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

[TylerK]

I don't know if this thread is supposed to extend to what we do with the SV meat, but this morning I had the best breakfast ever.  Two slices of homemade sourdough filled with sv pork shoulder and three year aged cheddar.  The inside of the bread was slathered with honey dijon and the outside "buttered" with duck fat and a liberal sprinkle of salt.  Prepared at home and then into the toaster oven when I got to work this morning.  Had I not hoovered it down so quickly I might have remembered to take a picture.  I still have plenty of shoulder left though, and I'll be making it again tomorrow.

 

I started some pastrami made with some cheap brisket ends last night using the same 144F for 48hrs suggested above for the short rib.  

[rotuts]

""   that in no way means that prime, expensive cuts don't benefit from sous vide cooking. ":"

 

I completely agree

 

had some pirme blade roast(s) and SV'd them for a dinner and lots of roast beef sandwiches

 

best RB sandwiches Ive ever had.

[FeChef]

Short ribs are hit or miss. I have made short ribs cooked for 36 hours at 136F and turn out perfect while another batch from the same butcher same time and same temp turn out dry and also another batch turn out tough.

 

With prices averaging $10/lb It makes absolutely no sense wasting my time and money on this cut. I will admit that when you do get lucky and it turns out as it should, it is very good. But so is faux chuck roast prime rib.

[Okanagancook]

Oxtail!  Used Modernist Cuisine recommendations on page 90 of the kitchen manual:  140F for 100 hours.  The meat was lovely and moist.  Very tender and flavourful.  I would be interested to see if 100 hours was necessary?  Here are the pictures.  I am straining the bag jus in a 'super bag' which I find excellent for sorting out the small particles.

[rotuts]

I think FC is absolutely correct.

 

This Time   

[rotuts]

Okanagancook

 

that looks absolutely delicious.

 

any idea on how 'old' that Tail was ?

 

Ive never done O.T. as the ones Ive seen were not very big, had a lot of fat, and were expensive

 

they probably came from a standard 'young' Boeuf.

 

I wonder why in this case the meat does not 'decompose' over that time and become meally .

[Okanagancook]

The tail is from an organic farm just north of us in Lumby, British Columbia:  Vale Farms.  They have a 'meat store' at the farm so folks like us who don't want to buy one of their hinds or sides can go and purchase the cuts of meat we want.  They have wonderful soup bones and shanks.  It is a grass fed animal and was slaughtered this fall.  Nice and fresh.  It was quite lean as is most of their meat.  It was around 20 inches long.  Even the jus from the bag looked appealing.  I have to reduce that to a glaze, rebag and heat the meat in the SV rig before serving.

[FeChef]

100 hours, good lord thats a long time.

[torolover]

""  "Best" butcher in Boston ""

 

i live in the area and have for quite some time

 

" Best " is a money maker in the area for various magazines and other none such.

 

you will have to go back to the original SV thread and work your way through there and then and only then

 

will you understand SR's

 

a learning experience Id say

 

SV excels at cheaper and meaner cuts

 

you " Best " saw you and and others coming

 

Id like to hear who this "Best" is

 

PM might work.

 

thanks for the report all the same.

 

"Just for Fun: "

 

was the local cow pastured on the Common ?  after all in NE that's what they were designed for

 

 

back then

Rotuts, great to know you are from Boston!  I just sent you a PM about the butcher I went.

[Unpopular Poet]

So, I've read this thread with great interest. And, now I am curious to try it.  I have some vacuum-packed, venison backstraps in the freezer, and was wondering if anyone has successfully SV'd venison?  I didn't see it listed as something that's been done on this thread.  If anyone here might know what the appropriate temperature is, and the suggested length of time- I'd great appreciate it if you might share that with me.  It's a very lean cut, its quite tender- sometimes called referred to as the 'filet migon of deer.'   I assume I would thaw it first, then proceed? I'd really love to try this!

 

We also raise organic, grass-fed red and black Angus, and there is plenty in the freezer to experiment on now.  I think I see a new main-dish on the menu for Christmas dinner.      Rolled Rump or Sirloin Tip roasts come to mind.  Mmmmm.

 

I'd appreciate any responses/advice anyone is willing to lend. Thanks so much! 

Andrea

 

Andrea - I have some experience with backstraps cooked sous vide.  Last winter my friend shot a couple deer and we took the backstraps and vacuum packed them 1. with salt and pepper only, and one with red wine, rosemary and some salt and pepper.  They were both served in a grappa blueberry sauce with demi glace.  The backstraps had the most wonderful texture out of the bath -- probably more like liver than a traditionally prepared and seared backstrap.  I know that we cooked them at 125 for 1 hour -- short cook with low temp, as we are both rare venison people.  Fantastic results though.  I would say that the non-marinaded backstrap was actually better, as it retained that specific venison flavor.

[Okanagancook]

100 hours IS A LONG, LONG time alright, ok, you got me I took them out at 98 hours 'cause we had to leave the house for around 4 hours and I didn't want to overcook them

[FeChef]

100 hours IS A LONG, LONG time alright, ok, you got me I took them out at 98 hours 'cause we had to leave the house for around 4 hours and I didn't want to overcook them

This made me laugh. I dont laugh much.

[ChocoMom]

Unpopular Poet:  Thank you so much for the info!  I will get to that sometime in the very near future, now that I have some guidelines.  In this area, we tend to have an overabundance of deer- so there is venison readily available.   In previous years, we've sliced the backstrap, seasoned and grilled it. Amazing meal with some sautéed onions, and mashies. Can't imagine how good it would be Sv'd.then seared! YUM.   Next year, I will have to remember to season some venison and then vacuum pack, as it never occurred to me to season prior to packing.

 

Another one I'm curious about is Sv'd grouse.  My daughters are great at hunting those tasty little fellows.

 

Thank you again for the information on the venision....I will def. try it!

[scubadoo97]

Oxtail! Used Modernist Cuisine recommendations on page 90 of the kitchen manual: 140F for 100 hours. The meat was lovely and moist. Very tender and flavourful. I would be interested to see if 100 hours was necessary? Here are the pictures. I am straining the bag jus in a 'super bag' which I find excellent for sorting out the small particles.

DSC00640.JPGDSC00642_2.JPGDSC00641.JPGDSC00639.JPG

The photos look like meat off the smoker. What did you do after they were removed from the bath?

[Hassouni]

Sous vide lamb loin.  Nathan recommended times from SV index:  131F for 2 hours.  "paulraphael-magic-baking soda/dextrose-browning-powder" applied to the left half of the loin in the pan.  Notice how much browner it is.  They were in the hot pan with grape seed oil for about a minute.  He is correct in warning that it can burn quickly.  The last photo shows that the lamb was medium rare.  We like it a smidgen less done so next time I will use 128 F for the sous vide time.

 

 

DSC00632.JPGDSC00633.JPGDSC00636.JPG

 

Looks good. Excuse my ignorance, what's the SV Index?

[Okanagancook]

I just took the meat off the bones.  No other treatment.  I agree the meat looks really dark red.  It was cooked in MC beef stock.

 

After the meat had cooled a little I coarsely shredded it; added some meat glue; and rolled it a la "Happy In The Kitchen".  I plan on slicing it thickly and serving on spatzle with the reduced jus from the bag.

 

This would also be good using a recipe from Happy In The Kitchen where you cook pigs feet; shred the meat; make a thinner roll; put the roll inside a spring roll wrapper; and deep fry served with a ginger dipping sauce.  I've made this before with the pigs feet and it most wonderful.

[Okanagancook]

Looks good. Excuse my ignorance, what's the SV Index?

In the Sous Vide thread, at the beginning there is an index or perhaps more properly called table of contents and if one scrolls down to lamb there are a couple of entries for loin/tenderloin.  Sorry, I wasn't clear.  Cheers.

[Hassouni]

Oh, that hulking beast of a thing? I guess I have to pop in.

[FeChef]

I just took the meat off the bones.  No other treatment.  I agree the meat looks really dark red.  It was cooked in MC beef stock.

 

After the meat had cooled a little I coarsely shredded it; added some meat glue; and rolled it a la "Happy In The Kitchen".  I plan on slicing it thickly and serving on spatzle with the reduced jus from the bag.

 

This would also be good using a recipe from Happy In The Kitchen where you cook pigs feet; shred the meat; make a thinner roll; put the roll inside a spring roll wrapper; and deep fry served with a ginger dipping sauce.  I've made this before with the pigs feet and it most wonderful.DSC00643.JPGDSC00644.JPG

I would think a gelatinous cut like oxtail would not need meat glue. There is many recipes for oxtail terrine on the web.

[Okanagancook]

The meat wasn't very "sticky".  The pig's food meat was which is why I thought I should bring out the magic powder.  Oxtail terrine.  I didn't think of that but I would need more meat, there was only 280 grams.  Next time for the 100 hours it took, I should do a few tails.

[weedy]

Short ribs are hit or miss. I have made short ribs cooked for 36 hours at 136F and turn out perfect while another batch from the same butcher same time and same temp turn out dry and also another batch turn out tough...

 

maybe, to paraphrase that car insurance advert, what it really means is you should ask yourself why you have that butcher?

[ChrisTaylor]

I want to prepare a modified version of 'Duck: Lavender-glazed w/ fennel and peaches' from Eleven Madison Park. Humm roasts breasts on the crown with a lavender honey and a spice rub. Would this modification work?

 

• Apply spy rub lightly to duck breast.
• Vac seal. Cook using my normal method, applying the honey before searing.

Or ...

 

• Follow the above method.
• Remove from bag. Apply honey and spice rub.
• Sear.

[Okanagancook]

16 mm thick lamb chops cooked for 30 minutes at 129F.  Perfect.  I have to add that the lamb is grass fed and pretty well most of the cuts are very tender.  Even the leg can be quickly seared on the BBQ and it turns out like loin.  Delicious.

[rotuts]

wow

 

if no one was looking

 

one of those chops, or a few more, would be talking to me saying 

 

125 // 30

[KootenayCook]

 

I want to prepare a modified version of 'Duck: Lavender-glazed w/ fennel and peaches' from Eleven Madison Park. Humm roasts breasts on the crown with a lavender honey and a spice rub. Would this modification work?

 

• Apply spy rub lightly to duck breast.
• Vac seal. Cook using my normal method, applying the honey before searing.

Or ...

 

• Follow the above method.
• Remove from bag. Apply honey and spice rub.
• Sear.

 

 

I'd be afraid that the high heat required for searing would burn the glaze.