Sous vide for a newbie?

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

the very little game Ive had seems to go well w sweet/tart

 

duck w tart cherries  etc.

 

BTW  did you remove those two tendons on the BR's ?

 

if not, did you notice a bit of here and there chewy-ness ?

Yes, Ronnie must have removed them because I didn't and I didn't notice them (I'm sure I would have).

[Shelby]

Questions:

 

Ronnie brought home beef ribs.  I've been studying up.  Seems the 72 hour method is the way to go?  I will have some serious evaporation issues.  Thus, it seems it is time to buy a cooler.  Since my circulator is a clip on kind, I'm thinking to have Ronnie cut a hole in the lid of the cooler that will fit it.  Do people do that?   If I didn't want to wait on a cooler, I suppose I could try the saran wrap method...

 

What does one do if their long SV time has to be interrupted?  Are you just out of luck?  Just my brain wondering.....

[Chris Hennes]

30 minutes ago, Shelby said:

What does one do if their long SV time has to be interrupted?  Are you just out of luck?  Just my brain wondering.....

You can partially cook, chill, then do the rest of the cook later.

[lesliec]

2 hours ago, Shelby said:

Questions:

 

Ronnie brought home beef ribs.  I've been studying up.  Seems the 72 hour method is the way to go?  I will have some serious evaporation issues.  Thus, it seems it is time to buy a cooler.  Since my circulator is a clip on kind, I'm thinking to have Ronnie cut a hole in the lid of the cooler that will fit it.  Do people do that?   If I didn't want to wait on a cooler, I suppose I could try the saran wrap method...

 

What does one do if their long SV time has to be interrupted?  Are you just out of luck?  Just my brain wondering.....

 

Hi Shelby.  Good to see you've taken to SV like a duck to precisely-controlled water.

 

First things first: short ribs for 48 hours are amazing, but 72 is even better.  But you shold try both at some stage so you can cook to your own preference.

 

You may not have an evaporation issue if you use plastic wrap or foil.  I don't seem to in a stock pot, but it's certainly wise to check (say) just before you go to bed and again when you get up that all is still well.  If the water level seems to have dropped, just top it up with hot water from the tap.  You may get a few degrees of 'wobble' for a short time, but the circulator will soon sort itself out.  You're unlikely to lose an entire pot full of water overnight to evaporation even, I suspect, if you didn't cover it at all (which I don't suggest you try).

 

Yes, a cooler is useful for big jobs if you really need it.  I'd recommend cutting a hole in the top with a hole saw just a little bigger than your circulator's circumference.  The top of a cooler isn't usually insulated, so get a can of expending foam to squirt in once the hole has been made, and give it plenty of time to set before you start using the cooler for SV.

 

The answer to your question about interupted long cooks is one of those 'it depends' ones.  If you're planning 72 hours but have to pause at 48, say, the meat should be well pasteurised by then (see Douglas Baldwin's tables to check) and you'd be quite safe to chill it quickly and keep it in the fridge for a while before giving it its final 24 or so hours.  This assumes you have control over when the interruption comes.  If you wake up in the morning and find the power had been off at some stage during the night, the best advice, unless you can be very certain of how long the power was off and thus can work out whether you'd got to pasteurisation level before that, is to sigh deeply and dispose of the meat.

 

SV isn't anywhere near as finicky as some would have you believe, but safety first.  Always.

[haresfur]

8 minutes ago, lesliec said:

The answer to your question about interupted long cooks is one of those 'it depends' ones.  If you're planning 72 hours but have to pause at 48, say, the meat should be well pasteurised by then (see Douglas Baldwin's tables to check) and you'd be quite safe to chill it quickly and keep it in the fridge for a while before giving it its final 24 or so hours.  This assumes you have control over when the interruption comes.  If you wake up in the morning and find the power had been off at some stage during the night, the best advice, unless you can be very certain of how long the power was off and thus can work out whether you'd got to pasteurisation level before that, is to sigh deeply and dispose of the meat.

 

SV isn't anywhere near as finicky as some would have you believe, but safety first.  Always.

 

Just remember to take it out of the sink where it is chilling and put into the fridge before you go to bed. 

[rotuts]

there is only one finicky item you might want to SV :  an egg in its shell for the yolk.

 

a yolk done ' just right'  and that varies for what you plan to do with it, and how you like it, can be finicky.

[Shelby]

Still playing with geese.  I wonder if I'm going to wear my circulator out .  Ronnie got these:

 

 

I marinated these small pieces from the back of the goose in the "sweet" dry brine and SV'd them at 180F for about 8 hours.  We were impressed (again).  The meat was fall apart tender.  You could literally put this on a nice rye and call it a corned beef sandwich.    More legs are going in shortly.

 

[rotuts]

remember, after a rapid cooling, SV freezes well.

[kayb]

Shelby, will you please share that recipe for the sweet brine you like so much? I'm interested in trying it. How long did you brine the goose?

 

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, kayb said:

Shelby, will you please share that recipe for the sweet brine you like so much? I'm interested in trying it. How long did you brine the goose?

 

Sure!  It's basic....but it's just so unlike us to like anything with sugar in it (when done with meat) that it seems exotic to us lol.

 

1 C. Salt

1/2 C. Sugar

1 T. Thyme

2 T. Black pepper

1/2 t. nutmeg

 

The original recipe called for the zest of a large orange, which I didn't have.  I think adding some juniper berries would be good, too.

 

I've done anywhere from leaving the goose overnight ...so like 18 or so hours...to four hours.  If you want more of a "corned" taste, do it the longer time.  I rinsed them off before putting them in the vac pack bag.

[kayb]

@Shelby, I'm thinking in terms of using this brine for wild duck breasts, which are, of course, a very different animal from domestic duck breasts. Can I assume Canada goose breasts are similar to wild duck, but bigger? If I get lucky, some of the hunters in my world will bring me some wild turkey breasts, as well.

 

 

[Shelby]

7 minutes ago, kayb said:

@Shelby, I'm thinking in terms of using this brine for wild duck breasts, which are, of course, a very different animal from domestic duck breasts. Can I assume Canada goose breasts are similar to wild duck, but bigger? If I get lucky, some of the hunters in my world will bring me some wild turkey breasts, as well.

 

 

Would totally work for wild duck.   Yes, wild duck and wild goose breasts are very similar.  We can't wait to try wild turkey SV'd.  

[rotuts]

"""   some wild turkey breasts """"

 

Im very interested in this, if it does indeed happen.

 

Im no SharpShooter.

 

but in the past there were plenty of Wild Turks My Way :

 

 

this is Earthquake having a nice visit w the local Turks.

 

they came right up to the window and had a nice chat.  gobble gobble was more like it.

 

Ive heard they are really tough etc.

[Shelby]

Wild turkey is tough, you are right...but with the magic of SV it would be a whole new ballgame.

[rotuts]

a Tip from Julia :

 

Jacques P and Julia C  had a show on deconstructed turkey a long while ago.

 

the Deconstructed T went on the bed of stuffing

 

but .....   she said to Whack Off the last 2 - 3 inches of the leg.

 

in doing so, those inedible tendons in the leg were released from the bone  ( Whacked Off bit )  so as the meat contracted, you could

 

pull those tendons out after cooking

 

and Voila  no tendons in the Leg !

 

consider this if you get  Wild ( fill in the blank ) and try a confit.   just pull those tendons out after the cook

 

just saying

[haresfur]

5 hours ago, rotuts said:

a Tip from Julia :

 

Jacques P and Julia C  had a show on deconstructed turkey a long while ago.

 

the Deconstructed T went on the bed of stuffing

 

but .....   she said to Whack Off the last 2 - 3 inches of the leg.

 

in doing so, those inedible tendons in the leg were released from the bone  ( Whacked Off bit )  so as the meat contracted, you could

 

pull those tendons out after cooking

 

and Voila  no tendons in the Leg !

 

consider this if you get  Wild ( fill in the blank ) and try a confit.   just pull those tendons out after the cook

 

just saying

 

I cut through the tendons for domestic turkey and chook legs. The contraction helps keep the meat tender. The tendons pretty much dissappear from chicken legs, but even with that I had to cut the meat from the turkey tendons. I suppose whacking the ends of the legs would work as well - not as pretty but probably more fun to do.

[rotuts]

you could get some of those Chef-fee little white hats they put on 'rack' bones 

 

at restaurants w Stars !

[rotuts]

i bet WildTB's, tendons removed, would be delicious wrapped in smokey bacon  ( not too much )

 

then SV at 140 or so for 12 H

 

then rapidly seared to crisp up the bacon.

[Heartsurgeon]

YOU can sous vide chicken without removing it from the packaging, if you buy chicken from Costco.

I buy bone in thighs from Costco that are vacuum sealed in a "six-pack" , each pack contains 3-4 chicken thighs.

A friend that manufactures product (bagging materials) for Foodsaver, indicated to me that the bags have to meet a certain safety standard that falls well within sous vide temps.

 

I cook these bagged chicken thighs at 150 degrees overnite when i go to bed. In the morning, i pop them into the fridge.

When de-bagged, they are covered in gelatin/juice hence called jus). I reserve this, peel off the skin, and pat the thighs dry. I season like usual (salt, pepper, "secret rub"), set aside.

I render the chicken fat from the skin, and make cracklings out of the skin. I then sear/brown the chicken thighs in the chicken fat. Put the chicken jus in deep container, add the crackling, salt, pepper, pat of butter, sliver of garlic, squeeze of lemon, dash of heavy cream, and WONDRA flour. Hit the mixture with a blitz stick to blend, stick in microwave until it thickens....GRAVY in under 60 seconds that is fabulous.

 

advantages

Buy bulk chicken, no need to portion and vacuum bag (already done for you!)

cook over nite (multi-tasking! sleeping and cooking)

every single piece of the chicken (except the bones) gets used up.

killer gravy

moist, fall off the bone chicken.

 

 

Alternatives, use jus in cooking rice, cracklings are good straight up.

I've also just tossed the season chicken thighs on the barbecue grill for quick perfectly cooked grilled chicken.

pick the chicken off the bones (easy after cooking) season and turn into chicken salad

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by Heartsurgeon (log)

[Shelby]

I've gone back to the very first sous vide thread started in 2004 and am reading from the beginning.  Yes, it's a lot to go through.  I'm doing it in-between chores etc.  I'm so very glad I'm doing this--I've learned a LOT.  I had no idea that sous vide cooking had been going for as long as it has.  Also, I'm not feeling nearly as "intimidated" by sous vide.  People were using zip locks and a pot on the stove and having great success so I figure I can do it too with my circulator   I'm keeping a notebook with tips and tricks that I learn along the way and, most importantly, I'm writing down the successful temps. and times that I'm running across (paying special attention to anything NathanM posts).  

 

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by Shelby (log)

[rotuts]

good for you

 

its not really a chore

 

its going to wait for you  

 

lets just say

 

the SV treads here 

 

 be filed in the Library of Congress  

 

the Library   is indeed 

 

Most  the finest Best

 

just not the """"" congres"""

 

 

[Shelby]

I'm only in 2008 in my reading of the SV threads and I've seen smoking pork ribs before SV'ing, but not beef short ribs.  Would beef short ribs be good if I threw them in the smoker for like 15 mins before SV or is that a dumb idea?  

 

 

[btbyrd]

You can certainly smoke before or after SV, but if you want it to pick up serious flavor, they'll need more than 15 minutes. I'd suggest cooking them first at your desired time/temp and then chill and store until the day you're ready to eat them. Then unbag them, debone, pat dry, and season. Then retherm in a low smoker (175-225F ) until they're hot enough to serve. You can also cold (or cold-ish) smoke before SV, but the results will mellow and develop in the bag as it cooks. For a more traditional BBQ'd flavor, a post SV smoke is better. Sometimes I do both.

[btbyrd]

I'll add that one of the great things about smoked meat is the bark and texture on the exterior that comes from prolonged heating in a dry environment. One of the great things about SV is that it keeps a lot of the moisture in; one of the great things about extended smoking is that it dehydrates the exterior of the meat. The latter is impossible to achieve through SV alone, but if you use SV as a tenderizing-step and then apply a rub and glaze (a mix of molasses and liquid aminos is fantastic -- check ChefStep's BBQ class for details) and then bake or smoke, you can develop some nice flavor and chewy bits on the exterior. 

[rotuts]

one of my most successful SV'd was Corned Beef, on sale here around St.P's day  ' generic' or store brand.

 

after initially realizing how outstanding SV could make this, I then added a 1 - 2 hr smoke on the cooked meat on the weber, detailed somewhere on the

 

SV thread or the CornedBeef thread.   this was the most outstanding meat both hot and sliced thin for sandwiches    I just rebated and froze.  lasted a long time

 

however, last year the brand i got had probably papain in  it and this turned the meat to an unpleasant consistency.  I think FeChef pointed this out.

 

so neat Sat.P's day, stock up but read the label carefully.    this is where a 36 ++ QT cooler comes  into play.

 

best sandwiches ever in the summer, esp w home grown tomatoes.