried some carrots with butter, garlic, and brown sugar. 184 for an hour and then finished for a couple minutes over high heat in their juices. I didn't think much about them, but my wife really liked them, so that's something.

I'm definitely digging this thing, but there's just so much to experiment with and learn--it's a fun process.

[jonumberone]

I haven't had much luck with veggies either. I can get them cooked well enough, but I don't really see any benefit to doing them sous vide vs other methods. I also find the cook times to be inconsistent. Sometimes they're perfect, sometimes raw, and sometimes overdone using the same time and temp as the last try. So I don't bother anymore. I don't see a reason to crank up the temp to 190 if I'm not satisfied with the results.

The success I've had with vegetables has been doing them in soups.
I've done cream of artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, and mushroom soups with great success. I also did a sweet potato and andouille soup that was terrific.

[pnoon]

Time to re-read this entire thread.

Amazon laid waste to my kitchen yesterday. A generous friend sent me an Anova Precision Cooker yesterday along with an accessory. Time to jump in with both feet. :adam

[stearns]

As soon as I get settled into the new apartment and make sure that I have enough room to have a permanent setup I plan on picking up an Anova, I look forward to re-reading this whole thread as well :dr

[bonjing]

Did a small boneless turkey breast for Thanksgiving. Put some butter, honey and cinnamon in the bag. Set for the recommended 152* for 2 hours, for a traditional roast texture, and seared the outside in a pan. Very juicy, sweet and tender. Only compliant was seeing some light pink in the meat after slicing it up. Kind of freaked me out so I pan fried the pieces. Maybe I'll do a higher temp next time.

Also while eating, the texture made me think something was off. I knew it was cooked, maybe I'm just used to dry, overcooked turkey :confused:

[croatan]

Time to re-read this entire thread.

Amazon laid waste to my kitchen yesterday. A generous friend sent me an Anova Precision Cooker yesterday along with an accessory. Time to jump in with both feet. :adam

Very cool, Peter!

I did seven big prime filets with it last night. An hour at 122 with a little garlic and rosemary and then cast iron seared with some oil and butter basting action. They were fantastic (though they should be for what those steaks cost). Raves all around. And I was much happier with the internal done-ness (or lack thereof) than before, so I think I'm finally getting close to finding the cooking temp I want for steaks.

[Chainsaw13]

Did a small boneless turkey breast for Thanksgiving. Put some butter, honey and cinnamon in the bag. Set for the recommended 152* for 2 hours, for a traditional roast texture, and seared the outside in a pan. Very juicy, sweet and tender. Only compliant was seeing some light pink in the meat after slicing it up. Kind of freaked me out so I pan fried the pieces. Maybe I'll do a higher temp next time.

Also while eating, the texture made me think something was off. I knew it was cooked, maybe I'm just used to dry, overcooked turkey :confused:

I did turkey breast last year @ 145F for 4 hours. No trace of pink meat. Perfect soft texture for me too.

Made a lamb top round roast last week. 135F for 5 hours (started frozen). Seared the outside on a hot grill. Perfection.

[pnoon]

So I've been doing a crapload of reading about sous vide. So eager to get started but still have some questions based on my research. Hopefully the "vets" here can help me out.

1) The times stated (here and in recipes) are minimums. Correct? So if a steak calls for 45 minutes at 129, an hour or even two won't make a huge difference?

2) Seriouseats.com is associated with Anova. There is a recipe for steak on their site that states the following: "When the cooking time has elapsed, remove the steaks for finishing. (At this point, you may also quick chill the meat submerged in its pouch in an ice water bath for at least 30 minutes and refrigerate for up to 48 hours or freeze for up to a year.)"
What do you all think? And have you done this? If plausible, would it work for pork as well?

3) I bought a bunch of thick boneless pork loin chops. Put them in Foodsaver bags. Half went in plain and half were seasoned with a dry rub. Thoughts about dry rubs prior to cooking?

4) Most of the stuff shown in this thread is for meat. Anyone done fish - specifically salmon?

I'm sure I'll have more questions once I start cooking.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Chainsaw13]

I'll answer what I can.

1. Yes, minimum times, at least in my times cooking with it. You can always go longer but it can affect texture if you go really long. A steak/chop that usually goes an hour shouldn't change much if you got two.

2. I've not done that, but I've used my sous vide to reheat finished meats. Nice that if you have a med rare steak, you can take it back to the temp you cooked it and it'll be done just as originally cooked.

3. I haven't done much with seasonings. The one long cook I did use some, it got muddled and lost in the overall flavor. Shorter cooks should let the flavor come thru more. I now add my seasonings after the cook, but before the final sear.

[pnoon]

I'll answer what I can.

1. Yes, minimum times, at least in my times cooking with it. You can always go longer but it can affect texture if you go really long. A steak/chop that usually goes an hour shouldn't change much if you got two.

2. I've not done that, but I've used my sous vide to reheat finished meats. Nice that if you have a med rare steak, you can take it back to the temp you cooked it and it'll be done just as originally cooked.

3. I haven't done much with seasonings. The one long cook I did use some, it got muddled and lost in the overall flavor. Shorter cooks should let the flavor come thru more. I now add my seasonings after the cook, but before the final sear.

Thanks, Bob.

[T.G]

So I've been doing a crapload of reading about sous vide. So eager to get started but still have some questions based on my research. Hopefully the "vets" here can help me out.

1) The times stated (here and in recipes) are minimums. Correct? So if a steak calls for 45 minutes at 129, an hour or even two won't make a huge difference?

2) Seriouseats.com is associated with Anova. There is a recipe for steak on their site that states the following: "When the cooking time has elapsed, remove the steaks for finishing. (At this point, you may also quick chill the meat submerged in its pouch in an ice water bath for at least 30 minutes and refrigerate for up to 48 hours or freeze for up to a year.)"
What do you all think? And have you done this? If plausible, would it work for pork as well?

3) I bought a bunch of thick boneless pork loin chops. Put them in Foodsaver bags. Half went in plain and half were seasoned with a dry rub. Thoughts about dry rubs prior to cooking?

4) Most of the stuff shown in this thread is for meat. Anyone done fish - specifically salmon?

I'm sure I'll have more questions once I start cooking.
Thanks in advance for your help.


My 2-cents

1) As Bob says, to a point it makes little difference if you exceed the cook time. To elaborate, I've found that it depends on what you are cooking and how long. A 2" ribeye cooked an hour over or even two, probably won't hurt it at all, probably won't notice, might even make it better. A 2" ribeye cooked for 24 hours will be destroyed. Just as shrimp cooked an hour, heck even half an hour, will be wrecked.

2) I've done that with boneless skinless chicken breasts. But I didn't reheat them, I just broke them out of the vacuum bags a few days later and sliced them up cold for sandwiches. Logically, to me, if I were reheating, I would aim for a few degrees lower than my final initial cook temp, so as not to cook them more, and only just reheat them.

3) The amount of flavor that herbs and rubs can impart during the long SV cook times is immense. Do not be afraid of this. Remember, that is your only flavor being imparted, there are no flavors from the cooking process itself. It can be phenomenal. I've found that, for the way I do things, no salt in the rubs or bags is best. For short cooks it sometimes doesn't make a difference, but for long ones, it pulls a lot of moisture out, so for me, it's simpler to avoid altogether and just add at the time of searing. Go overboard on the spices, it doesn't matter - I went overboard on tri-tips one time, now, I'm stuck making them that way for that group forever, they freaking loved it.

On a side note, you mention pork chops... I have long struggled with getting grilled pork chops right, often resulting in a dry chop. No more with this process.

[pnoon]

:tu

[bonjing]

I've done salmon, comes out great! Just using the recommended cook times on the anova app. I just usually do S&P some chili flakes, dab of butter and some lemon.

[CigarNut]

I've done salmon, comes out great! Just using the recommended cook times on the anova app. I just usually do S&P some chili flakes, dab of butter and some lemon.

I like to sprinkle some dry mustard on my salmon -- spices it up just a bit.

[pnoon]

Another question about the process.

If I am doing steaks for a party of say 4 and 2 want their steaks medium and 2 want their steaks rare, what is the best approach for doing this?

I came up with an idea of doing the medium steaks at the higher temp first. Then, in cooler water, cook the rare steaks while at the same time keeping the medium steaks warm but not cooking them further. Finishing with a sear all at once.

Thoughts?

[jonumberone]

Another question about the process.

If I am doing steaks for a party of say 4 and 2 want their steaks medium and 2 want their steaks rare, what is the best approach for doing this?

I came up with an idea of doing the medium steaks at the higher temp first. Then, in cooler water, cook the rare steaks while at the same time keeping the medium steaks warm but not cooking them further. Finishing with a sear all at once.

Thoughts?

Peter, I would cook all the steaks rare. Then the two steaks I wanted medium, I would just sear off longer in cast iron or on the grill to bring them up to temp. :2

[croatan]

Peter, I would cook all the steaks rare. Then the two steaks I wanted medium, I would just sear off longer in cast iron or on the grill to bring them up to temp. :2

Yeah, that's what I've done, too. If someone wants it past medium (why, God, why?) and you're tired of searing and/or your smoke alarms are all going off, you can toss it in the oven for a little bit, as well.

[T.G]

Another question about the process.

If I am doing steaks for a party of say 4 and 2 want their steaks medium and 2 want their steaks rare, what is the best approach for doing this?


Thoughts?

Get 2 new friends who like steaks and not leather.


J/k. I think Dom's idea is solid, about using a longer sear on the leather, er, medium ones.

[Porch Dweller]

Get 2 new friends who like steaks and not leather.


J/k. I think Dom's idea is solid, about using a longer sear on the leather, er, medium ones.

This! Who needs that kind of negativity in their life? :D

[pnoon]

Peter, I would cook all the steaks rare. Then the two steaks I wanted medium, I would just sear off longer in cast iron or on the grill to bring them up to temp. :2

Yeah, that's what I've done, too. If someone wants it past medium (why, God, why?) and you're tired of searing and/or your smoke alarms are all going off, you can toss it in the oven for a little bit, as well.

Get 2 new friends who like steaks and not leather.


J/k. I think Dom's idea is solid, about using a longer sear on the leather, er, medium ones.
Thanks, fellas.

[pnoon]

Another noob question.

Preheat the water before adding the food? Most recipes I've seen say to do this. But I trust you guys more.

And an observation.
Using the app on the phone to set time, temp, and start the unit seems pointless unless one puts the food in a room temp water bath for an extended period and then wants to start the process without getting up and without preheating. And I've seen no mention of how much time to add for preheating.

[CigarNut]

The timer does not start until the water is at the desired temp. I always heat the water before adding my food.

[pnoon]

First cook is done. And I'm quite pleased.

Did a large boneless skinless chicken breast. It was already in the foodsaver bag with no herbs or seasoning. Also had a a 1-1.25" thick boneless pork loin chop that I used a dry rub on.
Cooked both at 145 for 90 minutes. Added salt and pepper to the chicken. Finished in a cast iron skillet.

The pork chop was tender and flavorful. Certainly not dry but not as juicy as I had expected. Maybe dial it down to 135-140 next time.
The chicken was fabulous! Even with just salt and pepper. Can't wait to try different herbs/seasonings for the next effort of chicken.

Going grocery shopping tomorrow. Have to get me some steak for the weekend. :dr
And finish it with a Searzall.

I'm hooked.

[bonjing]

One thing I've noticed with my anova and using the app, is that when the anova beeps I toss my food in the water. But I do have to remember to acknowledge that it's at temp on my phone or else the timer won't start.

[Stevez]

Must say I'm super intrigued by this thread and the concept of this cooking. Can't stay away from it when I see new posts, but I'm also very leery of going down another rabbit hole. I have so many already. Just got a new Big Green Egg keeping me busy, but this food looks incredible. Probably just need to start digging a new hole!

[pnoon]

Did some salmon last night.
Light salt. Small dab of butter. Fresh dill. And slices of lime.
Cooked at 127 for 30 minutes. No finish.
Delicious!

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i209/pnoon/Foodie/IMG_2770_zpspvegqssw.jpg (http://s73.photobucket.com/user/pnoon/media/Foodie/IMG_2770_zpspvegqssw.jpg.html)

[pnoon]

Took a shot at a boneless pork chop last night. I tend to avoid pork chops because they dry out so easily. Not this one! Really juicy. I put it in the water bath naked - no herbs or seasoning. After it came out of the bath, I rubbed it down with some pork seasoning and seared it on a cast iron skillet with some thinly shaved slices of garlic in canola oil. Good flavor, decent sear. I'm still not wild about pork chops, but if Grace gets a craving, this is how we're doing them.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/749/23524049701_3ce3f6f9d1_z.jpg

Do you remember what time and temp you used?

[pnoon]

Bueller . . .

[jonumberone]

Sorry no pics, but I did a bottom round roast beef this past weekend.
131° for 11hrs.
Absolutely spectacular!

[Alpedhuez55]

I got an Anova Blutooth Cooker on Black Friday. I was waiting for them to drop below $100. Still have not used it yet. I guess I could this weekend, but I think I am going to be making Jambalaya on Sunday. So I may wait until Christmas to open it.

[T.G]

Sorry no pics, but I did a bottom round roast beef this past weekend.
131° for 11hrs.
Absolutely spectacular!

I've done this with other cuts but never bottom round (or at least i don't recall using bottom round).

Do you happen to remember what the weight was?

[jonumberone]

I've done this with other cuts but never bottom round (or at least i don't recall using bottom round).

Do you happen to remember what the weight was?

It was in the 3 - 4lb range. Probably closer to 3 than 4.

[T.G]

It was in the 3 - 4lb range. Probably closer to 3 than 4.

Cool. I decided to try one yesterday, same time and temp, but just shy of 3lbs (probably about 2.5 after I removed the fat cap). Didn't open the bag, just straight to the refrigerator, will open and sear it today when it's cold, that way I don't change the internal cooking doneness as much.

[Tio Gato]

After looking at this thread for a long time I went shopping. An Anova and a beef tenderloin came home with me. so excited. I love beef extremely rare.
Thanks for the push down the sous vide slope brothers.:adam

[CigarNut]

We're only too glad to help, Jeff :D

[Flynnster]

Well, got an Anova for christmas. Went bluetooth instead of Wifi.

[jonumberone]

Did a 39oz Porterhouse steak the other night.
I haven't purchased a steak less than 2 inches thick in close to a year.
I love how the thicker steaks come out with the Anova. The worst part is having to share. :)

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/Food/20161222_172645_zpshv12nskz.jpg

[Chainsaw13]

That's not a steak, that's a roast for a small family. :lr

[Tio Gato]

Did a 39oz Porterhouse steak the other night.
I haven't purchased a steak less than 2 inches thick in close to a year.
I love how the thicker steaks come out with the Anova. The worst part is having to share. :)

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/Food/20161222_172645_zpshv12nskz.jpg

Wow Dom that's gorgeous. Can you share temp and time please? My mind is running wild with thoughts of how the inside came out. Got any pics of that?
Thanks so much.:dr

[CigarNut]

Looks good, Dom! I think I need to visit New Jersey soon :D

[Flynnster]

First cook in in process. Pork loin at 140 for 1.5 hours, and carrots at 185 for 1 hour.

Started after work, so it's going to be late. Thoughts on ice bath and then reheat and sear tomorrow?

[Porch Dweller]

My wife got me a FoodSaver for Christmas. The next logical step is an Anova. :)

[T.G]

First cook in in process. Pork loin at 140 for 1.5 hours, and carrots at 185 for 1 hour.

Started after work, so it's going to be late. Thoughts on ice bath and then reheat and sear tomorrow?

It'll be fine. Reheat everything together at 140.

[Alpedhuez55]

I did my first Sous Vide cook over the weekend. It was a Eye of Round roast cooked 24 hours at 131*. This is a pretty tough cut but it came out very tender, but not all that juicy. I guess that is the case with longer cooks on this cut. The juices were mostly left in the bag and for a nice reduction sauce. The meat is very good though. The leftovers will be great for sandwiches. Luckily one of the other gifts I picked up for myself was an 8" Victorinox Fibrox Chef Knife. It makes cutting thin slices easy!!!

I need to try this on some NY Strips of Rib-eyes next.

[CigarNut]

I did my first Sous Vide cook over the weekend. It was a Eye of Round roast cooked 24 hours at 131*. This is a pretty tough cut but it came out very tender, but not all that juicy. I guess that is the case with longer cooks on this cut. The juices were mostly left in the bag and for a nice reduction sauce. The meat is very good though. The leftovers will be great for sandwiches. Luckily one of the other gifts I picked up for myself was an 8" Victorinox Fibrox Chef Knife. It makes cutting thin slices easy!!!

I need to try this on some NY Strips of Rib-eyes next.

Did you use any salt on your roast? I find that salt dries out meat on the longer cooks, and for those cooks where i have either reduced or left out the salt, the roasts come out very juicy and tender.

Using salt on the shorter cooks for steaks and the like does not cause any problems.

[Alpedhuez55]

Did you use any salt on your roast? I find that salt dries out meat on the longer cooks, and for those cooks where i have either reduced or left out the salt, the roasts come out very juicy and tender.

Using salt on the shorter cooks for steaks and the like does not cause any problems.

I did use a little salt with it but not as much as I normally would have. I will keep that in mind next time I make a roast with a longer cook time. Thanks for the tip.

[Flynnster]

Just tossed in a small bottom round roast. Plan is 132 for about 12 hours.

[longknocker]

Dom: That's Some Delicious Looking Food, Brother!:dr You Need To Change Occupations!:D:tu

[Tio Gato]

Did my first cook yesterday. A whole tenderloin lightly seared, immersed than seared again. It was perfect medium rare. 125F for one hour seared in cast iron. Yummy for sure.

[8lug]

This maybe a dumb question but how do you know when a steak or roast is cooked to med rare without taking its internal temp?

[pnoon]

This maybe a dumb question but how do you know when a steak or roast is cooked to med rare without taking its internal temp?

Sitting in the water bath for 1-4 hours pretty much guarantees your internal temp will be what you've set the device at.

[Tio Gato]

Second cook today. Grape tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic, basil and s&p. 130F for 30 minutes. Chilled for later.
7 or 8 fingerling potatoes sliced lengthwise with olive oil, garlic, vidalia onions, fresh parsley, big nugget of unsalted butter and s&p. 190F for one hour. Chilled as well.
Have a chicken roasting now. Just before it's done I'll reheat veg. and serve.
Gotta say it smells wicked good in here. (As we :mh say!)

[Flynnster]

Did regular old chicken breasts today, 145 for 2.5 hours (from frozen) and they were very good, just salt and pepper on them for salads throughout the week.

Right now I'm doing Serious Eats glazed carrots and some green beans. 185 for 1 hour.

[Tio Gato]

Second cook today. Grape tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic, basil and s&p. 130F for 30 minutes. Chilled for later.
7 or 8 fingerling potatoes sliced lengthwise with olive oil, garlic, vidalia onions, fresh parsley, big nugget of unsalted butter and s&p. 190F for one hour. Chilled as well.
Have a chicken roasting now. Just before it's done I'll reheat veg. and serve.
Gotta say it smells wicked good in here. (As we :mh say!)

Tomatoes were awesome, potatoes grossly under cooked. Darn internet recipes.:confused:

[8lug]

Sitting in the water bath for 1-4 hours pretty much guarantees your internal temp will be what you've set the device at.


With such a varied time frame is safe to say you can't over cook a steak use this method?

[Chainsaw13]

With such a varied time frame is safe to say you can't over cook a steak use this method?

Correct, as it'll reach equilibrium and stay there. However, the longer it goes, the more the texture will change, usually not for the better.

[8lug]

I just pulled the trigger on the wifi/Bluetooth model. Should be here Thursday.

[Alpedhuez55]

I did my second cook on New Years Eve . This was a top sirloin steak that I used to make Steak au Poivre. The steak was cooked for 2 hours at 131 and came out as tender as a fillet. Moist and very tender. There were not a lot of juices left in the bag, but it was enough to make the sauce. I served it with a loaded baked potato. Then some Tres Lehes Cake followed buy a CAO American Torpedo to take me up to Midnight!!!!

Now I need to decide what to make next!!!

[croatan]

I made the best pork tenderloin I've ever had last night. Cooked two of them (one peppercorn pre-seasoned and one au natural that I did with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and butter) at 136 for an hour and a half or so and then seared in cast iron. It was the most tender pork I've ever eaten. I served the medium-rare pork to two people who normally only eat well-done steaks and they both loved it. I don't think I'll ever do a pork tenderloin any other way again.

Also, while the pork was in the bath, I threw in some asparagus with salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, and butter. Let it sit with the pork for half an hour or so, then when I took the pork out, I added some boiling water and bumped the temp up to 170ish for another 10-15 minutes. Came out great. I don't normally even like asparagus, but this way it had good flavor and didn't have any of that nastiness that I usually associate with the stuff.

[Alpedhuez55]

I made the best pork tenderloin I've ever had last night. Cooked two of them (one peppercorn pre-seasoned and one au natural that I did with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and butter) at 136 for an hour and a half or so and then seared in cast iron. It was the most tender pork I've ever eaten. I served the medium-rare pork to two people who normally only eat well-done steaks and they both loved it. I don't think I'll ever do a pork tenderloin any other way again.


Actually, I have one of those pre-seasoned peppercorn tenderloins I was thinking of putting on when I get home. But I may just wait until the weekend. I have that same pork fear a lot of people have. My Mom was so afraid of getting sick from it that it was always well done and stringy or else I fear I am going to end up with trichinosis. Hopefully the Sous Vide will help me get over that fear.

[T.G]

Tried a stepped temperature cook a few days ago, actually quite pleased with the results.

Took about a 1" thick sirloin steak. 1.3 hours at 103F, then 1.3 hours at 120F, then 2.5 hours at 127F.

Somewhat impressed with the flavor and tenderness developed in what was a not-so-special select grade cut from Safeway. Going to have to try this again with a better steak.

I've never really been happy with the bark on a sous vide steak. Yeah, it's not the worst out there, but it just doesn't hold a candle to what I can get on any one of my grills (other than the pellet grill). To get a good bark, I was basically wrecking all the work I had done for the SV cook. So I played around with a heavy pre-sear, then a cook, then a normal post sear. Making sure to dry the steak with a few paper towels before each sear. This actually kind of worked, the pre-cook sear could be heavier/longer since the meat is still cold and not going to be as affected by it, the post-cook sear was basically just re-crisping the work from the onset. Not to mention the flavor that was infused into the meat during the cook from all the little burnt bits. Need to try that again, but this time, with a frozen steak. That way I can sear the crap out of it yet only have that part of the cook penetrating a few mm.

I still prefer stuff grilled, but I'm starting to find a usable alternative with this process.

[T.G]

Oh, and I did a 52 hour cook, not really intended to be, but just how things worked out, at 127F and it didn't fvck the meat up like it had in the past at 131+. So I guess temps need to go down a bit for the longer cooks. Not my preference, but nice to know.

[jonumberone]

Oh, and I did a 52 hour cook, not really intended to be, but just how things worked out, at 127F and it didn't fvck the meat up like it had in the past at 131+. So I guess temps need to go down a bit for the longer cooks. Not my preference, but nice to know.

I haven't had enough coffee to remember what they are, but aren't there risks to longer cooks below 130°?
I've never been a fan of how long cooks come out, and would love to try them at a lower temp.

Adam, the solution to your searing problems is to cook thicker steaks! :D
I don't remember the last time I had a steak in the bath that was less than 2" thick.
And before you ask, the answer is yes, even when I'm eating alone. :r
Seriously though, even going to 1.5" will be more forgiving and allow you to get a great sear on the grill without undoing all the good work of the sous vide.
The best part is there are plenty of great things to do with the leftovers! :dr

I did a bottom round roast beef for 12 hrs @131° the other day.
I was upset to find out that the Anova doesn't have a delayed start.
I needed to get the roast in by 5am.
So, my choices were to either bring the water to temp the night before and hold it there, or hope I got it to temp in the morning before I had to leave for work
It just doesn't make sense.
Roast came out great. Went in the bag with fresh garlic, thyme, a touch of salt and pepper, and some chopped onion.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/Food/37999_zpsr0terycm.jpeg

[Brlesq]

Dom, you could just use a plug-in outlet timer for a delayed start. I've done that.

[AdamJoshua]

^^^ some good French Dip making there.

[T.G]

Dom, you could just use a plug-in outlet timer for a delayed start. I've done that.

That won't work with the Anova PC. When the power is cut and then restored to the Anova PC, it only remembers the temp, not the cook state. It would still have to be started manually.

[T.G]

I haven't had enough coffee to remember what they are, but aren't there risks to longer cooks below 130°?
I've never been a fan of how long cooks come out, and would love to try them at a lower temp.

Yeah, I haven't been a fan of the longer cooks either, hence why I started looking into just how low I could drop the temp. The risks are in cooking at too low a temp or for too short a time, or both. In regards to what is safe: at 131F, bugs die in less than 2 hours. At 126.1F they die in many hours to days. Below 126F, they stop reproducing. So, in short, at 127F, or even 126.5F, a few days or more and you should be safe, but a shorter cook would be where you could run into problems.

Please note, this is only for whole muscle cuts of beef. I have not looked into this for ground beef, poultry, pork or any other hoof animal (lamb, etc).


Adam, the solution to your searing problems is to cook thicker steaks! :D
I don't remember the last time I had a steak in the bath that was less than 2" thick.
And before you ask, the answer is yes, even when I'm eating alone. :r
Seriously though, even going to 1.5" will be more forgiving and allow you to get a great sear on the grill without undoing all the good work of the sous vide.
The best part is there are plenty of great things to do with the leftovers! :dr


I like how you think, brother.


I did a bottom round roast beef for 12 hrs @131° the other day.
I was upset to find out that the Anova doesn't have a delayed start.
I needed to get the roast in by 5am.
So, my choices were to either bring the water to temp the night before and hold it there, or hope I got it to temp in the morning before I had to leave for work
It just doesn't make sense.
Roast came out great. Went in the bag with fresh garlic, thyme, a touch of salt and pepper, and some chopped onion.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/jonumberone/Food/37999_zpsr0terycm.jpeg

Dom, supposedly this 3rd party app can do delayed starts.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.palagraph.anovaremote
I've never used it though. Heck, I don't even use the app from the manufacturer. Such being the case for me, I'd go with heating the water the night before, since these things don't really use that much electricity once they get up to temp.

Nice roast too.

[T.G]

Late last year, Serious Eats released a sous vide cooking procedure for thick cut bacon. I just got around to trying it...

O.M.G.

Melt. In. Your. Mouth.

Crispy, melty all at the same time.


Here's the recipe:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/11/overnight-sous-vide-bacon-recipe.html

Here are my comments/notes:
- I used bacon from the butcher program at the local UC. They've won multiple awards for their bacon. And it's meaty, not the bag o' belly fat you typically get with the cheap store bought stuff. Moral of the story here: Don't skimp. Buy the good stuff.

- The author says you can just put the pack right into the water, I wouldn't do that if it were a commercial pack with cardboard inside. Freeze it, cut it open, hold the cardboard in your hands for a moment, it will warm enough to peel away and then rebag the frozen bacon either with a vacuum sealer or ziplock immersion method.

- All that juice in the bag when you are done, save that. That's liquid gold. Use it to make a sauce, gravy or cook with it, even brush your teeth with it, you'll thank me later.

- I cooked it for 36 hours just because that's how things worked out. You have to handle the bacon gently, it will crack and fall apart before it makes it to the pan. Not sure if a shorter time will change this.

- The bacon cooks very quickly once in the frying pan. Don't get it too hot and heed his time recommendations of 2 minutes on one side, then 30 seconds after the flip.

- I would not try this with thin bacon, it would probably fall apart.

- If you are really slick, since the water is already at the perfect temp, the morning of when you are going to serve this, get a couple of large eggs, pick the shells, drop them into boiling water for one to two minutes max, immediately put them into an ice bath to shock them, then, once cooled, drop them into your sous vide water bath with the bacon, let them cook at the 145F temp for an hour and fifteen minutes to have the ultimate soft boiled egg along with the bacon. Reduce the cook time for smaller eggs, increase for XL & jumbos.

[pnoon]

I'm on that like white on rice. :dr

[pnoon]

Did boneless skinless chicken thighs tonight.
Light salt and pepper, EVOO, and some dried oregano. 160 degrees for 100 minutes. Finished in a cast iron skillet.
Fantastic! Juicy, tender, and very flavorful.

[8lug]

My first attempt was frozen solid strip steak, about 1.5 thick. I vac sealed them frozen and unseasoned. 130 degrees for 2.5 hours. seasoned and seared in cast iron. I was less than impressed. Although the were super tender the flavor was "off". They had a Steamed/boiled aroma to them. My second attempt was a 3 lb bone in pork loin roast. This was rubbed with smashed garlic, S&P and coated in Penzy's Bavarian spice rub and some fresh rosemary for good measure. 145 degrees for 5hrs.
Finished in cast iron. This time I was very pleased with the results. the flavors penetrated throughout the whole roast.

I'll give the steak another try today, this time I'm going to defrost them and will season as I usually do and hope for the best.

[8lug]

My second attempt at steaks was another disappointment. I guess I cant get over the fact that the fat doesn't render and the meat flavor is muted. Are others experiencing the same????

[Flynnster]

I think what flavor you are missing is the seared flavor or possibly the juxtaposition between salt and the beef flavor. Salt adds a lot to flavors. Technically, a sous vide steak will be the beefiest thing possible.

Question, are you drying your steaks well before you sear them off? The dryer they are the better the sear and the more browning you will get?

Just spit balling here.

[Flynnster]

Just tossed some chicken wings in. One bag salt and pepper, one bag some jerk dry rub. 160 for around 3.5 hours.

I'm not expecting them to be "better" from sous vide, but I'm hoping I can get them cooked all the way through leading to a short and hot fry time for the crunch.

Also may try them just under the broiler.

[Porch Dweller]

Just tossed some chicken wings in. One bag salt and pepper, one bag some jerk dry rub. 160 for around 3.5 hours.

I'm not expecting them to be "better" from sous vide, but I'm hoping I can get them cooked all the way through leading to a short and hot fry time for the crunch.

Also may try them just under the broiler.

Please follow up on this as I'm really curious how they turn out.

[Flynnster]

Cooked/ate 1/3 of them. I finished these in the oven and they weren't great. I dried them off (there was a ton of fat on the outside) and put them on broil. Didn't really get a great crust. However, the meat was really good!!!

I have one more batch still in a bad that I'm going to deep fry. I think results on those should be great but I'll update.

[Flynnster]

Update!

I deep fried the second batch. And my god were they good. Perfectly crispy crust, with no worry about cooking the inside all the way through. Tender and juicy without being greasy. I'd highly recommend this method.

[Porch Dweller]

:tu

[Flynnster]

I'm really loving this sous vide machine. Starting the Whole30 diet with some coworkers this week so I'm pre portioning everything I can.

Up for this week, Salmon (first time), Beef Shank (first time), Pork Chops, Chicken Breasts (in the freezer still), and green beans.
http://i.imgur.com/0Jf7mqwl.jpg

[T.G]

Boneless beef short ribs for 72 hours at 129F. Insane.

Super tender. Super flavorful. Do not serve them without searing, because they look like the paint on an unrestored 1950's Army truck.

[T.G]

Anova to be acquired by Electrolux...

https://www.cnet.com/news/electrolux-buys-sous-vide-machine-maker-anova-for-250-million/

[Chainsaw13]

No pics, but did a NY strip steak Saturday. I bought the whole, uncut piece, about 6.5lbs. Was able to get 5, 2 finger width steaks out of it. :D Sous vide one up for dinner, 131F for 1:30. Salted, then seared in a hot cast iron pan. Had it with some sauteed wild mushrooms and a healthy pour of a Chilean wine. :dr

[AdamJoshua]

Anova to be acquired by Electrolux...

https://www.cnet.com/news/electrolux-buys-sous-vide-machine-maker-anova-for-250-million/

Interesting

Anova has also created a precision oven that's set for a summer 2017 release; the countertop oven will sear, convection bake, steam cook and connect to the company's precision cookers

[T.G]

Yeah, that's the "Anova Precision Oven". Details on it and what it can actually do are still very vague at the current time. They've been talking about it for 6 months now, maybe longer, but I don't think a working prototype has even been shown yet. Not sure if steam cook actually means true CVap technology or just some sort of moisture injection, if that feature even makes it to the final product. Without that, it's just a wi-fi enabled toaster.

[CigarNut]

I did a Tri Tip in the Sous Vide today and used a different recipe:

Smoked Paprika Tri Tip

INGREDIENTS
1 grass-fed tri tip roast
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1½ tsp coriander
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1½ Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ Tbsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper, ground
1 Tbsp tallow for searing (I did not have tallow, so I used lard)

INSTRUCTIONS
Add all spices to a medium sized mixing bowl and combine thoroughly creating the rub.

Liberally coat tri tip with the rub ensuring an even coating overall.

Let it rest on the counter to allow it to come to room temperature.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for 5 minutes.

Once hot, add tallow to skillet and sear tri tip for 5 minutes per side or until a nice crust develops.

Place tri tip in vacuum bag and Sous Vide for 6-8 hours at 130° (Medium Rare).

Normally, I sear the meat after taking it out of the bath, but since I seared these before the bath, I skipped the post-bath sear.

It was very tasty!

After applying the rub:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17573&stc=1&d=1486523031

After searing:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17574&stc=1&d=1486523031

In the Bath:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17575&stc=1&d=1486523031

After the Bath:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17576&stc=1&d=1486523031

All sliced up:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17577&stc=1&d=1486523031

[Porch Dweller]

I'm not saying I'd smack my grandma for a taste of that...but I'm not saying I wouldn't. :D :dr :dr

[Chainsaw13]

Just started a lambchetta. Shooting for 4.5 hours at 134°F. Then into a 475F oven to crisp up the outside.

[CigarNut]

I did 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a little EVOO, salt, pepper and sprig of rosemary for 90 minutes at 146°.

They came out fantastic -- good texture, juicy and tasted great!

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17585&stc=1&d=1486935062

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17586&stc=1&d=1486935062

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17587&stc=1&d=1486935062

[T.G]

I finally got around to making the SV egg bites that everyone has been going nuts over ever since Charbucks put them on their menu.

Not bad. It's basically a quiche in a cup, but due to the SV it's a very velvety smooth texture, unlike any other egg preparation I've ever had.

Here's a link to their example recopies
https://anovaculinary.com/easy-homemade-sous-vide-egg-bites/

I just kind of winged the ingredients together. Per 8 oz wide-mouth mason jar it went something like spray jar with PAM, 2 eggs whisked with milk, poured over some fried salami, devil chilies, a bit of feta cheese and a small spoon (1/2 tsp I'd guess) of homemade pesto. 172F for 90-95 minutes.

[pnoon]

I finally got around to making the SV egg bites that everyone has been going nuts over ever since Charbucks put them on their menu.

Not bad. It's basically a quiche in a cup, but due to the SV it's a very velvety smooth texture, unlike any other egg preparation I've ever had.

Here's a link to their example recopies
https://anovaculinary.com/easy-homemade-sous-vide-egg-bites/

I just kind of winged the ingredients together. Per 8 oz wide-mouth mason jar it went something like spray jar with PAM, 2 eggs whisked with milk, poured over some fried salami, devil chilies, a bit of feta cheese and a small spoon (1/2 tsp I'd guess) of homemade pesto. 172F for 90-95 minutes.

Gonna have to try these!
:dr

[Chainsaw13]

Oh man those eggs sound good.

[Brlesq]

Going to try doing lobster tails in the sous vide for Valentine's day. Local grocery store had 5oz cold water tails on sale for $4.99 each, so 6 of those and we'll have almost 2 lbs of lobster! What I like about this recipe is that there is no need to sear at the end. Just cut open pouch and serve!

[pnoon]

Going to try doing lobster tails in the sous vide for Valentine's day. Local grocery store had 5oz cold water tails on sale for $4.99 each, so 6 of those and we'll have almost 2 lbs of lobster! What I like about this recipe is that there is no need to sear at the end. Just cut open pouch and serve!

Be sure and share with us specifically how you prepared them and your results.

[pnoon]

So I gave soft-boiled eggs a try this morning. 167 for 14 minutes.
Served on a slice of buttered toast. Nothing fancy. (OK. The toast was my homemade pumpernickel bread.) It was quite delicious.

A couple of observations. First, the yolks, while still soft, were pretty much set. I prefer the yolks to be runny. Second, most of the egg poured out of the shell rather easily. However, some did adhere to the shell interior. I used a teaspoon to scoop out the remaining white.

I have used seriouseats.com as my primary source for information about sous vide cooking. I found this article to be quite interesting. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/10/sous-vide-soft-poached-eggs.html

Next time I plan to try the eggs at 145 for 45-60 minutes.

[Brlesq]

The 5 oz. lobster tails were a big success. I cooked them for 30 minutes at 132F. Soft texture and a lot less chewy than a boiled or broiled one. As a Northeasterner, I prefer them to have a little more firmness (like what you get served in Maine), so next time I'm taking them up to 145F to see what difference it makes. But my wife absolutely adored them at 132F, and after all, it was Valentines Day!

I followed the directions from the Anova Food Lab: https://anovaculinary.com/sous-vide-lobster-guide/?utm_source=01.+Primary+Marketing+List&utm_campaign=c0329f4f64-Lobster_Guide_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f33347b916-c0329f4f64-100149757&ct=t(Lobster_Guide_Email)&goal=0_f33347b916-c0329f4f64-100149757&mc_cid=c0329f4f64&mc_eid=63957c2d39

And the par boiling first was key! Meat popped right out of the shells with no waste. A great technique. We don't care much for Tarragon, so in the bag I added half a stick of butter, a little garlic and a tsp of lemon juice. Flavor was terrific. And here is the finished product:

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t404/Brlesq/Lobster%201_zpsf0ghtgcd.jpghttp://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t404/Brlesq/Lobster%202_zpsucxnwlqj.jpg

[pnoon]

Another one on my "must try" list.

Thanks, Bruce.

[Chainsaw13]

:dr

[CigarNut]

They look awesome!

[Porch Dweller]

Those look so tasty!

[BigAsh]

love sous vide!....loves look great!

[BigAsh]

Did a belated Valentine's dinner on Saturday for my wife and another couple....went with an "old School Steakhouse" menu theme...Frank Sinatra in the background....Gin martini's and bourbon for me and my buddy, the girls had champagne...."Filet Oscar" topped with lump crab meat and Bearnaise, asparagus, and "Potato Dauphine" which I cut into a heart shape....started with shrimp cocktail, followed by a classic wedge salad with a buttermilk/blue cheese dressing and candied bacon....Steaks were beautiful 8-9 oz, did sous vide at 129* for about 2 1/2 hours, bagged with smashed garlic and tarragon, then seared over a ripping hot cast iron pan (warm out so was able to use side burner on grill w/out the worry of smoking up kitchen)....meat was perfect with a nice sear...also did the shrimp sous vide at 135* for about 45 min, shell on, tossed with some baking soda and salt before bagging, peeled then chilled...came out really plump....

http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/E8B0ABED-B092-49F2-9B80-90CE934AFA00_zpsngt5uqpr.jpg

silicone bands to help hold shape...
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/DB77C592-E67B-4B90-BAAF-F0895238818D_zpstgvyneba.jpg

http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/634B69D3-AB44-4D2F-98AE-993EBBD588CC_zpsuufil8ao.jpg

http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/85dba2f4-dcad-4d18-908b-823dbd8ff309_zpsfykcqvat.jpg

http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/73ec7370-4364-4349-9d94-1c941af38941_zps0faoxggm.jpg

http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/16719E19-4DCE-4875-BD44-2D7D4728B2CE_zps1envwomn.jpg

http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/E12CAC7F-7B02-4E90-8B74-54B7AA6E35A1_zpsmxewjfdh.jpg

My homage to St. Peter....
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/FD587E8B-86F6-47A0-94D6-367CDC14E538_zpsk2afrfkv.jpg

Love these wedge ice glasses...
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/6A5E0A77-C280-4399-B5EA-35B47C813912_zpshvx8q0ag.jpg

[CigarNut]

Looks fantastic, Keith!

[Porch Dweller]

That's some lovely food **** right there! :D

[pnoon]

My homage to St. Peter....
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll369/kdos66/CIGAR/FD587E8B-86F6-47A0-94D6-367CDC14E538_zpsk2afrfkv.jpg


Bless you, my son.
:)

[BigAsh]

Bless you, my son.
:)


Keen eye.....:D

[Tio Gato]

Simply beautiful counselor!:dr

[stearns]

Proud new owner thanks to 8lug, got it in last night and set it all up but it was a little too late to get anything going. I prepped a few different bags for garlic confit (one with rosemary one with thyme) that I will be trying out tonight, gonna try to make use of the wifi feature to get the bath pre-heating when I leave the office so when I get home 30 minutes later I'm hoping to be able to just toss it in. If this works out as expected I think that'll be useful for making dinners after work, won't save the most time I imagine but at least it will be ready and waiting when I walk in the door. I'll post up pictures/results after I give it a go :tu

[Chainsaw13]

How big a vessel are you using? The preheat might take longer than 30mins depending upon size, current temp and target temp. My 5 gal pot I recently used took a lot longer to come to 135F than my 3 gal pot. I"m guessing over an hour, which included heating the water on top of the stove.

[pnoon]

If I am in a hurry to pre-heat the water bath, I put the gas burner on high for 2-3 minutes. 5 tops.

Easy.

[stearns]

How big a vessel are you using? The preheat might take longer than 30mins depending upon size, current temp and target temp. My 5 gal pot I recently used took a lot longer to come to 135F than my 3 gal pot. I"m guessing over an hour, which included heating the water on top of the stove.

Close to 5 gallons, I guess I should allow more time. I was messing with it last night and was adding hot water to a mostly full bath and it was increasing pretty well, about 4* for every big glass full of hot water I added (my faucet gets pretty close to boiling). Good method to keep in mind if I want it to start out hot while I'm there, I'll make note of what time I start the heating remotely today and what it looks like by the time I get home

[Chainsaw13]

Like Peter says too, if you're in a hurry you can always preheat on the stove, if using a metal pot.

[stearns]

Guess it doesn't matter for today anyways, just launched up the app and it says it's disconnected and I should unplug/replug the device. Gonna just drain the bin and refill with hot water from the faucet when I get home to get it up to temp. From reading a little this seems like a common issue, maybe I'll need to stick with just cooking when I'm physically there to start it

[pnoon]

Guess it doesn't matter for today anyways, just launched up the app and it says it's disconnected and I should unplug/replug the device. Gonna just drain the bin and refill with hot water from the faucet when I get home to get it up to temp. From reading a little this seems like a common issue, maybe I'll need to stick with just cooking when I'm physically there to start it

I don't use the bluetooth feature at all.

[stearns]

Found this series on lifehacker, haven't read any of the particular articles and some seem to be more for entertainment but there could be a few cool ideas buried somewhere

http://lifehacker.com/tag/will-it-sous-vide

[croatan]

Found this series on lifehacker, haven't read any of the particular articles and some seem to be more for entertainment but there could be a few cool ideas buried somewhere

http://lifehacker.com/tag/will-it-sous-vide

I've read them and have been keeping up with them. Definitely entertaining and some pretty interesting ideas.

[8lug]

Guess it doesn't matter for today anyways, just launched up the app and it says it's disconnected and I should unplug/replug the device. Gonna just drain the bin and refill with hot water from the faucet when I get home to get it up to temp. From reading a little this seems like a common issue, maybe I'll need to stick with just cooking when I'm physically there to start it

Ben, last night about 8pm EST my anova app popped open and said something like , water temp is ready. I disconnect your device from the app and deleted the app from my phone. How is it possible that I could still control the unit 2000 miles away?

[pnoon]

Ben, last night about 8pm EST my anova app popped open and said something like , water temp is ready. I disconnect your device from the app and deleted the app from my phone. How is it possible that I could still control the unit 2000 miles away?

http://www.ivy-style.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Serling.jpg

[BigAsh]

Ben, last night about 8pm EST my anova app popped open and said something like , water temp is ready. I disconnect your device from the app and deleted the app from my phone. How is it possible that I could still control the unit 2000 miles away?

Why ask when there is soooo much fun to have?!? :ss:ss

[stearns]

Ben, last night about 8pm EST my anova app popped open and said something like , water temp is ready. I disconnect your device from the app and deleted the app from my phone. How is it possible that I could still control the unit 2000 miles away?

Very interesting, guess I never thought about it but if it's hooked to an internet connection it makes sense. You definitely blew a good opportunity there :D

Speaking of wirelessly starting, I was sitting in traffic last night so I decided to check the app again and this time it was connected, so I started the heat up. 30 minutes later it was up about 45*, still not where I needed for the garlic confit but at least it was on its way when I got home. I put about 75g of garlic each in two bags, covered with oil (also 75g worth) and one large sprig of rosemary in one and thyme in the other. I don't have a vac sealer (yet) so I just used smaller ziplocks then put both of those in one freezer bag. Somewhere along the way one of the smaller bags must not have sealed perfectly because after the 4 hours when I took them out there was a little oil inside the freezer bag, but not a significant amount. I pulled both bags out and emptied into separate mason jars, it was late so I didn't get a chance to try them but I will tonight. Overall it looks/smells like a success.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y01abzxkJ6UF5Lc5jFQSpw8ELkOSBEQNi-cm7E3_Hls1gcRmy8LHMG0pt9E5BfbeatTaeWL25LRAQ=w367-h275-rw
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PVSmnLczl30vkkBuJoYHEtAJP1JGexJ6FT3928lekAE-XUjQv3XMDNo7Juh284ngEzGDXTwUqlqUDQ=w207-h275-rw

[CigarNut]

I did a little experiment: my 6.5 gallon sous vide box (https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Container-C20-Polycarbonate-Transparent/dp/B014U596GO/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1488498784&sr=1-3&keywords=lipavi) was at room temp (~70*) and it took about an hour and 15 minutes to heat up to 140*, so about 1 degree per minute. The box is clear plastic with a lid.

[stearns]

interesting, I've been loosely trying to keep track of the speed of the 4.75gal box, it's about 1.5* per minute.

Last night I did my first attempt at making a meal, chicken cordon bleu. I butterflied the chicken breasts, stuffed with a pepperjack cheese stick wrapped in ham and put in a freezer bag. Cooked for 1.5 hours at 150* (from looking at a few recipes online) then took them out, breaded with an egg wash and pankos seasoned with salt and pepper, then put in a cast iron pan on high with a little olive oil.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Kx-z8mEBCqXJIrX_j4OwdLR17f97CBG-W9uT1sA5cjvfKhaPaQen8BkJ9h3hrMnUOfaD7x3cingHQ07m6J hcQuM8zAyL9hoZ5FaOTtBrBisy44o-lfydlF-SBLNyZALfvgo9Cdh-GV9ctV2adF4yde2pTMiGh-sDNM6qJdfkl-b1kpzJDm7o5HUHldb4mk4rnZ5ErjXf2ITkU8juIHQYhwN_GWBL nZ0NQju50gj60ZaUFZyzuoIDvWWMx9C0xqKgx2IclwP5IYqNkq VuSABROWfmYM48cwMnyj1lDjTc91tMciso8UMrStgtoQ3hYjc5 ddY4FhodAMeSfxZlhKee2Bk66ipG8_a_73Oxcyi_UXQ3fkigAF CCANAzPNylkHlH2utGI-HX9rn05ASkjr7_L8bRxQ83lxQvf5rYE5FhPatlAVQy-_egHyd9thR61pD5qgUmC6gaD7q5P6U8ZGjlLxSiBW98PWnDVSi 1dDmbsrv-FF1tt3ciCxbCOUkI2A9r52GocwYwX2lJAQS0hnkcODX1t8lm-ZUQKKmxbkhre0YcleXJZgxk1TeOV69JaqF5DW2Pzyhv24fR7GJ uiuTHYnKaCc-2yL0qB8SfVnoc8HHfTieLBLx4=w713-h949-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gwp7oBlHPj-gikuXEf9FxF7qaG0XVMMEUEvpvPBmXEpofkVmTDdDoU9z_Yphz YrlFFWOdcc0HKt9dc53wzEa7SCisBIzlZIpTYxxOTruh7RL-mhS8zoPOrb9l5iTDIFPjg2mUeOK9uSYBY4JJouJ_VqaBt2w7Mm qAlpuf4Bjs5YXcMm5TjD2le0uVIuKZkoufYCbejDvuL9EB60J2 sGZzn53CnaCSE_dV1_1pR3Fo2DXv0i72VCjDKabdYhjtdxaV6H 6ESPcFpvZ3gIvmdPvGO4Be8aezsjEmW9398gIsJV0n2MVLgn-8n7g4AjL3YSfw7qvZmtB8GptKM_934yAZfMCz5uS3EvfCW2hTi 29KRxZKrTtQoQYCiy_TvMCfaQX4YmgvP1vdEiTZ8_EcMQrQ0WJ P3GDzNN9yExyLCJy5-k0KOP-hxTPhvZrEZal-uFytsufew7410ad_EaEm7cnptKPogzZuhVq66HVIPFXjy_yoKO dxw8NshiHCOtf1MY_lJ0CzE9wQ1M12iRiBGYYEaDlkJUmiWV5o sqYulESGksmOLipUZzRtuPWOv3g5VWxqaW4Qc50Ch0Dntcqb9x YmG3sPoYTIjIKOXeJrbSTrFfVg9iz=w1265-h949-no

The chicken was cooked perfectly, very moist. The cheese inside was melted but not oozing, made for a very easy sear but when you cut it open (forgot to take pictures) it kept its shape. I think it probably could have benefited from being a little more liquidy, but that's probably party due to the type of cheese. The sear was far from perfect, probably because of using bread crumbs and olive oil, but still a very good meal overall.

I picked up some of these ice trays with the goal of saving bacon fat into small easily usable cubes for searing in the future.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NtRtShCJL._AC_UL320_SR318,320_.jpg

I gotta go pick up some bacon this weekend to render the fat out to save (and I suppose eat the bacon, if I must). The plan is to fill the ice tray, put it in the freezer to solidify then transfer to a freezer bag so I always have it on hand. Anybody else try something like this? I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I guess I'll find out.

[T.G]

I gotta go pick up some bacon this weekend to render the fat out to save (and I suppose eat the bacon, if I must). The plan is to fill the ice tray, put it in the freezer to solidify then transfer to a freezer bag so I always have it on hand. Anybody else try something like this? I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I guess I'll find out.

How about just a mason jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator? Add and subtract as you go.

If you can find face bacon, that will yield far more renerdable fat (it's virtually all fat really).

Also, there is a recipe for SV bacon that I tried and commented on here
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2113305&highlight=bacon#post2113305

I honestly was hesitant to try it, "Why bother?" was my thought. Results were outstanding. Doesn't render much fat though. The juice in the bag is actually more meat juice than fat and the frying time is so short that very little melts.

[stearns]

I thought about the mason jar approach, I guess I was thinking it might be easier to grab 2 bacon cubes (or whatever is needed per pan) rather than needing to think about how much to pull from the jar. that and my fiance will kill me if I put another mason jar full of whatever in the fridge :r

probably wouldn't make a difference, I think the trays were $6 so if I end up not using them it's not the end of the world. I saw your post about the bacon when I was re-reading through this thread, definitely on my list of things to try. Also thanks for the tip about face bacon, I"ll check with my butcher to see if they have/can make for me. it's a small shop but they're awesome

[BigAsh]

been using this for years to keep bacon grease in the fridge...strains out the bits...spoon out some whenever needed....empty it and start from scratch about twice a year or as needed...

https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/BedBathandBeyond/90524311797423p?$478$

[massphatness]

Hosted a dinner party for some of my staff over the weekend and chef'd up some tenderloin.

Had the butcher prep & truss a couple 3 lb hunks of beef to which I then added a simple rub of salt and coarse ground black pepper.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3782/33044852900_cc43c56999.jpg


I cooked them for about 90 minutes at 135* then seared them in a cast iron skillet

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/775/33272181122_06f4cbf65e_z.jpg

Finished product came out moist & delicious!

Plus now that I have a real carving (thanks to a Secret Santa), my cuts don't look like they were made with a chainsaw!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/604/33272180042_8f97b4ca17.jpg

[Chainsaw13]

:dr :dr :dr nom, nom, nom

[stearns]

That looks amazing Vin, nice :tu

Cooked a few meals this weekend, first were ribeyes. I compromised on the temp and went with 134, but they were too thin and by the time I finished searing they were closer to medium-well. still very tender and juicy, but not ideal.

Sunday was pork carnitas, loosely followed the food lab's (http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/01/how-to-make-sous-vide-carnitas.html)process, went with the more stringy 185* for 8 hours. pulled like a dream when it came out, crisped up great under the broiler then put them in some enchiladas. This was a great success, I will be doing it again in the future. The recipe says you can take it out of the water bath and put it right in the freezer if you wanted it for later, I might consider doing that some time for an easy week night dinner, sound like you can just take it out, pull apart and broil.

[BigAsh]

Nice Vin...I guess Secret Santa next year has to send you a ruler for even slices...but its a start :D

BTW, your meat looks great...(and it didn't cost you $20 to hear it!!)

[Tio Gato]

I did a corned beef brisket for today's holiday. Meat bagged with 1/4 cup each Guinness and beef stock. A bit of mixed pickling spice too. Cooked at 140F for 48 hours. Did this earlier in the week.

Tonight I steamed the brisket to heat it up. Simply the best corned beef I've ever had. Tender as could be.:dr

[BigAsh]

Jeff, a store-bought corned beef?....did you soak it before hand of did the long bath remove some of the salt?...sounds tasty

[Tio Gato]

It was a cheapo brisket on sale for St. Patrick's. I just rinsed it off. I think some of the salt bleed out into the Guinness and broth. The meat wasn't salty.
Steaming it kept it moist. Many recipes I've seen call for chunking the beef and searing in a pan. Not sure why that's necessary.:confused: I've never done that after cooking it traditionally.

The best thing was it was cooked and ready for a reheat so I didn't have to worry about it while tearing it up at the Irish pub.:chr

[Flynnster]

Picked up a cheap top round roast last weekend and after my initial plans fell through for it I was in a tailspin trying to figure out what to do. Figured why not try some homemade deli meat!

Ended up going in at 133 for 12 hours with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Came out and chilled it. Sliced it up and it was delicious! Was like some of the best roast beef from the deli counter, but at $4.99/lb instead of $20/lb. Plus it tasted better!

Next up I think I'll give some poultry a try. But my mind is also racing for some new flavors on the beef. Thinking of recreating Boarshead portwine beef?

[stearns]

Cooked up some carnitas for enchiladas again last night, partly because I wanted them for dinner and partly because I wanted to test the recipe I was using, which states that (http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/01/how-to-make-sous-vide-carnitas.html) you can shred and broil right away or let cool and toss the whole bag in the fridge for a week or freezer for months. This time I made twice the recipe, ate one for dinner (just as good as last time) and put the other bag in the freezer. Gonna give it a month or two then take it out, thaw in the bag and proceed as if I just took it out of the bath, I'll post back up with results whenever that happens.

For the one I ate last night, I strained out the aromatics and brought the juices (a lot of orange and lime in there) to a boil, put some minced onion and frozen corn in that to soak up some flavor then sauteed for inside the enchiladas as well as some peppers/onions and some cheese. I mixed the rest of the reduced SV juice with store bought enchilada sauce to top with. Worth all the extra effort :dr

[Tio Gato]

Thank you for sharing that link Ben.That looks like yummy piggy goodness!:dr

[pnoon]

Who here has experience with the larger vessels?

I'm thinking about getting the 26 qt. container and lid. What I'd like to know is that with the lid, are the "ping pong balls" necessary? Or will the lid be sufficient for a long cook?

[CigarNut]

I have the LIPAVI 6.5 gallon (26qt) container and lid; there are pictures of it here (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=71208). The lid is made to fit the Annova.

I don't think the ping pong balls are necessary when you have the lid.

BTW, I really like the container and lid combo. Easy to use easy to take care of and not to heavy to lift to/from the sink when full.

I also purchased one of the LIPAVI racks -- I got the round (https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Sous-Vide-Rack-Collapsible/dp/B00N9YU6WG/ref=sr_1_16?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1492890753&sr=1-16&keywords=lipavi) one because I purchased the rack before I purchased the container, and it fit my stock pot (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2073318&postcount=222). If I had to do it again, I would probably pick up the rectangular or square one.

[pnoon]

I have the LIPAVI 6.5 gallon (26qt) container and lid; there are pictures of it here (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=71208). The lid is made to fit the Annova.

I don't think the ping pong balls are necessary when you have the lid.

BTW, I really like the container and lid combo. Easy to use easy to take care of and not to heavy to lift to/from the sink when full.

I also purchased one of the LIPAVI racks -- I got the round (https://www.amazon.com/LIPAVI-Sous-Vide-Rack-Collapsible/dp/B00N9YU6WG/ref=sr_1_16?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1492890753&sr=1-16&keywords=lipavi) one because I purchased the rack before I purchased the container, and it fit my stock pot (http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2073318&postcount=222). If I had to do it again, I would probably pick up the rectangular or square one.
Thanks, Michael.
I'm gonna pass on the ping pong balls (and a rack for that matter) for now. Just having a large vessel to do roasts and such will be useful.

[Tio Gato]

I have a smaller size like that. I cut a piece of bubble wrap to lie on top for insulation. Moisture does gather inside the lid but a quick wiggle gets it right off. Virtually no evaporation on 48 cooks. Love it.

[Buckeye Jack]

Just an FYI, Amazon has the Anova on sale right now for $109. It's been on sale a couple of days already, not sure how much longer it will be there. I picked mine up 3 days ago, got here yesterday.

I was planning on using an old cooler I had already for the vessel but after putting 4 gallons of water in it I realized it was going to be too big. I ordered the 25-qt Coleman stack-able. Was hoping to get by with not paying anything for a vessel, but oh well.

It will take me awhile but I plan on going thru the whole thread and just picking up some ideas. Thanks for all the info!

Anova (https://www.amazon.com/Anova-Culinary-Bluetooth-Precision-Cooker/dp/B00UKPBXM4/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1494607979&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=anova&psc=1)

Cooler (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BMCLMU/ref=twister_B00363PSBE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

[stearns]

Still loving mine but have only been using it maybe oncer per week, most recently to make some pulled chickens to go inside some burritos, cooked the chicken for 1 hour at 150*, just put some limes, cilantro, garlic and a few basic spices. it turned out amazing, I liked it better than the pork I have made a few times for a similar purpose. Next up will probably be another attempt at juicy lucy's now that I have a vacuum sealer, I think will help keep their form and keep the cheese sealed on the inside. Last time I tried them the cheese stayed in for the SV process, but once I put them on the grill pan a seam opened and most of the cheese poured out. That was using the water immersion technique to seal a freezer bag, this will work better

[T.G]

Have you thought about trying the stuffed burgers with high temperature cheese, like what is used for some sausages, or using cheeses that don't melt as readily?

[stearns]

I had made my own cheese slices, following a recipe similar to this one (http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfectly-Melting-Cheese-Slice)but with a few different types of cheese as ingredients, I made it about 2-3x the thickness of normal cheese slices and I think the consistency was good. I wouldn't want it too hard so that it isn't oozy, but I haven't looked further into what types. I think the cheese was good, I just didnt seal all the seams perfectly. I made them using 2x 4oz patties each, I think if I just added an ounce to each there would be enough surface area on the edges to seal better. If I get around to trying again soon I'll post back with any changes in the outcome

[Black Coral]

Well today decided to try doing a pork belly in the sousvide. Will see how it turns out.

Cross cut both sides of the belly and seasoned it well, put it in for 7 hrs at 160. Once complete it says reseason and cut into strips and crisp up the edges. Will know how it turns out later today.

Look froward to it.

Anyone else done pork belly in the sous vide yet

[pnoon]

Just an FYI, Amazon has the Anova on sale right now for $109. It's been on sale a couple of days already, not sure how much longer it will be there. I picked mine up 3 days ago, got here yesterday.

I was planning on using an old cooler I had already for the vessel but after putting 4 gallons of water in it I realized it was going to be too big. I ordered the 25-qt Coleman stack-able. Was hoping to get by with not paying anything for a vessel, but oh well.

It will take me awhile but I plan on going thru the whole thread and just picking up some ideas. Thanks for all the info!

Anova (https://www.amazon.com/Anova-Culinary-Bluetooth-Precision-Cooker/dp/B00UKPBXM4/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1494607979&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=anova&psc=1)

Cooler (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BMCLMU/ref=twister_B00363PSBE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)
If you have a large stock pot, you can cook for your family in one.
Now if you're cooking for a herf or other large get together, that's a different story.

[stearns]

If you have a large stock pot, you can cook for your family in one.
Now if you're cooking for a herf or other large get together, that's a different story.

I've been using my stock pot more than my SV tub, especially like that I can put the pot on the stove to get the initial temp up if in a hurry thanks to Peter's advice. glad I have both in case I'm doing a bigger cook

[pnoon]

I've been using my stock pot more than my SV tub, especially like that I can put the pot on the stove to get the initial temp up if in a hurry thanks to Peter's advice. glad I have both in case I'm doing a bigger cook

Exactly. I just bought the 26 qt. tub and lid. Haven't used it yet.

[T.G]

I had made my own cheese slices, following a recipe similar to this one (http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfectly-Melting-Cheese-Slice)but with a few different types of cheese as ingredients, I made it about 2-3x the thickness of normal cheese slices and I think the consistency was good. I wouldn't want it too hard so that it isn't oozy, but I haven't looked further into what types. I think the cheese was good, I just didnt seal all the seams perfectly. I made them using 2x 4oz patties each, I think if I just added an ounce to each there would be enough surface area on the edges to seal better. If I get around to trying again soon I'll post back with any changes in the outcome

That makes sense.

Tell me about the cheese slices. What's the consistency? Guessing kind of like an american cheese or even velveeta slice, just minus the chemicals?

[T.G]

If you have a large stock pot, you can cook for your family in one.
Now if you're cooking for a herf or other large get together, that's a different story.

Depends on how long you want to cook for. I've done some 5 day long cooks and I used an insulated chest just so that the SV unit didn't have to work that hard to hold temp.

[pnoon]

Depends on how long you want to cook for. I've done some 5 day long cooks and I used an insulated chest just so that the SV unit didn't have to work that hard to hold temp.

5days!?!?!??

[Porch Dweller]

5days!?!?!??


http://www.pandespani.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/paleo-flintstone-rib.png

[pnoon]

http://www.pandespani.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/paleo-flintstone-rib.png

:r

[pnoon]

Well today decided to try doing a pork belly in the sousvide. Will see how it turns out.

Cross cut both sides of the belly and seasoned it well, put it in for 7 hrs at 160. Once complete it says reseason and cut into strips and crisp up the edges. Will know how it turns out later today.

Look froward to it.

Anyone else done pork belly in the sous vide yet

You have my attention.

[T.G]

5days!?!?!??

Yeah, beef shank. Unreal richness. But too tender, should have lowered the temp or gone shorter.

Just bought a whole lamb with 2 friends, when we divvy it up, if I grab a shank cut, I'm going to try it again.

[Black Coral]

160 for 10 hours is done. I cut a slice off and quick sear after reseason and wow! I added a little BBQ sauce to the next slice and even better. Now i reseason the pork belly and letting it rest in the fridge till Sunday (if I don't keep cutting pieces). Then will seat the whole piece.

If I keep cutting I have another piece just started and will be going thru till Sunday morning on it at 135.00 till Saturday night then bring it to 145 till Sunday and then finish it in oven for crunch following the other recipe I found!

[Buckeye Jack]

So I did my first one last night, I call it Kitty Litter Chicken :D

Didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. The boneless chicken breasts were great for me, but I know I like my chicken a little drier than most, which tells me others probably thought it was dry......even though they were kind and told me it wasn't.

I will say it had great flavor! Just not as juicy as the instructions made it out to seem.

I did it at 160 for 2.5 hours. I was only going to do it for 90-120 minutes but the guests arrived late.

I put it in before about 30 minutes before the water hit 160 because it was taking so long to get to temp. I was scared I wouldn't have enough time....Not sure if that was the culprit? There was a lot of juice in the bags in the end and they seemed very moist when I took them out. I only had them on the charcoal for about 4-5 minutes to brown up. I hope that wasn't too long.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=1101&pictureid=9094

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=1101&pictureid=9093

[CigarNut]

I looks really good!

Did you have any salt on them? Salt can dry meats out on longer ( > 1 hour) cooks.

If you cut back on (not eliminate) the salt during the bath and add it before the sear, they should come out ok.

[T.G]

Here's a well written article on how time and temp relate to texture, juiciness, bag juices, gelling and so forth for chicken.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/07/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast.html

I ice bath the bags to bring the temp down, then open them and thoroughly dry off the meat before searing. Two things happen here: 1) you bring the temperature of the meat down so that when it heats up due to the sear, you don't go past your original target temp and over cook the meat. 2) if you don't dry them, you aren't searing, you're steaming them (which continues the cooking) until the moisture evaporates, then once that happens you get a sear.

Past that, make sure your grill is blazing hot, sear as quickly as possible as to not heat up the meat too much.

Oh, and save those bag juices, they are great for making sauces once they are strained. It's basically concentrated stock.

[BigAsh]

I usually do chicken breast at 142-145...moist and delicious

[BigAsh]

Just bought a whole lamb with 2 friends,....

Funny this rarely comes up in discussions with my friends ...:tu

[dave]

I managed to avoid opening this thread for a year and a half....but now that I have (due in part to some gimmicky appliance on Shark Tank)...I have a couple questions....and I'm too lazy to do real reading and research....I haven't even read through much of this thread, but I may yet :)

-Do I need anything other than one of those stick heater/circulator things (~$100), a $35 Sealameal, and some bags?

-Do most things require a pre-sear or post-sear or some other type of before or after cooking?

-I like food....but not enough to work very hard at it...I like grilling and pressure cooking and crock-potting....but if I decide this is like work, I probably won't get near it...is it work?

-I absolutely hate the fn name....prolly why I never opened this thread....Sous Vide????....really....wtf is that?...isn't it about time we say f*** the pretentious froggy gourmet stuff...and call it something American-y...like boilinabag or something? I'd probably have been all over it years ago, if it weren't for the name

[stearns]

Tell me about the cheese slices. What's the consistency? Guessing kind of like an american cheese or even velveeta slice, just minus the chemicals?

Consistency and look of one of the pre-sliced individual packaged yellow americans although I made mine 2-3x thicker because I think one normal slice is not enough cheese (same approx. LxW of pre-sliced, I believe about 50 grams each instead of the ~20 grams a normal american slice is). Consistency reminds me of velveeta, although I haven't bought that stuff in at least 5 years. Definitely no chemical taste.

I love sodium citrate, it's the key to making "velveeta-like cheese dip" but using cheese that, ya know, needs to be refrigerated. I use it for mac and cheese, making cheese slices like this and big time secret ingredient for queso dip. I made some queso to bring to a bbq a few weeks back and somebody tried it and said "this is smooth, but doesn't taste like crap, it's not velveeta is it?" so I gave a little lesson to the table. For the cheese slices, I made the recipe similar to the linked one then poured it all in a 9x13 pyrex and let it cool, then just sliced to size and peeled out, put between parchment pieces and put some in the fridge and some freezer. I originally made it specifically for the burgers, but have used the slices in anything a normal american slice would have worked, great for omelettes and grilled cheeses too

[pnoon]

I managed to avoid opening this thread for a year and a half....but now that I have (due in part to some gimmicky appliance on Shark Tank)...I have a couple questions....and I'm too lazy to do real reading and research....I haven't even read through much of this thread, but I may yet :)

-Do I need anything other than one of those stick heater/circulator things (~$100), a $35 Sealameal, and some bags? A large stock pot as a cooking vessel.

-Do most things require a pre-sear or post-sear or some other type of before or after cooking? Yes

-I like food....but not enough to work very hard at it...I like grilling and pressure cooking and crock-potting....but if I decide this is like work, I probably won't get near it...is it work? That's a very subjective question. My answer is no. Season your food. Seal it. Drop it in pre-heated water. A real benefit is the consistency of results and the large window of food being ready. Steaks, chops, and chicken generally are 1-4 hours.

-I absolutely hate the fn name....prolly why I never opened this thread....Sous Vide????....really....wtf is that?...isn't it about time we say f*** the pretentious froggy gourmet stuff...and call it something American-y...like boilinabag or something? I'd probably have been all over it years ago, if it weren't for the name. Sous vide is just French for "under vacuum". If you eliminated food, drink, cigars, etc. based on a non-English name, you'd be missing out on an awful lot. :2

See my responses in red.

I gather from your post you're not a fan of cooking. For me, I get a lot of pleasure from cooking. For some, it is just a chore. If you are happy with grilling and pressure cooking and crock-potting, you may not want another cooking method. Just my :2

[dave]

Thank you, Peter! You're probably right about me and cooking....I don't mind prep-type work...and I do OK with temperature control and some basic applications of heat...but, when it comes to stuff that needs baby-ing...sauces and multi-phase cooking; even dry/wet rub combo barbecue....I don't generally have the patience. Some sort of mental block...once it hits the oven/stove/grill...my mind calls it done - cooking to me is prep to heat to table.
I'd like to get a little better with herbs, spices, sherrys, etc.... but I may not be ready to drop a couple bills on some gear I may not end up using very much.
BTW, anybody want a cheap fry daddy, or bread machine or electric griddle, or grinder, or Osterizer or waffle maker or.... :)

[Buckeye Jack]

I looks really good!

Did you have any salt on them? Salt can dry meats out on longer ( > 1 hour) cooks.

If you cut back on (not eliminate) the salt during the bath and add it before the sear, they should come out ok.

I did salt and pepper them though I don't feel like I oversalted. I feel they were seasoned perfect....but maybe thats too much when using the sosu vide technique?

Definitely going to not go as high as 160 next time. I was using Anova's guide and I know that was the highest they suggested.

I did do some sirloins as my 2nd cook. They turned out good, though I don't feel they were seasoned enough. The cook was perfect!

Also, I got the cooler in I will be using from now on. I really think it will do a great job being its as shallow as it is. I know why so many of the comments for it recommend it for sous vide now! I'll post an update once I get it ready.

[St. Lou Stu]

LOVE The cooking vessel Jack!
You guys are too much.... I've been back just short of 24 hours and I'm already teetering on the edge of a new slope!

So I did my first one last night, I call it Kitty Litter Chicken :D

Didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. The boneless chicken breasts were great for me, but I know I like my chicken a little drier than most, which tells me others probably thought it was dry......even though they were kind and told me it wasn't.

I will say it had great flavor! Just not as juicy as the instructions made it out to seem.

I did it at 160 for 2.5 hours. I was only going to do it for 90-120 minutes but the guests arrived late.

I put it in before about 30 minutes before the water hit 160 because it was taking so long to get to temp. I was scared I wouldn't have enough time....Not sure if that was the culprit? There was a lot of juice in the bags in the end and they seemed very moist when I took them out. I only had them on the charcoal for about 4-5 minutes to brown up. I hope that wasn't too long.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=1101&pictureid=9094

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=1101&pictureid=9093

[T.G]

BTW, anybody want a cheap fry daddy, or bread machine or electric griddle, or grinder, or Osterizer or waffle maker or.... :)

Pancakes.














;s

[T.G]

Dave,

Peter covered a lot of the bases. Just some things I'd like to add.

SV cooking isn't really any more work than pressure cooking. SV you have an extra step in bagging the food and an extra step in searing it when you are done (some things don't need it), but you don't generally have to worry about things like: getting the heat just right for the pressure widget, or leaving the food in too long - which for a pressure cooker could be 5 minutes, worrying about running out of liquid, then you have the whole cool down period.

I have a Fagor stovetop pressure cooker, which I really like, and I use it about as often as I use my SV cooker (about 1-6 times a month), but, I have to be completely honest, the pressure cooker is more work than the SV. Can't tell you how many times I've dropped stuff in the meat jacuzzi and just left the house. I can't pull that stunt with a pressure cooker.

I'd say SV is about as easy as crock pot cooking plus the extra effort of searing the food. Can't cook a 2" steak in a crock pot though, unless you like shredded beef.

Which brings me to the point that Dom brought up that sold me. Completely even edge to edge doneness. 2-1/2" thick ribeye, medium-rare, hard to do on a grill, you get a bullseye effect: a layer of well done, then med-well, then medium, then medium-rare and maybe even a rare center. With SV, the whole thing is cooked to medium-rare and can't get any more cooked because the water is only 136F. Ice bath the bag, open it, dry it off, season it and sear it. Now you're entering into the realm of what you used to only be able to get done right at a high end steakhouse.

I'm not a SV die-hard. It doesn't do everything, nor would I want to cook everything with it. Quite a few things that you can cook with it that I simply don't care for when cooked that way. For many things I much prefer one of my smokers, or my santa maria grill, deep fryer or some other method, but, for some things, I now found the SV cooker to be absolutely indispensable because it's simply the best tool for that particular job.

[dave]

Great post. Thank you

[Tio Gato]

Still loving mine but have only been using it maybe oncer per week, most recently to make some pulled chickens to go inside some burritos, cooked the chicken for 1 hour at 150*, just put some limes, cilantro, garlic and a few basic spices. it turned out amazing, I liked it better than the pork I have made a few times for a similar purpose. Next up will probably be another attempt at juicy lucy's now that I have a vacuum sealer, I think will help keep their form and keep the cheese sealed on the inside. Last time I tried them the cheese stayed in for the SV process, but once I put them on the grill pan a seam opened and most of the cheese poured out. That was using the water immersion technique to seal a freezer bag, this will work better

Ben, with Lucy's a higher heat is needed to "set" the protein of the beef. That's what makes the ground meat bind together. Those are usually cooked on a griddle in Minneapolis where they were "invented". Cast iron would work very well. Try using rich meat such as 15 to 20% fat content. Be sure to work it first with your hands as most ground beef is strands that look like worms. Working it will help binding the sealed edges better. Helps to "knit" the meat fibers together so they bind more easily. If you are going to grill them don't try to cook them well done. Just about medium rare is as far as you should go or the cheese will get too runny. Hope that helps. Just wanted to give you my:2 Good luck.

[stearns]

Thanks for the tips, the meat was well worked since I put a bunch of seasonings and other delicious stuff but maybe I didn't go high enough on the sear. I did cook the burger in the SV to higher than I would prefer, so maybe it was a combo of too high internal, too low sear. I also used a grill pan instead of a cast iron, not sure if that would make a difference since it split on the side but I could try switching that as well. Probably not gonna get a chance to make them again this week, but I will for sure in the next week or two. I'll report back!

[pnoon]

Forgot to post other recent sous vide successes.

1" thick swordfish steak seasoned with salt, pepper, EVOO, lemon juice, and fresh thyme . Cooked at 128 for 40 minutes. Finished in a cCast iron skillet ~60 seconds per side.
Moist and tender. Definitely will do this again.

Johnsonville Bratwurst seasoned with salt. Cooked at 147.5 for just under 3 hours. Brats were great. Finishing with Searzall a big fail. Cast iron next time.

Sweet Italian sausage. No pre-seasoning. Cooked at 147.5 for 2.5 hours. Delicious. Very tender and juicy. Served with homemade lasagna. Might try a higher temp to give links more of a snap/bite.


.

[stearns]

Spent most of the weekend cooking, made a ramen broth ala momofuku, similar to this (https://www.foodfanatics.com/recipes/momofuku-ramen) but following the directions from Chang in Mind Of A Chef (same recipe, longer times). The whole broth process took about 12 hours, but it was all eclipsed by the pork belly.

Got a chunk about 2 pounds from the butcher, didn't have time to do a full 36 hour cook so I did 10 hours at 170*. I used a tare-like sauce similar to here (https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-faux-pho), but the best part was following the directions at the end of this one (https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/stupidly-simple-sous-vide-pork-belly) for after coming out of the tub. I strained the cooking juice and reduced it down probably by 75%, what was left was a thick black syrup, I used that to glaze the belly and holy ****, this was one of the best things I've eaten in a long time. I could have used canned chicken soup and the whole dish would have shined almost as brightly because of the belly. Can't wait to make it again, next time with the full 36 hour cook.

Prepped the juicy lucy's to make for dinner tonight, used 2/3 ground beef 1/3 chorizo, made the patties 0.5 oz bigger to try to add some girth to the outside to prevent spillage and vac sealed, will report back with results :tu

[stearns]

I'd call attempt #2 at juicy lucy's a success, cheese stayed in all three up until I flipped them, after there were a few spots where you could see it but only one of the three had enough spill over to touch the grill pan. I cooked them to 133* in the SV but I was worried about the temperature of the chorizo I put in so I kept them on the pan for a little longer than I would with just beef. The vacuum sealer definitely helped them keep their shape and seal the seams. The cheese kept in their little pockets for all and stayed there pretty much until the last bite, but was still oozy and not too hot. One did overflow out the other side on the first bite but that wasn't the one I was eating, so I'll chalk that up to user error :D

[stearns]

Cooked up a little hunk of brisket yesterday, it was about 1.75LB, leftovers from a couple weeks ago when I bought a bigger chunk but didn't need all of it. When I first cut it up I made a roasted garlic paste/marinade similar to this one (https://www.thespruce.com/roasted-garlic-marinade-335314), slathered it on and vac sealed. Saturday afternoon I put that from the freezer into a 155* bath for 24 hours, took it out yesterday afternoon and put it on the cast iron with a little bacon fat and olive oil. It seared up excellently, not quite the bark you'd expect from smoked brisket but enough of a little crunch to fit in. This thing was super tender, just enough fat to keep things interesting but once sliced I didn't even need a knife to cut further, just the side of a fork. The juice from the bag made a great pan sauce while the steak was resting with just a little shallots, extra garlic, white wine and a touch of cream. It was a lot of time/effort for such a small piece, but it was a generous portion for three people, or in my case two people and leftovers for lunch :D

[stearns]

Next mini-project is bourbon infused cherries, probably don't need to do it in the SV but not gonna let that stop me. From what I gather it's just take the pit out of the cherries, put in a mason jar and cover with bourbon, let it sit in a water bath at 135* for a couple hours. Cherries were looking good at the store last week so I got a big bag of them, and took a hand full out to de-pit. These are now sitting in a mason jar in the freezer, gonna pick up some bourbon soon and will just cover them then put in the bath. This should also yield some cherry bourbon, not the intended output but it should be fun to experiment with in small amounts mixing into drinks. I'll probably take a separate mini mason and put some maraschinos in following the same process just to see what happens

[BigAsh]

Next mini-project is bourbon infused cherries, probably don't need to do it in the SV but not gonna let that stop me. From what I gather it's just take the pit out of the cherries, put in a mason jar and cover with bourbon, let it sit in a water bath at 135* for a couple hours. Cherries were looking good at the store last week so I got a big bag of them, and took a hand full out to de-pit. These are now sitting in a mason jar in the freezer, gonna pick up some bourbon soon and will just cover them then put in the bath. This should also yield some cherry bourbon, not the intended output but it should be fun to experiment with in small amounts mixing into drinks. I'll probably take a separate mini mason and put some maraschinos in following the same process just to see what happens

:tu...interested to see how this comes out....recent cooks sound great, especially the belly

[stearns]

I'm not the best about remembering to take/post pictures, but I'll keep updating with anything interesting I try. I'm going to do that 48 hour bacon one day (or days), even if it kills me :dr

[stearns]

Another weekend of good food, had a few people over for a cookout on Saturday so I decided to take out a ~4lb pork shoulder I've had in the freezer for a month waiting to be used. I made pulled pork sammies, loosely following the process/recipe here (http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/food-lab-complete-guide-smoky-sous-vide-pork-shoulder.html). I cooked it for 22 hours in the SV at 165*, then pat dry and applied another healthy coat of the dry rub. After that two hours in the oven at 300/325*, with five minutes at the end under the broiler to get the brown sugar in the dry rub to really start glistening.

Made a sauce out of the juice from the bag, mixed with a half full bottle of some pineapple bbq sauce that I had in the fridge and a few other ingredients from my honey bbq sauce, it was amazing, poured most of it over the pork after pulling. I'm not sure if it's possible to recreate that sauce without a ton of pork juice, so it might be the type of thing I only make as one-offs to go with the bbq, but it's really good.

The article I was going off mentioned that you can "make a smoke ring" by using curing salts, anybody try those? I don't care about the asthetics too much, but it seemed interesting, might keep an eye open for some for the future.

[T.G]

The article I was going off mentioned that you can "make a smoke ring" by using curing salts, anybody try those? I don't care about the asthetics too much, but it seemed interesting, might keep an eye open for some for the future.

I've heard stories of guys using it for hacking a smoke ring in bbq competitions by mixing it in the mop sauce. Don't know anyone who actually claims to have done it though, competition or not.

Prague #1, aka Instacure #1, aka Heller's Modern Cure #1, etc... is the one you would want for that. You wouldn't need much, for dry mixing, like for summer sausage, the dosing is 1oz per 25 lbs (1:400). Morton's tender quick would also work (different application rate), but it's insanely salty.

Thinking it would be applied in the initial dry rub, but I'd be worried it might make everything taste like ham instead of pulled pork.


BTW - I started messing around with the melting salts for cheese, neat stuff. Just have to remember to never use cheddar with it for a cheese sauce or everyone will think it's velveeta.

[CigarNut]

Got a question: I need to cook 3 steaks medium-rare and one medium. I cook my medium rare steaks at 129 degrees and the medium at 135 degrees -- all for an hour.

I was thinking that I would cook the medium rare steaks first, then take them out of the bath and heat the bath up to 135 and then cook the medium steak. This means that the MR steaks will sit out (in their bags) for a bit over an hour and I don't know if that's OK. And, I'm loath to refrigerate the MR steaks as they may not heat up enough from the quick sear...

Is there a better way to do this?