What Are You Cooking Sous Vide Today? (Part 3)

[Kim Shook]

I didn't (leave it in the store bag).  It turned out grand.  I used the temp/time that @gfweb recommended back in May of last year - 130F for 3 hours.  You made it with a Basil Cream Sauce.  I didn't make the sauce this time b/c I didn't have any pesto or fresh basil and I substitute a lot, but I couldn't face trying to make dried basil into pesto!  Anyway, I'll try that another time.  My gorgeous, tender, juicy Flat Iron steak after the sear:

[ElsieD]

I have a Waygu strip loin that I want to cook up for dinner.  I was going to cook it sous vide for 1 hour at 132F and then sear it.  But I did some googling on this and some other sites and now school is out as to whether I should cook it sous vide or not.  I'm not very accurate at cooking it in a pan only and don't want to screw this up as waygu is something we rarely have.

[btbyrd]

Depends on the grade. If it's lower end stuff (like USDA Prime levels of marbeling, but not much more) then SV will be fine. But if it's an A5 level fat bomb, I will usually cook it conventionally (and typically to a higher level of doneness than I usually prefer, so as to render the fat). Or I eat it raw. There are many paths.

[ElsieD]

56 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

Depends on the grade. If it's lower end stuff (like USDA Prime levels of marbeling, but not much more) then SV will be fine. But if it's an A5 level fat bomb, I will usually cook it conventionally (and typically to a higher level of doneness than I usually prefer, so as to render the fat). Or I eat it raw. There are many paths.

 

The grade is 7 - 8 which if I read the grading charts correctly, means high good to low excellent.

[btbyrd]

If you're afraid of overcooking in a pan, I don't see any reason not to use SV; it's an easy way of ensuring that you achieve your preferred level of doneness. I haven't run across anyone saying that wagyu and SV don't mix and can't think of a reason (in principle) why someone would think there would be a problem.

Edited May 18, 2020 by btbyrd (log)

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, btbyrd said:

If you're afraid of overcooking in a pan, I don't see any reason not to use SV; it's an easy way of ensuring that you achieve your preferred level of doneness. I haven't run across anyone saying that wagyu and SV don't mix and can't think of a reason (in principle) why someone would think there would be a problem.

 

I agree. Wagyu doesn't need the tenderizing but SV would get your temp right. Then a sear. And I agree I'd have a few degrees more than your usual temp.

[Kim Shook]

Well, not today, but...:

Some steaks we found on sale at Publix ($9.99/lb.),  Vacuumed them for the freezer and a later day.

 

[MetsFan5]

I have an Anova (unopened). I have access to a local butcher. Is there a “intro proof” type recipe for me to try? 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, MetsFan5 said:

I have an Anova (unopened). I have access to a local butcher. Is there a “intro proof” type recipe for me to try? 

 

Do you have bags and a sealer?  If not, read up on water displacement method.  Perhaps start with a simple steak before trying a cut that needs to cook three days.  I seldom treat myself to filet but filet is my favorite steak for cooking sous vide.  Probably because there is not a lot of fat that has to be melted, so rare is possible.

 

I use Douglas Baldwin's tables:

https://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Beef

 

After cooking your filet or other steak sous vide you will probably want to dry the meat with paper towels and briefly sear the meat in a hot pan.  No need to let it rest.

 

As long as you have the financial resources and the physical resources to lift it, I highly recommend a chamber vacuum sealer.  Having one makes sous vide so easy.  Have fun going down the rabbit hole!

 

 

[MetsFan5]

I do have a vacuum sealer and the meat I get from my local butcher is vacuumed packed. I’m assuming a filet would be best done for a first time SV. We have a Big Green Egg and generally use that for larger cuts. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 minutes ago, MetsFan5 said:

I do have a vacuum sealer and the meat I get from my local butcher is vacuumed packed. I’m assuming a filet would be best done for a first time SV. We have a Big Green Egg and generally use that for larger cuts. 

 

I'd portion and re-bag the butcher's meat.  The Big Green Egg should be great for searing.  Forgive me, I live in an apartment so I don't think that way.  Just don't grill too long or you defeat the purpose of sous vide.  You just want some Maillard reaction as quickly as you can get it.

 

[haresfur]

1 hour ago, MetsFan5 said:

I do have a vacuum sealer and the meat I get from my local butcher is vacuumed packed. I’m assuming a filet would be best done for a first time SV. We have a Big Green Egg and generally use that for larger cuts. 

 

Other people are not as cavalier as I, but I sous vide meat in the vacuum packs they came in unless I want to put something in with it. I use a non-chamber sealer if I want to use a new bag unless there is a lot of liquid, where I use freezer zip-lock bags.

 

I mostly do porterhouse for steaks and for sv, I don't think bone-in adds anything. I find I like to go a little higher in temperature than I would for conventional cooking, so 58-59 C. Maybe with a filet, I'd try lower.

 

Chicken breasts at 60 C are great for chicken parma or throwing into salads.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

18 minutes ago, haresfur said:

 

Other people are not as cavalier as I, but I sous vide meat in the vacuum packs they came in unless I want to put something in with it. I use a non-chamber sealer if I want to use a new bag unless there is a lot of liquid, where I use freezer zip-lock bags.

 

I mostly do porterhouse for steaks and for sv, I don't think bone-in adds anything. I find I like to go a little higher in temperature than I would for conventional cooking, so 58-59 C. Maybe with a filet, I'd try lower.

 

Chicken breasts at 60 C are great for chicken parma or throwing into salads.

 

Personally for a cut like porterhouse I'd just throw it on the grill.  But, yes, if I did porterhouse sous vide I'd use a higher temperature to melt the fat.

 

I love pasteurizing chicken parts sous vide so I have something in the refrigerator to finish and serve at a moment's notice.  I did not want to confuse the issue though.

 

[haresfur]

On 5/7/2020 at 9:08 PM, Anna N said:

Not a fan of sous viding the “diaper” that is often a part of this packaging.

 

My beef bloke doesn't use those or styrofoam trays for that matter. He sometimes uses biodegradable bags that I wouldn't trust. I know it is a little thing but I like to minimise plastic use where I can.

[Anna N]

Was finally able to do a little excavating in my freezer drawer and uneartged a AAA strip loin steak. It is pathetically thin but will still make a tasty bite I’m sure. 54.5°C for one hour. 

[TdeV]

Does anyone sv boneless chicken and then grill an edge on it? Yesterday I was planning an outdoor dinner event, so I wanted to keep the edibles bite size. I thought Margaret's Teriyaki chicken skewers a good target.

 

I vacuum sealed frozen no-hormone boneless skinless chicken thighs with soy sauce, honey and granulated garlic, then sous vided at 155°F for 2.5 hours. I thought this meat would fall apart if I attempted to cut into cubes, and that the meat could not have been cooked further, even just a flash in the pan.

 

Here Jon uses sous vide prior to deep frying chicken but, surely, that's not the only treatment possible.

 

Does anyone else sous vide chicken thighs? What marinade? How do you finish them?
 

Edited July 26, 2020 by TdeV
Clarity (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

53 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Does anyone sv boneless chicken and then grill an edge on it? Yesterday I was planning an outdoor dinner event, so I wanted to keep the edibles bite size. I thought Margaret's Teriyaki chicken skewers a good target.

 

I vacuum sealed frozen no-hormone boneless skinless chicken thighs with soy sauce, honey and granulated garlic, then sous vided at 155°F for 2.5 hours. I thought this meat would fall apart if I attempted to cut into cubes, and that the meat could not have been cooked further, even just a flash in the pan.

 

Here Jon uses sous vide prior to deep frying chicken but, surely, that's not the only treatment possible.

 

Does anyone else sous vide chicken thighs? What marinade? How do you finish them?
 

 

 

I cook chicken thighs sous vide as a convenient means of preservation.  Typically I finish them either in the CSO or in a dish such as cacciatore.  Funny you should ask, though, as tonight's dinner is planned to be paella with said sous vide chicken thighs.

 

 

Edit:  I've also been known to deep fry them.  Works well as long as they are dry.

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[TdeV]

What temp/time @JoNorvelleWalker ?

[gfweb]

23 hours ago, TdeV said:

Does anyone sv boneless chicken and then grill an edge on it? Yesterday I was planning an outdoor dinner event, so I wanted to keep the edibles bite size. I thought Margaret's Teriyaki chicken skewers a good target.

 

I vacuum sealed frozen no-hormone boneless skinless chicken thighs with soy sauce, honey and granulated garlic, then sous vided at 155°F for 2.5 hours. I thought this meat would fall apart if I attempted to cut into cubes, and that the meat could not have been cooked further, even just a flash in the pan.

 

Here Jon uses sous vide prior to deep frying chicken but, surely, that's not the only treatment possible.

 

Does anyone else sous vide chicken thighs? What marinade? How do you finish them?
 

 

 

I do this.  Thighs at 150 F for 2 hrs.  You can do a lower temp eg 142F and they'll be cooked, but a little softer than what one expects for chicken.

 

[TdeV]

So better to sear the outside edges, @gfweb?

P.S. I have made some of your fresh pickle . . .

[gfweb]

1 minute ago, TdeV said:

So better to sear the outside edges, @gfweb?

P.S. I have made some of your fresh pickle . . .

 On a skewer, I think yes. Just to give folks what the y expect.  I think I'd use a torch to get it done without cooking it much more.

 

How was the pickle? Work OK?

[TdeV]

1 minute ago, gfweb said:

How was the pickle? Work OK?

 

I really, really like that the pickle is mild (i.e. vinegar). As it happened, I had only slightly hot chiles, so no jalapeno in the cider vinegar. It's a great recipe, thanks!

[gfweb]

On 6/24/2020 at 12:47 AM, MetsFan5 said:

I do have a vacuum sealer and the meat I get from my local butcher is vacuumed packed. I’m assuming a filet would be best done for a first time SV. We have a Big Green Egg and generally use that for larger cuts. 

How did it go?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

57 minutes ago, TdeV said:

What temp/time @JoNorvelleWalker ?

 

Last night's thighs had been cooked 74C four months ago.  I use pasteurization times from @DouglasBaldwin.  More recently I've been doing thighs at lower temperature.  To my taste nothing wrong with 74C though.

 

[robirdstx]

I have a good size chunk of yesterday’s SV Flat Iron Steak that I want to reheat and serve sliced for dinner tonight. My question - slice before or after reheating?