FeChef

Ok first let me get this out of the way....I have tried pre smoking and post smoking with SV methods. I prefer post smoking because i cant stand the smell that leaches out of the bags into the water that end up doubling as a potpouri house fire scent. Also the smoke gets drawn out of the meat along with the juices and makesliquid smoke in the bag. Ok now thats out of the way. Has anyone ever tried to SV then rapid chill to below 40F then throw it in the smoker at around 200F for whatever time it takes to get back upto your initial SV target temp? I usually pull the meat straight from the bag still hot and pat dry and apply my rub then smoke. But i dont get much time in the smoker or chance to get a nice natural bark in that short of a time.

Having cooked beef short ribs a few times, I can tell you that in my experiences, some grocery stores label a cut called "chuck roast tender/s" as "boneless short ribs" atleast in the US they get away with this, Im not sure about other countrys. When cooked traditionally you cant really notice a difference in texture. But when cooked for over 36 hours @ 133F they turn out like sawdust. Just when i was about to give up on SV short ribs, I came across a "wet aged" prime grade vacuum packaged 2 1/2 inch thick boneless short ribs at a wegmans for 9.98/lb. These were extremely marbled. I figured this was going to be my last attempt and if it turned out like sawdust i was done with trying to SV these. Well i stuck with the 36 hour/133F and they came out amazing. So beefy, they tasted almost "gamey" and reminded me of some really good SV beef tongue. This may not be a smell/taste you like but my point is, thats probably what your smelling/tasting, pure beefyness. Also, always hit a meat your going to cook for over 4 hours with a blowtorch to kill off surface bacteria. People will argure that it does nothing for flavor, and you should post sear, but i personally feel that it adds a more bold roasted flavor, and doubles as a safer pastuerization.

One minute seems to be enough. No pink, just tender and juicy with a nice crispy coating.

Getting the oil really hot did the trick. I waited till the ready light came on and turned the fryer off for a minute, then turned it back on until the ready light came on again. It got around 400F. I only put a few pieces in at a time and they got i nice golden color in only 1 minute and floated to the top. Bingo.

Good idea. Its not a batter though. Its basicly tenderized thin chicken slices in a papain paste that gets tossed in a mixture of flour and batter bits. The batter bits are flour mixed with water and blended into the dry flour and crumbled to make tiny bits. I suppose i could try adding some sugar to the flour batter before crumbling into the dry flour.

I actually have a double fryer but I bought it specifically to build a SVS clone. Well, technically is better since my clone has built in circulation. But on topic, I dont fry alot of foods so i cant justify the cost of a larger fryer, but my fryer does hold a gallon of peanut oil, so its not what i consider small. I think I should just fry smaller batches since it only takes a minute.

Last nights dinner. A 36 hour beef short rib topped with Boursin cheese and a crab meat terrine made with lump crab meat and egg whites. Served ontop a portabella mushroom cap w/Marsala wine reduction cream sauce and roasted yukon baby potatoes.

My deep fryer only reaches 375 but drops to 350 when i add the chicken. Since it only takes a minute, its not enough time to get back to 375. I could add smaller batches i suppose to get it to stay at 375 or close.

Good to know that 1 minute is a safe temp for very thin chicken. I think a torch would either burn or over cook the chicken. I think flash freezing and frying for another minute will solve the browning issue without over cooking the chicken. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with cooking thin chicken.

Ok, but the dish calls for crispy thin chicken with a lightly breaded crust with breading bits. Not going to get those results in a pan. Maybe a super hot wok with oil, but thats pretty much the same thing as deep frying.

So let me get this straight...Your going camping and you want to sous vide some steaks instead of throwing them puppies on an open flame camp fire?

Im not using breadcrumbs. Im using flour breading bits. But I was thinking maybe deep fry for 1 minute, then freeze and fry again for another minute? Thoughts? Do you think its safe?

I am shocked i could not find any info online on how long to deep fry very thin chicken breast strips/pieces. We are talking 1/8 inch, breaded and deep fried in 350F oil. I have digital thermometers but its hard to get a temp on a piece of meat so thin and breaded. In my own experience 4 minutes results in rubber chicken, One minute produces very tender, juicy chicken but the breading is still white and im not sure if the chicken is cooked to a safe temp in that amount of time. Thoughts? Would like to mention that the chicken is sliced partially frozen to 1/8 inch. During the cooking process the chicken plumps up to 1/4 inch.

I need some advice for a lump crab meat terrine. I make a dish where i pile lump crab meat ontop a beef filet. The problem is the crab meat usually just falls off when cutting into the filet. I thought of making a terrine to add some structure, but i dont know what would be the best approach. I dont want to stray away from the main ingredient being crab, and i dont want this to be served cold either. I though of just folding egg whites into the lump crab pressing it into a mold and sous vide, but not sure the best approach and time/temp to use? I dont want it rubbery or too stiff.

I also find that leaner cuts have a "meatier" texture/taste. Sometimes I crave a lean medium done steak with A-1 but, I do however, mostly prefer a well marbled cut done medium rare with some nice Char on the grill.

I would be more concerned about the effect on your hands/wrist , then a steel blade..lol

Your better off using vegetable oil to float on the surface to prevent evaporation. Those ping pong balls are just pointless. There is spaces inbetween every ball that let all the water evaporate. What a gimmick.

I must have missed something. Why, and who uses ping pong balls as a cover? Does this have something to do with looking cool, and all gastronomical? There is absolutely no way this is going to prevent evaporation.

Thats a really nice char you have on that skirt. Do you have a internal picture of the doneness? I find anything over med rare is useless for this cut. If its on the med done side, you may aswell eat bottom round london broil. In my area cuts like skirt, and flat iron are expensive compared to NY strip, Tbone, Porter, and Ribeye. All can be had for under $6/lb, where skirt. flank, and flat iron cost $8-$10/lb. They almost never go on sale.

LoL no the burner isnt on.Must be some weird glare from the camera flash. The perforated SS pan is to protect any bagged food items from touching the heating element underneath it. The heating element rest about 1 inch above the bottom of the plastic container. Its a rather big setup, which is why it goes across the entire cooktop. I can SV full racks and about 4 8lb pork butts at a time. Thats a 8lb pork butt you see in the picture. The first bag was a gallon size (butt barely fit) the second bag filled with water is a two gallon. (ziplock brand is crap)

Weirdest thing happen after overnight after being in the SV all day. I woke up to find one of the bags filled with water. At first i thought it was air, and got imediately thought of bacteria gasses..lol Its weird because I really dont understand how it filled up like a ballon as if it was pumped in there. The ziplock seems to be still sealed aswell. Lucky I double bagged it. Stangely the water inside is still crystal clear so the second bag must be sealed good.

So I finally got some of the chicken without sauce. I also found an interesting method for adding crunchy "bits" to breading. Basicly you mix some of your breading flour with water to make a batter. You add that batter to a squeeze bottle and squirt it into your breaading while wisking it to make little bits. Then dredge your chicken in one single coat to get that texture. Anyway heres a pic of the chicken without sauce. Later i will have some results of my own aswell.

You are welcome furzzy. I hope you let me and others know of your opinion on proper double searing. If done correctly, the flavors are very deep/robust. And safer for long cooks aswell.Help me out with "proper double searing" to give me a head start. How much on the first sear? I'll probably not SV, so how much if any) of the actual cooking goes with the first sear? Then is the second sear mainly for adding the depth & warming it up? I'd like to start this with the knowledge you've already accumulated, rather than re-inventing the wheel. The more I think about it, the more I'm getting into this idea. In my experiences, if using a blow torch, you can get some nice browning on a steak in 30 seconds per side. With a chuck roast or larger roast your looking at around a minute per side, but you kind of have to go by eye. I always go straight from sear to ziplock bag, then right into some ice water to stop carry over, then into the SV for whatever time/temp. After SV I either chill/freeze, or throw on the Infrared grill searing burner for a minute per side and serve immediately.

You are welcome furzzy. I hope you let me and others know of your opinion on proper double searing. If done correctly, the flavors are very deep/robust. And safer for long cooks aswell.

After looking at the pictures posted, I have to ask.....Would you like a little bit of beef with your fat?