FeChef

Steve those smokes short ribs look great. How long did you smoke them and what temp did you pull them at? Also what temp was your webber at? I havent tried pecan yet, mostly use apple wood or alder. How would you consider pecan wood smoke flavor to apple? I like apple because its mild, hickory is too bold for my taste. Looking forware to your response.

This is completely false. I think you need to educate yourself on pasteurization times and temperatures. Here is one of many sources stating that between 140 F and 40 F is trouble. I am just suggesting that the center of the roast may have been in the danger zone too long, and took on a smell from anaerobic microbe growth. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/8b705ede-f4dc-4b31-a745-836e66eeb0f4/Danger_Zone.pdf?MOD=AJPERES What do you say, FeChef? If the roast is still in one piece then the inside is sterile therfore not contaminated. As long as the surface was brought to pasteurization temps in a timely matter then theres nowhere for bacteria to grow. Again, educate yourself before posting false information. USDA information is far from false. If I accept your view, then the OP must have started with contaminated meat that did not pasteurize. My own thought, undeterred by sous vide, is that the 140 F temperature was not reached in time for pasteurization, and a higher temperature would suffice. As Shalmanese told you aswell, the USDA safety rules are overly simplified and do not apply to sous vide cooking. 140F is not needed to pasteurize. Given time, 132F is more then enough to pasteurize. I suggest again that you educate yourself, and as shalmanese suggested, you shoul look up douglas baldwin's guide to sous vide, and read up on his pasteurization charts.

This is completely false. I think you need to educate yourself on pasteurization times and temperatures. Here is one of many sources stating that between 140 F and 40 F is trouble. I am just suggesting that the center of the roast may have been in the danger zone too long, and took on a smell from anaerobic microbe growth. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/8b705ede-f4dc-4b31-a745-836e66eeb0f4/Danger_Zone.pdf?MOD=AJPERES What do you say, FeChef? If the roast is still in one piece then the inside is sterile therfore not contaminated. As long as the surface was brought to pasteurization temps in a timely matter then theres nowhere for bacteria to grow. Again, educate yourself before posting false information.

Kenneth, My idea was that because the meat has already been cooked, it absorbs smoke slower so cold smoking could give time for more smoke to be absorbed without the worry of overcooking. Lets say 3 hours of cold smoke, then heated smoke until reaches target temperature. From what i got from your post, it sounds like i could probably get away with even just smoking at room temp for a few hours.

Nobody? Ok well my concern is this. If the meat in question has been pasteurized and chilled below 40F. Whats a safe amount of time to be inbetween 40F and 140F during the smoking process? Im thinking possibly cold smoking, then after a good few hours of smoke, crank the heat up to get a nice bark.

This is completely false. I think you need to educate yourself on pasteurization times and temperatures.

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.