What Are You Cooking Sous Vide Today? (Part 1)

[Okanagancook]

Opened a couple of packages of 'lamb stew' meat from our two lambs that we get from a local free range/grass fed farm.  Very fatty indeed.  I got as much of the fat and grizzle off as possible reserving any bits with meat attached.  These I browned and made them the base for my sauce.  The meaty bits I browned well and sous vide them at 180 F for 6 hours just in a little red wine, salt and pepper.  When they were done I dumped the bag juices into the sauce.  It was strained and reduced.  The meat was then tossed back in to heat gently.  Served with A52's kale and some sous vide carrots.  This was the first time I had tried a braised dish in the sous vide bath. The meat was quite juicy but I think it could have been better if cooked at a lower temperature for a little longer.  I think I will try 144F for 48 hours like I do my beef short ribs.

 

[Anna N]

Two very small (Pekin) duck breasts. Flesh side coated with a marmalade, orange zest and thyme mixture. Will cook 57°C for 1 1/2 hours. One will be chilled down and the other crisped on the skin side and served.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Two very small (Pekin) duck breasts. Flesh side coated with a marmalade, orange zest and thyme mixture. Will cook 57°C for 1 1/2 hours. One will be chilled down and the other crisped on the skin side and served.

[Anna N]

How crisped?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Hmm... that doesn't seem to be over the top. Since this is the main salt addition in your recipe, you might try scaling the salt in the brine back a couple of percent and see what happens. Or maybe soak it in a few changes of water over the course of an hour to drive out excess salt before you bag it.

 

What I'm doing tonight as an experiment is cooking one of the bags of ribs in unsalted tomato sauce to see if I can rescue the overly salty ribs.  I rinsed the ribs to remove as much salt as I could and hopefully some of the rub.  After patting dry I sectioned into individual ribs and browned in olive oil.

 

Now they are braising over very low heat.  The idea is that the excess saltiness should diffuse into the sauce.

Edited February 1, 2015 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Success.  The salt balance of the sauce was just right without adding any additional salt.  I served it with polenta.

[rotuts]

I didnt cook this 'Today' :

 

 

its been in the basement freezer at least a year.  3.5MIL vacuum.

 

it is fork tender so I didnt take the trouble to cut paper thin slices.

 

this went into a RBSandwich w some soup.  this cut // this way is the most outstanding

 

cut of beef Ive ever had :  full beef flavor, seasoning perfect  very very tender.

 

its a 'prime' blade roast that I get from time to time at one of the better market chains

 

'RocheBros'  the butcher told me about them and I mentioned these a long long time ago

 

in another thread.  you have to know how to remove the central thin-broad tendon.

 

the way I do this leads to 4 steaks  : each 1/2 of each layer.

 

I reverse them and time them together to get two 'plump' small 'roasts'

 

I use Sauer's PrimeRibSeasoning and SV at 130 for 4 hours or so.

 

chill/freeze or eat one hot ass a roast w the usual mashed pots, peas, gravy

 

Ive been cleaning out my basement freezer to free up room for more springtime SV

 

project, at least is spring ever comes to NE.

 

I have 8 more of these puppies in the freezer

 

 

BTW  other stuff Ive been pulling out of similar vintage :

 

Turkey Breast, Stuffed skinless Chicken Breast, etc has been outstanding

 

Ive just forgotten how good properly SV'd meats, w light seasoning can be

Edited February 7, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

rotuts,

Your beef looks amazing.

Nothing in the sous vide today but yesterday I put the new app for the Anova through its paces. I cooked chicken thighs but my mind must have been someplace else. Instead of ensuring that they were flat before vacuuming them I just tossed them into the bag in the rather neat little packages that the butcher had tucked them into. You know how they make them look plump rather than flat. Bad move. They were not fully cooked when I removed them. I finished them off in the oven but in the process lost the advantage of the sous vide method. Live and learn.

[Mendel C-k]

I'm assuming by central broad tendon that this is Infraspinatus or more commonly know as Oyster Blade or once cut in half and the central tendon removed - Flat Iron steak. Flat iron steak is second "tenderest" only Psoas (the Tenderloin) in sheer force tests, so I'm sure it would be nice and soft especially after LTLT.

It would be interesting the know if you've ever had these fresh, and if you could tell if there was a difference after a year in the freezer?

I didnt cook this 'Today' :

 

SV BladeRoast.jpg

 

its been in the basement freezer at least a year.  3.5MIL vacuum.

 

it is fork tender so I didnt take the trouble to cut paper thin slices.

 

this went into a RBSandwich w some soup.  this cut // this way is the most outstanding

 

cut of beef Ive ever had :  full beef flavor, seasoning perfect  very very tender.

 

its a 'prime' blade roast that I get from time to time at one of the better market chains

 

'RocheBros'  the butcher told me about them and I mentioned these a long long time ago

 

in another thread.  you have to know how to remove the central thin-broad tendon.

 

the way I do this leads to 4 steaks  : each 1/2 of each layer.

 

I reverse them and time them together to get two 'plump' small 'roasts'

 

I use Sauer's PrimeRibSeasoning and SV at 130 for 4 hours or so.

 

chill/freeze or eat one hot ass a roast w the usual mashed pots, peas, gravy

 

Ive been cleaning out my basement freezer to free up room for more springtime SV

 

project, at least is spring ever comes to NE.

 

I have 8 more of these puppies in the freezer

 

 

BTW  other stuff Ive been pulling out of similar vintage :

 

Turkey Breast, Stuffed skinless Chicken Breast, etc has been outstanding

 

Ive just forgotten how good properly SV'd meats, w light seasoning can be

 

[rotuts]

you bet Ive had them fresh

 

I do not cut the blade roast in half

 

I use a sharp thin boning knife to cut down the middle of the 'roast' until it meets the tendon

 

then I turn it one way and slice off 1/2 of the steak.  do the same on its Brother

 

turn the blade roast over and do the same for what is now on the Top.

 

I do take a bit of time to trim out each of the 4 now new cuts on the interface that meets that tenton

 

I dont mind doing this, it just results in More Stars on my Plate.

 

Unlike the Psoas,   the Flat Iron had tremendous flavor

 

the Psoas had tenderness and no flavor at all.

 

I do not think the freezer many any difference

 

how ever, my freezer is very cold

 

and the 3.5 MIL vaccum sealer had and has never had any king of

 

'Freezer Frost '

 

next time a pull one out  Ill start with the pack itself

 

you can see that the 'roast' is a bit thin

 

the various cuts you see reflect that  they were not cut in 1/2

 

properly frozen, w a bag that's thick enough

 

I see no difference

 

that being said

 

Ive know about the Blade Roast for a long time

 

Madeleine Kannan  introduced me to the " Balde" so long agg

 

on PBS

 

she just cut out the central tendon after cooking each " trance " and suggested they were for your

 

Dougg.  and the Labrador appeared and Woof it down

 

BTW you have to say Dougg as if your were FR.

 

I have grilled these, then dealt with the tendon as above

 

I have what Ive mentioned above  as 'fresh' roasts  SV  then Sur la Plate no freezing

 

delicious

 

I do thing the the 'prime' that Ive gotten 

 

and will seek again  just adds to both flavor and tenderness

Edited February 7, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Mendel C-k]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I generally cook either this or Serratus Ventralis (trimmed Short rib) because they have a much superior flavour and are far more economical cuts - especially for a Uni student to afford

I do a similar thing regarding filleting the facial plane. 

I understand that they were very cold, under vacuum etc., but I think long freezer time would effect tenderness somewhat. Just as the ice crystals formed in a frozen carrot pierce the cell walls and make them flaccid once thawed, so too the long freezing process would allow ice crystals to grow and perhaps puncture the sarcolemma? IDK, but just a thought. 

 

ps - BTW I'm sorry I use muscle names all the time, I just find it better than using beef cut names due to their inconsistency across regions, and the fact that a single cut may refer to multiple muscles, each with their own eating characteristics.

[Anna N]

I am not cooking anything but the sous vide bath, turned down as low it can go, helped with some ice cubes if necessary, makes an amazing defroster. In no time at all I was able to defrost some large sausages. Mine is almost as much in use as a defroster as a cooker!

[Anna N]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I generally cook either this or Serratus Ventralis (trimmed Short rib) because they have a much superior flavour and are far more economical cuts - especially for a Uni student to afford

I do a similar thing regarding filleting the facial plane. 

I understand that they were very cold, under vacuum etc., but I think long freezer time would effect tenderness somewhat. Just as the ice crystals formed in a frozen carrot pierce the cell walls and make them flaccid once thawed, so too the long freezing process would allow ice crystals to grow and perhaps puncture the sarcolemma? IDK, but just a thought. 

 

ps - BTW I'm sorry I use muscle names all the time, I just find it better than using beef cut names due to their inconsistency across regions, and the fact that a single cut may refer to multiple muscles, each with their own eating characteristics.

I am sorry you use muscle names too. I suspect you are quite knowledgeable and I understand your reasons. Nevertheless I am unlikely to find a package labeled serratus ventralis in the meat case and I suspect few of the so-called butchers who work in the stores where I shop would have a clue. It is very unfortunate.

[ElsieD]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I generally cook either this or Serratus Ventralis (trimmed Short rib) because they have a much superior flavour and are far more economical cuts - especially for a Uni student to afford

I do a similar thing regarding filleting the facial plane. 

I understand that they were very cold, under vacuum etc., but I think long freezer time would effect tenderness somewhat. Just as the ice crystals formed in a frozen carrot pierce the cell walls and make them flaccid once thawed, so too the long freezing process would allow ice crystals to grow and perhaps puncture the sarcolemma? IDK, but just a thought. 

 

Well now, that's clear as mud. Just a thought.

[Martin Fisher]

I'm sorry I use muscle names all the time, I just find it better than using beef cut names due to their inconsistency across regions, and the fact that a single cut may refer to multiple muscles, each with their own eating characteristics.

 

 

To most folks, muscle names are just as useless as inconsistent beef cut names....but if it makes you feel good.... 

[gfweb]

Muscle names would get downright unwieldy with some cuts eg ribeye.

 

But I agree there are so many different cuts that the head swims.

[rotuts]

AnnaN. et al:

 

re my Most Delicious Cut Above :

 

Blade   Roast or Not

 

trimmed etc

 

as tasty as any thing you might get at the Meat Counter.

[Mendel C-k]

I am sorry you use muscle names too. I suspect you are quite knowledgeable and I understand your reasons. Nevertheless I am unlikely to find a package labeled serratus ventralis in the meat case and I suspect few of the so-called butchers who work in the stores where I shop would have a clue. It is very unfortunate.

 

Fair Enough, Serratis ventralis is basically the thickest muscle on a short rib from ribs 5-8. It is attached to all 1-8 ribs, but it small in the early ones. Basically when I say Serratus ventralis I mean trimmed short rib meat. But if I just said short rib meat - this could be from higher ribs where there isn't that much of that muscle which would mean cooking and eating experience would be different, or from lower than 8th rib, where it isn't even there.

 

Muscle names would get downright unwieldy with some cuts eg ribeye.

 

But I agree there are so many different cuts that the head swims.

 

Ribeye is mostly Longissimus - part of the erector spinae group. But yes, the surround musculature is varied and extensive. I remember for while there was a huge thing about the Spinalis Dorsi (rib eye cap), I think because of Heston B. He said that it in particular was superior to anything on the whole cow.

 

]Yeah, I know what you mean. I generally cook either this or Serratus Ventralis (trimmed Short rib) because they have a much superior flavour and are far more economical cuts - especially for a Uni student to afford

I do a similar thing regarding filleting the facial plane. 

I understand that they were very cold, under vacuum etc., but I think long freezer time would effect tenderness somewhat. Just as the ice crystals formed in a frozen carrot pierce the cell walls and make them flaccid once thawed, so too the long freezing process would allow ice crystals to grow and perhaps puncture the sarcolemma? IDK, but just a thought. 

 

Well now, that's clear as mud. Just a thought.

 

Put a carrot in the freezer. Let it freeze. Thaw it. It will be flaccid. This is because the cell walls are literally punctured by the ice crystals that form within the cell and apoplastic space.

 

I am saying that after such a long time in the freezer, I am hypothesising that a similar process may be at work in the meat, all be it to a much smaller extent. Meat (animal cells) don't have cell walls, but do have cell membranes. In myocytes (muscle cells) this membrane is specifically called the sarcolemma (as it has certain properties that differentiate from a regular cellular membrane)

 

Just a Thought.

[Mendel C-k]

I think I should defend my practices a bit...though I understand that I am firmly outnumbered

 

Take the short rib... From the LTLT short rib thread and others, we can see there are multiple cuts that fit "short rib"

 

"back short ribs", "Chuck Short ribs", "plate Short ribs" etc...

 

Now each of those will have different muscles making up the cut, as they come from different parts of the animal. Similarly, as you move more anterior or posterior (higher or lower ribs) the musculature will change too.

 

So now you've got "short ribs".

 

Are they Back Short ribs? Chuck short ribs? Plate short ribs?

Let's say we have a great butcher who does specify the above.

Are they Back short ribs from ribs 6-8? or 3-5? or 1-4? This will also effect what muscles your eating.

 

The muscle is the key. These naming conventions are inadequate to describe them accurately. Thus why people in the Short rib LTLT thread are having good and bad results with the same temp and time. 

 

"Hey, I did 70h@60C and it was dry and 'mealy' ", but "I did 70h @60C and it was the epitome of beef". 

 

Hang on, they both used "short ribs",  both used same temp, same time, WTF is going on?

 

Well, did they use the muscle? I suspect not.

[Martin Fisher]

That would make perfect sense if everyone knew their beef muscles...but that's not reality.

[gfweb]

I think I should defend my practices a bit...though I understand that I am firmly outnumbered

 

Take the short rib... From the LTLT short rib thread and others, we can see there are multiple cuts that fit "short rib"

 

"back short ribs", "Chuck Short ribs", "plate Short ribs" etc...

 

Now each of those will have different muscles making up the cut, as they come from different parts of the animal. Similarly, as you move more anterior or posterior (higher or lower ribs) the musculature will change too.

 

So now you've got "short ribs".

 

Are they Back Short ribs? Chuck short ribs? Plate short ribs?

Let's say we have a great butcher who does specify the above.

Are they Back short ribs from ribs 6-8? or 3-5? or 1-4? This will also effect what muscles your eating.

 

The muscle is the key. These naming conventions are inadequate to describe them accurately. Thus why people in the Short rib LTLT thread are having good and bad results with the same temp and time. 

 

"Hey, I did 70h@60C and it was dry and 'mealy' ", but "I did 70h @60C and it was the epitome of beef". 

 

Hang on, they both used "short ribs",  both used same temp, same time, WTF is going on?

 

Well, did they use the muscle?

Good points.

 

Most of the short rib confusion comes from the butchers inventing a second kind of chuck short rib that isn't a rib at all. Deceptive.

 

And just naming the muscle still doesn't describe a number of cuts deftly eg ribeye or chateaubriand

 

I think we are stuck with the current state of affairs.

[Mendel C-k]

Good points.

 

Most of the short rib confusion comes from the butchers inventing a second kind of chuck short rib that isn't a rib at all. Deceptive.

 

And just naming the muscle still doesn't describe a number of cuts deftly eg ribeye or chateaubriand

 

I think we are stuck with the current state of affairs.

I agree. I am not looking to start a revolution I am just defending my use of the terms when I described what I cooked to other people, so if they want to replicate it or want to compare it to something they've done, they can make a true comparison. 

 

Whenever I've posted a muscle name in this and other topics, i usually have a parenthetical explanation of the cut of beef it's from, So I'm not excluding anybody.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

AnnaN. et al:

 

re my Most Delicious Cut Above :

 

Blade   Roast or Not

 

trimmed etc

 

as tasty as any thing you might get at the Meat Counter.

 

 

I have never tried cooking a blade roast, but I wonder after anovaing for 72 hours if that connective tissue would break right down to gelatin.  Just as the connective tissue does for spare ribs does. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I am sorry you use muscle names too. I suspect you are quite knowledgeable and I understand your reasons. Nevertheless I am unlikely to find a package labeled serratus ventralis in the meat case and I suspect few of the so-called butchers who work in the stores where I shop would have a clue. It is very unfortunate.

 

I tend to agree with you, Anna.  On the other hand muscle names would help with all the confusion in the deckle discussions where people are comparing very different cuts with the same name.

 

Last night I anovaed nice thick bone in pork loin chops at 61 deg C to pasteurization, per Baldwin.  I browned one in a pan and it was excellent.  This is what food should be.

[rotuts]

"""  I have never tried cooking a blade roast, but I wonder after anovaing for 72 hours if that connective tissue would break right down to

 

gelatin.  Just as the connective tissue does for spare ribs does. ""

 

it might.  however, the meat itself is very tender what properly trimmed

 

so I think the meat might turn to mush @ 72  and 130

 

its too delicious a cut to screw up trying that Exp.