Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment, 2012

[ScottyBoy]

So I've got some wild boar shanks. I want to cook them long enough to shred the meat off the bone. Any time/temp suggestions?

[therippa]

So I've got some wild boar shanks. I want to cook them long enough to shred the meat off the bone. Any time/temp suggestions?

I've done wild beaver tail (the beginning feel of the meat was quite similar to shanks) at 140F for 48 hours and it broke down ALL connective tissue and let me get every last bit of meat from the bone.

[Morkai]

Beef short ribs: 60C proved to be too high a temperature for beef short ribs. They were nice, don't get me wrong, but I think next time I'll cook them at 56C or 58C. I was following David Chang's recipe from the Momofuku cookbook. I also think that the marinade, which was meant to be reheated and reduced to serve as a sauce, didn't stand up to 48 hours in a plastic bag with a piece of meat. Next time I think I'll make double the quantity of marinade: half will be sealed in with the meat, half will be reserved in the fridge and I'll use that as the sauce. To compensate for the lack of beefiness, I might jack it with a little bit of beef stock. Thoughts?

Save the juices that come out of the packages of meat and steak that you sous vide in a bottle in the freezer. When you need to jack beefiness this stuff can't be beat!

I made the Momofuku short ribs last night. Am I the only one who finds the sauce almost unbearably sweet?

Edited July 25, 2012 by Morkai (log)

[nickrey]

That's interesting, I cut the sugar in the pickle recipe back by about two thirds to make it edible. Seems Chang has a sweet tooth.

[bmdaniel]

That's interesting, I cut the sugar in the pickle recipe back by about two thirds to make it edible. Seems Chang has a sweet tooth.

Milk Bar is exhibit A

[ChrisTaylor]

Beef short ribs: 60C proved to be too high a temperature for beef short ribs. They were nice, don't get me wrong, but I think next time I'll cook them at 56C or 58C. I was following David Chang's recipe from the Momofuku cookbook. I also think that the marinade, which was meant to be reheated and reduced to serve as a sauce, didn't stand up to 48 hours in a plastic bag with a piece of meat. Next time I think I'll make double the quantity of marinade: half will be sealed in with the meat, half will be reserved in the fridge and I'll use that as the sauce. To compensate for the lack of beefiness, I might jack it with a little bit of beef stock. Thoughts?

Save the juices that come out of the packages of meat and steak that you sous vide in a bottle in the freezer. When you need to jack beefiness this stuff can't be beat!

I made the Momofuku short ribs last night. Am I the only one who finds the sauce almost unbearably sweet?

I almost always cut back on the amount of sugar in American recipes, unless I have reason to believe it's already savoury enough. Keller's lemon tart, damn near any BBQ recipe (and yes, I still get a crust) and, yeah, basically anything in the Momofuku book: the short rib marinade and pickle recipe included. iirc the Momofuku cookbook thread has a revised pickling recipe with the water:vinegar ratio switched to 30:70 from whatever it was in the book, which in itself kind of nicely tones down the sweetness.

[therippa]

Polyscience just announced a "consumer" immersion circulator priced at $499

http://www.cuisinetechnology.com/sousvide-creative.php

[rotuts]

that's very interesting. It seems to have the same watts (1100) as the 799 model but 1/2 the water flow at 6 L/min.

shame they couldn't get the price point a little lower, say 299 then this would steal the show. the iPad of SV.

[ScottyBoy]

Oh, hmm. What's the difference?

[rotuts]

I can't say. the older one at $799 had twice the water circulation. It might have been taller.

the newer one at 6 L/min as two models: CRC-5AC1B and CRC-5AC2E but they don't tell you what those differences.

again, SV is till a niche but I'm please to see Poly dropping their prices.

doubt it will be at Amazon for a discount.

Edited July 26, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[therippa]

This lists the differences...

http://blog.medellitin.com/2012/07/polyscience-sous-vide-professional.html

"The Creative can heat a 20 liter bath to a maximum temperature of 99ºC within 0.1ºC, and has a fixed flow rate of 6 liters per minute. Contrast that to the SVP Chef which can heat a 30 liter bath to a maximum temperature of 100ºC within 0.07ºC, and has a variable flow rate of up to 12 liters per minute. According to the website, the Creative takes up the same amount of space as the Chef (14.125 x 3.875 x 7.375 in), but is significantly lighter (5.5 pounds versus 9.5 pounds)."

[ScottyBoy]

Ah, that's plenty of power for pretty much everyone.

[FoodMan]

This lists the differences...

http://blog.medellit...ofessional.html

"The Creative can heat a 20 liter bath to a maximum temperature of 99ºC within 0.1ºC, and has a fixed flow rate of 6 liters per minute. Contrast that to the SVP Chef which can heat a 30 liter bath to a maximum temperature of 100ºC within 0.07ºC, and has a variable flow rate of up to 12 liters per minute. According to the website, the Creative takes up the same amount of space as the Chef (14.125 x 3.875 x 7.375 in), but is significantly lighter (5.5 pounds versus 9.5 pounds)."

They have the exact same heating element from what I could tell. With proper insulation it might not have an issue heating up to 30 liters I would think. Seems like the main difference is the variable pump rate.

[rotuts]

I always use 'beer coolers' and have insulated the tops w non-expandable canned foam (Home depot) Once you get your water iup to temp, it takes very little energy to keep it there no matter what your heat source is.

Im glad to see the prices coming down.

but .... $300 for a variable pump?

Edited July 27, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[m61376]

I cooked boneless chicken breasts at 144 degrees for 90 minutes. I'm not sure if I cooked them too long or if it is because of liquid marinade, but although they were very good they were a bit poached in texture. Any suggestions?

[nickrey]

As poaching is by definition gently cooking items immersed in liquid, I'd be surprised if your food was other than poached in texture. Sous-vide cooked chicken will never taste like fried/grilled chicken as the meat is cooked the same all the way through: In fried/grilled it is typically overcooked on the outside moving to properly cooked on the inside.

My personal preference is to cook chicken breasts at 140F (60C), probably for around 1 1/2 hours.

If you want a more toothy texture on the outside, either use a blowtorch to sear or heat a frypan up to the highest temperature you can get and sear the meat on both sides before serving

[ScottyBoy]

I even go 3 hours at 140. My favorite and always opens my client's eyes to what a chicken breast cook be if done right.

On my menus when I do chicken I refer to it as poached when I CSV. Adding a fat to the bag and cooking is just like butter/oil poaching fish, lobster or even meats like duck.

As mentioned above, you're not going to get anything but a soft poached texture and appearance. And with breast I really love to crisp the skin sperate or when out of the bag bread and shallow fry.

Good luck!

[ChrisTaylor]

Experimenting with lamb shoulder chops. Made a dry, sosatie-style rub to serve as a marinade. Thinking 60C for 20ish hours. Real lack of information online about sous vide shoulder chops. Hope I don't end up dialling for pizza.

[ishkabibble]

Experimenting with lamb shoulder chops. Made a dry, sosatie-style rub to serve as a marinade. Thinking 60C for 20ish hours. Real lack of information online about sous vide shoulder chops. Hope I don't end up dialling for pizza.

I've done them at 130º for 24 hours. Good flavor and texture, but I still prefer loin or rib chops. Please report back with your results.

[Morkai]

I am having a dilemma with some short ribs I have been cooking. I was hoping anyone with the appropriate knowledge on this board could help me out.

I was cooking some short ribs sous vide at 132F for 72 hours. They were done last night. Each rib was individually bagged using the water displacement method. Though they were done last night, I plan on cooking them this evening. So, last night, I dunked them in an ice water bath, but only for about 15 minutes (They are small rectangles - about 3x2 inches). They felt cool to the touch, and I tossed them in the fridge, and they've been there overnight. I plan on frying the ribs and using the liquid in the bags to make a sauce. However, I am starting to become concerned about botulism. Am I at risk here? I wonder if botulism spores might have developed overnight (they will be in the fridge for about 18 hours total). I am concerned that I did not keep them in the ice bath long enough.

Also, is there a good way to reheat these, assuming they are safe? I am not sure the deep frying will adequately warm them through before they start to burn. If I put it back in a 132F water bath, is that another way to risk bacteria?

Thanks for the help - I'd be disappointed if I needed to toss these, but better safe than sorry I suppose.

Edited August 5, 2012 by Morkai (log)

[paulpegg]

I would not worry about it at all. You cooked them for a very long time and then chilled them down adequately in my book. Put them back into the 132 F bath for 30 minutes to rewarm them and then deep fry for 3-4 minutes until they are a nice brown. They will be great. This is the method I use with 6 pieces in each bag and 48 hours cooking time.

[KennethT]

Don't worry about it. From a bacterial standpoint, there is still way too much oxygen left over using the displacement method to allow c-bot to propagate.

[Morkai]

Don't worry about it. From a bacterial standpoint, there is still way too much oxygen left over using the displacement method to allow c-bot to propagate.

I wondered if this was the case. I didn't know if botulism was only a problem concerning completely vacuum sealed sous vide foods, or if water displacement kept too much oxygen inside.

If it had been vacuum sealed, would it be a problem? I think the issue that concerns me most is not leaving it in the ice bath long enough.

I would also like to add in - They were bagged with a liquid that was made up of water, soy sauce, white sugar, and a touch of apple and pear juice. It would also seem like this liquid would be so acidic that it would prevent the growth of c.botulinum, but I am not totally sure.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Morkai (log)

[Shalmanese]

Botulism also doesn't happen overnight, it takes a few weeks at fridge temp.

[Morkai]

Hmm. I am still not convinced. Even though the marinade was slightly acidic and had sugar and salt in it (through the soy sauce), I am not sure that the risk is nullified - considering the relatively short time in the ice water chill. I couldn't find much regarding the estimated amount of oxygen still in the bag using the water displacement method, so I don't think I can be certain that the environment isn't anaerobic enough to prevent growth.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Morkai (log)