Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment, 2012

[rotuts]

get a cooler that has a top. then insulate that with foam-in-a-can ( non expanding pay careful attention here ) or use several synthetic blankets the dry quicker.

give up on those Balls.

[PedroG]

Wattage of the heating element is not that important, steady state consumption is way way lower, see a post in the old SV topic: Heat loss and steady state energy consumption of sous vide cookers.

Extremely good insulation may make PID tuning more difficult (less heat loss to counteract overshoot).

Low wattage makes ramping up slower, but you can start with hot water.

With a 1500W heating element you can stabilize a 130L bath tub to 55°C easily, see "cooking a suckling pig sous vide in a bath tub" (just for fun!).

[Merkinz]

Ok this is great thanks for the replies.

What I make of this is that the Poly CREATIVE is sufficient even in 'slightly larger than recommended' baths (I doubt I'd ever shoot over than 30L anyway)... and that maybe their pumps aren't rated to run non-stop all week like the pro models are. This is fine as I imagine I'd only use it now an then: eggs on the weekend, protein for the occasional dinner party / BBQ, and the odd MC custard / pie filling.

Edited November 17, 2012 by Merkinz (log)

[pep.]

Wattage of the heating element is not that important, steady state consumption is way way lower, see a post in the old SV topic: Heat loss and steady state energy consumption of sous vide cookers.

Extremely good insulation may make PID tuning more difficult (less heat loss to counteract overshoot).

Low wattage makes ramping up slower, but you can start with hot water.

With a 1500W heating element you can stabilize a 130L bath tub to 55°C easily, see "cooking a suckling pig sous vide in a bath tub" (just for fun!).

Well it somewhat is if you use that circulator mainly for vegetables (temps in the high 80s °C, relatively short cooking times).

[nickrey]

If you heat the water up before putting it in the container, surely maintaining the temperature at level is not going to take 2000 watts.

Edited November 17, 2012 by nickrey (log)

[pep.]

If you heat the water up before putting it in the container, surely maintaining the temperature at level is not going to take 2000 watts.

Of course, but heating up large amounts of water is at best a hassle (and may not be possible at all if you have a lot of things cooking at the same time).

Edited November 17, 2012 by pep. (log)

[rotuts]

SV Pork Loin: what I learned with a 10 lb whole loin

whole pork loin was on sale, 1.49 I got one, shy less than 10 lbs. I initially was going to do all sorts of things with it; 'steaks', stuffed rolls, etc. I got lazy and just did steaks, 1 1/2 " cross grain cuts.

I tried these time and temps: all temps were 130.1

4 hours: still not folk tender

6 hours: better, no tip yet

8 hours: still better, might return to this restaurant

10 hours: very close, then gave up. got lazy

If I get a nother whole loin, Ill stick with 12 hours @ 130.1 the meat at the 'dark end' had a combination of 'white meat' and dark. the dark was stunning at 10 hrs, worthy of a tip. the white fine enough. with chutney, etc

i like to SV up a storm and then chill and freeze. I didn't count how may packages I got over all and was a bit lazy with the trimming: I didn't do any just slice, season, bag.

I usually like to do as much trimming as reasonable before my food gets to my plate. In the future there is a tough section and runs down the whole of the loin, its easy to trim out while the slab is whole. I'd leave some or all of the fat cap on, depending on how thick it is.

over all this is on my list of meats to do from time to time when the loins arrive at an attractive price!

has anyone done 130.1 for this cut more that 12 hours? i of course want to avoid the Mealy Wall.

Edited November 17, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[pep.]

I usually do pork loin overnight at 55 °C, which would be between your 8 and 12 hours, simply due to convenience. I wouldn't go longer than 12 hours on loin. What would the need be? There's not much connective tissue in that cut.

[rotuts]

I was hoping for 'fork tender' white meat loin. 12 I think it is as that an over-nighter!

[KennethT]

I don't think I've ever seen fork tender pork loin! I worry that cooking a very long time (to tenderize) might exude too much liquid and make it dry. Have you tried the MC turbo aging? Maybe that would help tenderize without making it too dry. Or Jaccard?

[rotuts]

Im doing 130.1, so i dont think extrude is a problem. I just upped the hours slowly as I did not want to get to 'mealy'

at 10 hours they were very nice indeed, as my freezer is almost full, and I just did a 22 lbs turkey, Ill have to wait until I eat some of this stuff.

but I dont see why fork tender is not attainable. the 1 1/2 " steaks make a nice alternative to beef if you choose the sides carefully. Mango chutney is very nice.

Ill keep the MC turbo in mind. have never tried it. thanks

what I really wish is that 125 would 'pasteurize' !

Edited November 18, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[Ranz]

Had my first experience with beef short rib today, it was glorious. I tried the Momofuku recipe, and while the ribs were nicely cooked and flavoured, the liquid in the bag seemed to have a funny smell, so I decided not to serve it.

Next up, lamb shanks

[paulpegg]

I have had a similar experience with the bag juices. I now make a double recipe of the marinade, put about 1/4 of it in the bags with the ribs and reduce the rest to about 25% until it looks like hot tar! After sous vide and a 2 minute dunk in hot oil I serve the ribs with a large spoonful of the "tar". This is way better than the original recipe IMHO.

[philie]

hey,

i once again have a small question.

i want to sou vide a whole suckling pig, 18kg ( 36 pounds) in weight.

i thought i would make it like heston bluenthal did: 24 - 36 hours at 61 degrees celsius.

my question is: he is roasting the pig afterwards to five it a nice crust. how long should it be roasted and would it be ok to put the sous video pig direcly on a rotissery without the process of cooling it down if it is eaten direclty after the rotissery process?

thanks in advance!

[demo5]

Has anyone heard of these guys (Anova)?

http://www.waterbath...CFedxOgodcGEAtQ

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts - $299 looks poised to compete with the Nomiku and the new Polyscience.

Edited November 19, 2012 by demo5 (log)

[Ranz]

I have had a similar experience with the bag juices. I now make a double recipe of the marinade, put about 1/4 of it in the bags with the ribs and reduce the rest to about 25% until it looks like hot tar! After sous vide and a 2 minute dunk in hot oil I serve the ribs with a large spoonful of the "tar". This is way better than the original recipe IMHO.

That's a good idea. I sampled the marinade before it went in and it was quite tasty.

I also shallow fried them, but the end result was still fantastic.

[Merkinz]

Wouldn't mind a few suggestions here.

In a couple of weeks the inlaws are coming for a family meal and I JUST got a Sous Vide. I don't have any time to test it out so what can I do straight off the bat that will be a sure fire hit. I was thinking beef short ribs so I have the following question about short ribs:

- Whats the consensus on the best time for short ribs? 48? 72? ...?

- There will be 6 meat eaters and one of them only eats meat that has been cooked "VERY WELL DONE" ... How do I deal with this if I make the short ribs?

- Ranz & paulpegg: Is the Momofuku recipe you are talking about the one he makes in the book with hanger steak?

... any other suggestions? Note that I don't have a vac sealer but I believe I can get my butcher to vac seal fresh cuts. Thanks.

[Ranz]

Wouldn't mind a few suggestions here.

In a couple of weeks the inlaws are coming for a family meal and I JUST got a Sous Vide. I don't have any time to test it out so what can I do straight off the bat that will be a sure fire hit. I was thinking beef short ribs so I have the following question about short ribs:

- Whats the consensus on the best time for short ribs? 48? 72? ...?

- There will be 6 meat eaters and one of them only eats meat that has been cooked "VERY WELL DONE" ... How do I deal with this if I make the short ribs?

- Ranz & paulpegg: Is the Momofuku recipe you are talking about the one he makes in the book with hanger steak?

... any other suggestions? Note that I don't have a vac sealer but I believe I can get my butcher to vac seal fresh cuts. Thanks.

Apart from eggs, the short ribs were the second thing I've done sous vide since my machine only arrived last week. Also keep in mind I am a complete amateur when it comes to cooking, so you should be fine Although I gotta ask, if they're only coming in a couple of weeks, why don't you give it a try before then?

The recipe for the marinade is from the Momofuku cookbook, which I borrowed from a friend, but it's pretty much the same one found here. You might want to do what Paul suggested and make a large quantity to reduce for the sauce, separate to any of the marinade you use in the bag.

My butcher vacuum sealed my first sous vide meat for me (pork ribs), so hopefully you get sorted. Chang also recommends double-bagging the meat since it's a 48 hour (minimum, I did mine for around 60) cook.

Regarding the person who eats 'very well done' beef, all I can do is suggest that perhaps you don't need that many friends

Haha, there's possibly a fix for this, but they're going to be upset when everyone else is groaning in delight and they're wondering what's so special. The end process is to debone the ribs, then cube them for deep-frying - 3 to 4 minutes. You can fry one serving longer than that and hopefully the meat will be cooked to their liking

Edit: For the info, can we get our RWC trophy back?

Edited November 19, 2012 by Ranz (log)

[paulpegg]

Wouldn't mind a few suggestions here.

In a couple of weeks the inlaws are coming for a family meal and I JUST got a Sous Vide. I don't have any time to test it out so what can I do straight off the bat that will be a sure fire hit. I was thinking beef short ribs so I have the following question about short ribs:

- Whats the consensus on the best time for short ribs? 48? 72? ...?

- There will be 6 meat eaters and one of them only eats meat that has been cooked "VERY WELL DONE" ... How do I deal with this if I make the short ribs?

- Ranz & paulpegg: Is the Momofuku recipe you are talking about the one he makes in the book with hanger steak?

... any other suggestions? Note that I don't have a vac sealer but I believe I can get my butcher to vac seal fresh cuts. Thanks.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Get a vacuum sealer now. You have plenty of time to pick one. It is the one indispensable tool you must have. Get a Foodsaver but forget about their bags. They cost too much. I buy these from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. They are much less expensive that the Foodsaver bags and are heavier quality. I have never had one fail. You could order a sealer from them also.

2. Print this recipe from tiny urban kitchen. I make doubles of the marinade, put 25% in the bags with the ribs and reduce the rest to about 20-25% to make a black "tar" that is intense. Use weights such as I have in post #1714 . You will never have a problem with floating bags.

3. I use boneless ribs and they work great. cook them all at 60C for 48 hours. Then set the temperature to 71.1C and cook the one bag for the blood shy person for another 12 hours. Fry the whole lot in a few inches of oil for 2 minutes at service and you will satisfy everyone. The well done person might even realize that their phobia about rare or medium rare doesn't matter in this case. Sous vide meat is a totally different animal.

Good luck.

Paul

[PedroG]

Wouldn't mind a few suggestions here.

In a couple of weeks the inlaws are coming for a family meal and I JUST got a Sous Vide. I don't have any time to test it out so what can I do straight off the bat that will be a sure fire hit. I was thinking beef short ribs so I have the following question about short ribs:

- Whats the consensus on the best time for short ribs? 48? 72? ...?

- There will be 6 meat eaters and one of them only eats meat that has been cooked "VERY WELL DONE" ... How do I deal with this if I make the short ribs?

- Ranz & paulpegg: Is the Momofuku recipe you are talking about the one he makes in the book with hanger steak?

... any other suggestions? Note that I don't have a vac sealer but I believe I can get my butcher to vac seal fresh cuts. Thanks.

Starting SV for guests with LTLT cooking tough meat may be a bit risky without trying before. Short ribs may have some fasciae that will not be gelatinized enzymatically at 55-59°C.

In my experience I have the highest hit rate with racks of lamb. Try to get small ones (about 250g) one per person, or cuts of 400-450g per two persons; larger ones may be from older animals and tougher. Have your butcher vacuum seal them with some dry rub or marinade, or just place them in ziploc bags (see the submersion air displacement method in Douglas Baldwin's guide). SV 55°C for the time according to Douglas' tables. Dab dry and sear the whole eight-bone-racks in almost smoking hot oil (rice bran oil has a high smoking point near 250°C) on three sides, 30 sec per side, cut the racks into two-bone-chops (be aware of the anatomy, the cut is a bit zigzag between the bones) and sear the cut surfaces 30 sec per surface, make it maybe 5 min for the well-done-eaters, or sear one-bone-chops for them. Serve with salt and pepper. Guaranteed fork-tender and succulent. For six eaters you might make two servings to avoid the struggle of searing twentyfour two-bone chops at a time.

Happy gnawing!

[Merkinz]

Ranz, paulpegg & PedroG

Thank you all for your replies. This thread never fails to deliver. Sorry Pedro but I'm commited now to the ribs, but I will try your recipe in the coming months! Sounds delicious.

Ranz and paulpegg I have a couple of follow up questions that I'm hoping you can answere:

- Is there any reason why I couldn't do the 'well done' piece first and then dial down the temperature and do the lot (including the 'well done' piece) for 48h? Would the results be the same?

- If I cook then chill the meat how can I be sure that it will be warm when it hits the table? Will the searing in oil heat it through? or should I bring it up to temp in the SV for an hour or so before searing?

- My butcher can vacpack cuts for me but I'm not so confident on taking the marinade in (he didn't seem so keen). I'll still make it to dress the meat but will it be fine if I cook them without the seasoning?

paulpegg: Money is the only thing holding me back from buying a vac machine at the moment after all the xmas shopping I've done already I can't really afford one until the new year. It is at the top of my list tho and if I come into a windfall anytime soon it'll be the first thing I buy.

Ranz: I'm an export from Pretoria so I'll also be happy when you get the RWC back!!!

Thanks again everyone

[PedroG]

Ranz,

• It's better to cook the cut to be well-done for 45h/55°C (or 57°C) first so the fine collagen sheaths that surround the muscle fibers are gelatinized and can no longer shrink and squeeze the juices out when you transfer the cut to a pot on the stove top or in the oven with water of 65-70°C for e.g. 3h (or for the necessary time according to Douglas' tables).
  
• After cook/chill you have to reheat for the time according to Douglas' tables depending on thickness to reach core temperature. The short searing to get a nice Maillard crust will never heat the center of the cut sufficiently.
  
• Marinade can be omitted (although it would help tenderizing for a few days in the fridge).
  

When you buy a vac machine (edge sealer) be sure it has an instant seal button and a side port for vacuum containers which will facilitate bagging liquids.

[ChrisZ]

I don't have any time to test it out so what can I do straight off the bat that will be a sure fire hit.

Sous vide isn't necessarily a 'wow' technique, often it's just consistently a bit better than usual. I hope you're not disappointed. I haven't yet made a sous vide steak that tasted better than one on the BBQ, but at the same time I'm reluctant to cook chicken any other way.

The biggest 'wow' I've had with sous vide is from salmon fillets, cooked at about 50C and then blow-torched so the skin is crispy. It's the simplicity, and the lack of overcooking that makes salmon such a great fit for sous vide. I've tried lower temperatures but wasn't sold, 50C is hot enough to feel hot. Scallops are another big winner - you can cook them perfectly through then sear them to get a crust. At lower temperatures seafood isn't pasteurised so the risks are roughly the same as eating sushi. Probably not a great fit for your 'well done person'.

Through the power of crappy online shopping I found a cheap vacuum sealer for $44. It works fine - and I've really appreciated being able to bag up and freeze all sorts of things that would otherwise get thrown out. You don't need to spend a lot of money for a top brand.

[paulpegg]

Merkins,

you got it from the expert. Pedro is always on top of questions like yours with the most precise answers. I would add that you can make the marinade and freeze the portion to be cooked with the meat in an ice cube tray. Take the frozen cubes to the butcher and divide them among the bags before he seals them up. He would most likely not be willing to pull a vacuum on a bag with liquids in it. Cook them as Pedro suggested, chill and refrigerate or freeze. To reheat use 53C for 3 or 4 hours (depending upon thickness - see Douglas' tables) and then sear in hot oil to finish.

Another successful dish is very simple. Bag a dozen asparagus spears with some butter and cook them at 83C for 30 minutes. They will be perfect!

[Baselerd]

... any other suggestions? Note that I don't have a vac sealer but I believe I can get my butcher to vac seal fresh cuts. Thanks.

As you suggested beef short ribs are a great meat that can highlight the capabilities of sous vide cooking. My personal favoritie cut to cook sous vide is pork belly (1 day brine/1 day rest + 72 hours/140 F). It really will yield a melt in your mouth texture no other cooking technique can achieve.