Seeking Recommended eGullet threads for a Sous Vide neophyte

[Porthos]

I have purchased an Anova circulator. My interest in sous vide is based upon needing to prepare chicken and pork dishes that remain more moist than other cooking methods I have used. This is based upon needing more moistness for my wife. After her bariactric surgery she became sensitive to meat that is not still very moist.

 

I would like recommendations for some threads to read through to help get me started.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Smithy
Corrected title (spelling) (log)

[nickrey]

I'd definitely start with the Sous Vide Index.

 

After a few years, you can move on to something else 

[gfweb]

Yes, the index is wonderful

[Shelby]

This thread has some good info

 

I keep a little book with times/temps that I've done and/or read about here.  Feel free to pm me if you need a quick answer.  

 

Chicken breasts are phenomenal when done this way.  I never cease to be amazed at how moist they are.  Pork tenderloin too.

 

 

[rotuts]

this is SV central.

 

SV does a lot of things.

 

it will keep moisture in common foods that dry out :

 

Chicken and Turkey breasts, which eventually you can semi-filet and add items then roll up and SV

 

and Pork.  esp   the Loin  The Big Boy   

 

carefully trimmed, stuffed or not, and SV  at a lower temp than you might think

 

will be moist, tender and beyond delicious.

 

you won't be able to buy anything as good.

 

 

[btbyrd]

They're not on eGullet, but Doug Baldwin's SV resources are great, as is everything at ChefSteps.com.

[Porthos]

So now that my southern faire season is over I had time to try out my Anova circulator.  I went simple with chicken breasts. I seasoned them, put them in a bag and did an hour at 153F. My DW was pleased with the moistness. I did something out of character and picked up no-name house-brand boneless skinless breasts. Poor choice, they were moist but they were stingy. When I do breasts again I will go with Foster Farms. I have been consistently pleased with FF over the years.

 

Things I learned. I used too large of a stock pot, a cheap thin-walled one that I usually reserve for cooling down steamed hard-cooked eggs when doing batches of 5 dozen eggs. It took way too long to come up to temperature. I will try using my heavy-walled 12 qt stock pot when I try SVing some tri-tip Monday night. On the good side suspending the bag clipped to a long wooden spoon made positioning very easy.

 

Because storage space is a bit of an issue I will buy a lidded plasic tub to store it in and keep it in the storeroom. I'm being lazy on this. I want to keep the circulator in the pot clamp. Otherwise I would just use the packaging it came in.

 

For the tri-tip I am planning on a mesquite dry rub from Garlic Fesival, and instead of a ziploc I will vacumm-seal it in an 8" bag. The gallon bag is almost the diameter of the 12 qt pot and I want freely-circulating water.

 

I did a bit of reading from some of the links provided and the information gleaned was very helpful.

 

Thank you one and all for helping launch me into the world of SV.

[Shelby]

Glad you dove in, Porthos!

 

One thing that might help ( and maybe you already did this ) is using hot water to fill your pot.  That way it takes less time to get to temp.

 

Another thing....I do chicken breasts at 142F.  The most tender, juicy meat you'll ever eat.  

[Tere]

I've settled on 60 degrees C for 60 mins as being very easy to remember - not far off really

[Porthos]

@Shelby, my DW does not have a robust immune system so I am reluctant to go with 142, but I still appreciate the suggestion. Of course, right now I am blanking on what temperature you have to achieve to kill salmonella.

[blue_dolphin]

18 minutes ago, Porthos said:

@Shelby, my DW does not have a robust immune system so I am reluctant to go with 142, but I still appreciate the suggestion. Of course, right now I am blanking on what temperature you have to achieve to kill salmonella.

 

The Doug Baldwin page that @btbyrd linked to above has great tables to calculate pasteurization times for poultry and other meats.  It's a great resource!

The lower temps will get you to the same safety endpoint, they just take a little longer.

 

This link:

On May 5, 2016 at 1:26 PM, btbyrd said:

They're not on eGullet, but Doug Baldwin's SV resources are great, as is everything at ChefSteps.com.

 

[rotuts]

and for chicken br that longer time does not make the meat mealy  

 

I can't give you the mealy temp point, as it seems to be related to exact muscle group, 'processing' and animal type

 

I also like 142 for CkBr and TurkeyBr.   Ive tried lower, as I love beef on the rarer side, but this did not cross over to Ck or Turks.

[rotuts]

I could not edit the above to mention this :

 

 

 

you may have already noticed this :

 

'Done-ness'  ire rare, medium rare  etc   in SV is related to water bath temp

 

'tenderness' is related to time in the bath given the initial tenderness of the cut of meat.

 

very tough cuts of meat  ( with great flavor ) can be cooked rare  ( 130.1 ) and become tender with time.

[rotuts]

again, can't edit

 

every cut of meat can be pasteurized by a Time X temp X thickness algorithm 

 

at even 130.1 the time required will not effect the final plating.

 

fish might be a different story entirely.

 

eggs can be pasteurized w/o solidifying them  and placed in a clean sanitized container, which is not the one you bought them in.

 

they then cook as usual in that state.

 

Id like to see some of your results.  esp meat.   Im just a SV Voyeur I guess

 

 

[ed: This is not a crime, at the moment ]

[Porthos]

I'm really bad about remembering to take pictues. I will do my best.

 

The tri-tip will be at 134F. I won't know the time until I trim it and measure it.

[rotuts]

Baldwin suggest for tri-tip rare 6 - 8 hours.

 

id not go less than 6  

 

best of luck

 

pleased to see there is a New SV addict.  of the finest kind.

[Porthos]

It's a small tri-tip and I doubt it will be more than 50mm thick when I'm done trimming. Looking at DouglasBaldwin.com sight under the "Pasteurization Time for Meat (Beef, Pork, and Lamb)" table,  3 hours 15 minutes is the minimum time at 134F. Will holding it longer benefit me?

[rotuts]

yes.  remember tenderness relates to time in the bath

 

as some point, pre-salted meats get a bit of corned taste is left in the bath for a time i know nothing about

 

Ive done very nice chuck roasts at 130.1  ( the .1 is an affectation ) with light combined seasoning with salt and w/o salt

 

at 48 hours there is a hint of corned.  that being said the seasoning mixtures I love with beef :

 

Sauer's Prime rib seasoning :

 

https://shop.cfsauer.com/products.asp?id=24

 

and Penzies Chicago steak

 

https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/chicago-steak-seasoning/c-24/p-658/pd-s

 

have salt in them,  ive been to lazy to make my own w/o salt.

 

Id go at least 6

 

it would be vary helpful to you to keep notes on what you SV : cut, time, temp seasoning

 

as very soon you will find your own grove re SV

 

and with a rapid chill, freezes well w no freezer burn no degradation.

 

just re therm at the same temp in a bath when you want to enjoy it.

 

surface mallard is a different matter and Id leave that alone for one to reduce the variables to the minimum until you understand the fundamental

 

variables of SV itself.

[rotuts]

PS  a rub with salt will not get your TT corned at 6 - 7 hours.

[Porthos]

I'll stop by the Penzey's in Anaheim (about an hour from my home)  tomorrow morning and have a look for future pieces of beef.  I am sticking with the Mesquite Grill seasoning for this meal because we all like it's flavor and a cannister of it is arleady here in the house.

 

My FIL, who lives in Anaheim, is fighting cancer and I am his transportion for treatments. That makes getting to Penzey's easy.

 

For now my main goal with SV is moist chicken breasts and pork loin steaks.  I have missed being able to have the pork in particular. My DW is forever telling me to make it for the rest of us and she'll have something else but I have always rankled at and resisted the idea of more than one type of dinner being served for everyday at-home dinners.

[rotuts]

pork loin is fabulous done SV.  it stays moist, and can brome white tender without drying out.

[nickrey]

I remember posting about Pork fillet wrapped in pancetta cooked sous vide. After cooking give it a sear on both sides in a very hot fry pan to brown the pancetta.

[daveb]

Pork likes 140F a lot.  

 

If I want to do a loin with pancetta (or prosciutto) I like to open it up,  lay in the "stuffing" then roll and tie.*   3 hrs for loin.  Can then sear the whole outside and slice for serving or slice loin into chops and sear them like a conventional chop for serving.

 

* A trick someone showed me when SV'dng a round protein is to bag and seal it then wrap the whole thing in a sushi mat before going into the bath.   Secure mat with rubber bands or string.   The mat will help retain the round shape.

 

[IndyRob]

Has brining (esp. chicken breasts) not done the job?  Or is it somehow verboten?  I'm all for sous vide, but brining (and perhaps poaching) would be my first recommendation.

[kayb]

I can testify to the benefits of brining + SV, albeit not for chicken. I did it with a pork loin and it was fabulous. Brine with sugar, salt, ground juniper berries and caraway seed, 24 hours, then SV with a seasoning rub of allspice, caraway, salt, pepper, and just a touch of cloves, at 145F (sorry, I just can't do pink pork) for 8 hours, then a quick finish in a flaming hot oven with apple cider/brown sugar glaze.

 

Pretty freakin' marvelous.