Steak – Cooking Sous Vide

[paulraphael]

Interesting method. what does a cross-section of a steak look like cooked this way?

[sculptor]

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:

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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.

[nickrey]

After converting the measurements to metric, I can understand what happened. After an hour and a half, steaks as thick as you used would only have reached around 118F. This is well below blue and suggests that the "juice" is most likely that found in under-cooked steak. Such a steak will be very soft in the middle (think raw meat), whether sous vide cooked or not.

 

We've discussed levels of doneness at some length on eGullet. A general consensus at one stage was that rare steaks are 50-54.9C (122F - 130F); medium rare are 55-59.9 (131F - 139F); medium 60-64.9 (140F-148F). These are the core temperatures, as discussed above a conventional steak will have warmer temperatures outside the core increasing a gradient to the exterior. 

 

If you have an iPhone, do yourself a favour and get the Sous Vide Dash app. This will allow you to work out how long the meat has to be cooked and at what temperature to achieve the result that you desire.

 

For searing, you need an extremely hot pan (cast iron starting to look white). At this temperature, any butter or thyme is going to be incinerated. Make sure the steaks are very dry (I use paper towel) before browning. You are trying to achieve a maillard effect similar to what you get when you first put an uncooked steak over very high heat.

 

If you want to use butter and thyme, let the steaks rest a bit after browning and spoon melted butter and thyme over them while they are on a more reasonable heat.

Edited January 19, 2015 by nickrey (log)

[Kim Shook]

Quick question - I'm doing a couple of SV NY strip steaks for St. V's day (they are Mr. Kim's favorite steak).  Should I salt these and let them sit uncovered in the fridge overnight?  And, if so, do I rinse before putting in the SV bag?  I'm sure all of this has been addressed elsewhere, but I can't find it.  Ta!!

[KennethT]

33 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Quick question - I'm doing a couple of SV NY strip steaks for St. V's day (they are Mr. Kim's favorite steak).  Should I salt these and let them sit uncovered in the fridge overnight?  And, if so, do I rinse before putting in the SV bag?  I'm sure all of this has been addressed elsewhere, but I can't find it.  Ta!!

When I cook meats SV I usually don't salt prior to bagging - I find that it changes the texture giving it a cured meat consistency.  My best results came from a fast hard sear, then bag and SV, then pat dry, season and resear.

[gfweb]

I usually salt lightly just prior to bag and SV and then sear.

 

Studies are called -for

 

[Duvel]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

When I cook meats SV I usually don't salt prior to bagging - I find that it changes the texture giving it a cured meat consistency.  My best results came from a fast hard sear, then bag and SV, then pat dry, season and resear.

From my experience, that cured meat consistency is an issue with longer SV cooks (e.g. for not standard steak cuts). For a strip steak that stays in the bay he for 2h at 51 oC or so it has never been a problem for me. I always presalt and leave in the fridge overnight for some concentrated flavours. If you want to go funky, the same principle works with fish sauce (25% salt). Draws out moisture and seasons the outermost layer, which equilibrates during the cook.

[Duvel]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

I usually salt lightly just prior to bag and SV and then sear.

 

Studies are called -for

 

The presear/resear sequence leads definitely to faster browning. But it adds a step and frankly, I do not do that anymore (and add butter in the final sear to get the color right) …

[rotuts]

Ive done RB40 refrigerator cure :

 

3 days , on a rack , ;refrigerated , then SV

 

the steaks were outstanding and not fishy at all .

 

Id do this again should i venture into the SteakWorld again

 

@Kim Shook 

 

Id very lightly salt them and refrigerate .   then just pat dry .

 

and SV .  I don't brown pre-SV , but I make no claims that 

 

its the best method .  when I do brown p SV , I take the steak out

 

of a refrigerated bag , dry , then brown.   I dont want to really cook

 

the meat further.

[paulraphael]

19 hours ago, Duvel said:

The presear/resear sequence leads definitely to faster browning. But it adds a step and frankly, I do not do that anymore (and add butter in the final sear to get the color right) …

 

That's how I still do it. I like the quality of sear more. And by making it happen so much faster there's less chance of overcooking. For us, steak is a special occasion kind of thing so I don't mind the extra step. If we cooked it all the time I might look for shortcuts.

 

I salt before the final sear. Not sure what it would take to get corned beef flavors from salting too soon ... but I'm fine with the flavor of salting right at the end. 

 

[Orbit]

I'm new to this, but I dry, salt/pepper, bag, cook, sear.

[kayb]

I usually SV without seasoning, then chill, dry, season and sear. Because my beef comes vac sealed, and I can just take it out of the freezer and chunk it in the bath.

[Kim Shook]

So, I ended up salting the day before and refrigerating uncovered.  I rinsed and dried it before sprinkling with Montreal Steak Seasoning and a little demerara sugar (I used to do this years ago and remembered we liked it a lot) and putting it in the bag.  I SV'd it at 130F for 2 1/2 hours, took it out of the bag and dried it.  Then Mr. Kim seared it in an iron skillet on the gas grill burner for about 2 minutes on high.  It was very good and we thought it was cooked to the exact degree we like.  It was also incredibly tender, especially for a strip steak.  After the sear and inside:

 

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook 

 

a perfect looking steak .

 

congratulations .

 

no doubt very very tasty.

[weinoo]

So we've got these two rather imposing looking rib eyes:

 

 

 

Top one is local, grass fed beef.  Bottom one - obviously a friggin' Wagyu, which basically raises my triglycerides just by looking at the thing.

 

I want to sous vide both of them, and then we'll slam them in a pan to build a crust and maybe make a bit of a pan sauce.

 

Remember that at least two of us (we're gonna be 5, I believe) like medium rare almost bordering on medium vs. totally rare.

 

I also imagine that melting some of that fat away wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

How do I go about my sous vide situation?

Edited July 23, 2022 by weinoo (log)

[gfweb]

17 minutes ago, weinoo said:

So we've got these two rather imposing looking rib eyes:

 

 

 

Top one is local, grass fed beef.  Bottom one - obviously a friggin' Wagyu, which basically raises my triglycerides just by looking at the thing.

 

I want to sous vide both of them, and then we'll slam them in a pan to build a crust and maybe make a bit of a pan sauce.

 

Remember that at least two of us (we're gonna be 5, I believe) like medium rare almost bordering on medium vs. totally rare.

 

I also imagine that melting some of that fat away wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

How do I go about my sous vide situation?

 

How do the other 3 like it done? Rare?

[KennethT]

16 minutes ago, weinoo said:

So we've got these two rather imposing looking rib eyes:

 

 

 

Top one is local, grass fed beef.  Bottom one - obviously a friggin' Wagyu, which basically raises my triglycerides just by looking at the thing.

 

I want to sous vide both of them, and then we'll slam them in a pan to build a crust and maybe make a bit of a pan sauce.

 

Remember that at least two of us (we're gonna be 5, I believe) like medium rare almost bordering on medium vs. totally rare.

 

I also imagine that melting some of that fat away wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

How do I go about my sous vide situation?

I don't know if SV would be the best way to go about this - it won't melt any of the fat.  The grass fed one seems to have huge chunks of fat that will just sit there looking as it is now.  I don't know if I've ever had a wagyu that marbled, but I've always heard that you need to cook wagyu more to get the best out of it as the fat transitions from solid to silky.

[Okanagancook]

I guess depends a bit on how thick they are.

Assuming about an inch because who would cut a ribeye any thinner.

127 F for two hours.

Then sear using a probe to make sure your temp is where you want it while the crust develops.

Rest for at least 10 minutes.

 

Other thoughts?

[rotuts]

personally

 

grass fed :

 

Id bone out the fat under the cap 

 

and as i don't see a bone to get in the wsy

 

most of the other fat 

 

then re-assemble and tie it back together

 

to look like a steak .

 

grass fed is tougher meat than grain finished 

 

that's a lot of fat for grass fed .

 

as you said its local ...

 

CentralPark ?     

 

maybe there are other things to eat in CP that woud

 

give you that amount of fat.

 

you can keep the fat ,  SV it in another bag

 

and use it creatively that way .

 

on the wagyu 

 

I can't give an opinion as ive never had a hunk

 

like that .   the wagyu Ive SV'd  was tender 

 

( meat-wise ) usi9ng the same time and temps I use for

 

reg, beef  .  I didn't care for so much fat on a hunk of meat

 

so gave up on wagyu.

 

id say 130 F for 3 - 4 for the GFB

 

but I like the idea of 127 suggested by 

 

@Okanagancook

 

as you plan a hot short sear.

 

Id say 130 is not true rare , but rare +

 

best of luck and pls post results 

 

wagyu carpaccio  due to the fat content ?

 

several doses that way , and the fat wont overwhelm ?

 

 

 

[gfweb]

I'd SV to < MR and finish in the oven then sear.

 

To me, wagyu is too fatty and  I'd want to render it a bit more than the other ribeye.

 

I suppose you could just cook the wagyu more, using your best judgement as to doneness.  After all the chef knows best and you bought the frigging meats.

[weinoo]

37 minutes ago, gfweb said:

How do the other 3 like it done? Rare?

 

Possibly - but maybe medium as well. Anyway, screw the others - I cook it like the cook likes it!

 

36 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I don't know if SV would be the best way to go about this - it won't melt any of the fat.  The grass fed one seems to have huge chunks of fat that will just sit there looking as it is now.  I don't know if I've ever had a wagyu that marbled, but I've always heard that you need to cook wagyu more to get the best out of it as the fat transitions from solid to silky.

 

Interestingly, one thing I was thinking of doing was separating the cap from the eye, getting rid of that fat, and cooking them individually - or even saving the cap for another purpose - I've stir fried one to great effect, and also used one gyudon.

 

My good friend Kenji has this to say about the melting of the fat...

• Quote

   

  • Medium-rare (129°F/54°C): Your steak is still nice and red, but muscle proteins have begun to tighten and firm up. You lose a bit of juice due to this tightening, but what you lose in juice, you gain in tenderness. Medium-rare steaks have a cleaner bite to them: Instead of muscle fibrils mushing and slipping past each other, as they do with very rare steaks, they cut more easily between your teeth. I recommend medium-rare for all types of steaks, though steaks particularly high in fat benefit from being taken closer to medium.
  • Medium sous vide steak (135°F/57°C): Your steak is a rosy pink throughout and has lost about four times more juices than a rare steak. With a well-marbled piece of beef, however, the rendering, softened fat should more than make up for this extra juice loss. Coarsely textured cuts, like hanger, skirt, and flap meat, also become firm and juicy at this stage. I recommend cooking very fatty or coarse pieces of beef to the cooler side of medium.
  •  

   

[weinoo]

40 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

I guess depends a bit on how thick they are.

Assuming about an inch because who would cut a ribeye any thinner.

127 F for two hours.

 

They are between 1.5 - 2" thick - that temp is too rare.

 

6 minutes ago, gfweb said:

the chef knows best and you bought the frigging meats.

 

Exactly the way I think.

[rotuts]

Im probably wrong

 

its does happen from time to time 

 

so why not get it over with now rather than later 

 

its my understanding that

 

rendering the fat  , is melting it 

 

at tasty SV temps  ( 130 - 135 )

 

very little fat melts.  you might render a little

 

\after SV in a very hot pan 

 

but taking those temps from the hot pan into the interior 

 

of the meat would change the whole character of the Slab.

 

its my impression that Wagyu in Japan 

 

is rarely eaten in slabs    a la Americano 

 

but sliced thinly , raw ( ? ) or 1/8 "  ( metric conversion )  

 

perfectly cooked . 

 

of course Americano influences may have changed 

 

Japanese tastes .

 

and the idea of wagyu is the fat.  

 

so why render it , esp at a trazillion Yen / gram ?

[gfweb]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

Im probably wrong

 

its does happen from time to time 

 

so why not get it over with now rather than later 

 

its my understanding that

 

rendering the fat  , is melting it 

 

at tasty SV temps  ( 130 - 135 )

 

very little fat melts.  you might render a little

 

\after SV in a very hot pan 

 

but taking those temps from the hot pan into the interior 

 

of the meat would change the whole character of the Slab.

 

its my impression that Wagyu in Japan 

 

is rarely eaten in slabs    a la Americano 

 

but sliced thinly , raw ( ? ) or 1/8 "  ( metric conversion )  

 

perfectly cooked . 

 

of course Americano influences may have changed 

 

Japanese tastes .

 

and the idea of wagyu is the fat.  

 

so why render it , esp at a trazillion Yen / gram ?

 

I've only had Wagyu in Japan where it was served in little pieces.

[Anna N]

Well I must say that ribeye is my favourite cut  of beef and yet I would walk away happily from both these steaks and hope to find myself a tasty chicken thigh or perhaps a nice duck breast.
A well aged, well marbled ribeye is a thing of beauty.
One of these has too much of the fat on the outside and the other has too much on the inside. Both of them miss the mark. 
Once  a peasant always a peasant I guess.

 

Nevertheless I wish you and your guests bon appétit. And may your triglycerides not take too big of a hit.