Greetings, I am very new to Sous Vide cooking. I have had moderate success with the process, but recently tried my first NY strip steaks. The results were very good, but not exactly as I expected. I could use some more experienced some advice. I individually sealed 4 NY strips that were about 1 lb each and maybe 1.5" thick. I did not add any spices or other flavorings, just the steaks which I trimmed fairly aggressively. My theory was that I did not want a big fat cap that would be hard to sear and fully render. They went onto a 127 degree bath for about 90 minutes. I removed the steaks, dried them with paper towels, coated with olive oil and seared them in a cast iron pan with a little added butter and fresh thyme. They turned out well but were not exactly what I expected. Here is what was different: Texture: One of the things I like about a NY strip is the relatively firm texture compared to other cuts. Mine were much softer than a traditionally grilled NY strip. For some, the softer texture might be good, but I missed the texture I was hoping for. Question: Is this just the nature of SV cooking? Is there some way to recapture the great texture of a NY Strip while still getting the perfect edge to edge doneness? Juice: As we ate the steaks, I noticed that the juice that was on the plates was very red. It was not bad, but created a distraction in the meal as it was very unusual. I have eaten plenty of steak, but have not seen juice like this. Question: Is this too just how it works? Is it possible that I did not leave the steaks in the bath long enough? Searing: This was also my first attempt at searing a steak in a cast iron skillet. I did them 2 at a time. I started by searing the fat cap edges first which worked well, but created a good bit of liquid in the pan. The first 2 steaks seared beautifully, but the second 2 did not do as well. I am wondering if I should have poured the liquid out of the pan before adding the second pair. My guess is that the amount of liquid prevented the final steaks from making good contact with the pan. Question: Should I drain the liquid after the first pair? I added some butter and thyme and did not really want to discard that. Maybe I should have poured out and reserved the juice? Also, whey they say that this technique makes a lot of smoke, they are not kidding. Thank goodness for the whole house fan... So that's it for now. I really appreciate any advice that might be offered. Doug M.
