Sous Vide Steak

[boilsover]

As a relatively new circulator owner, I've been on a cook's tour of uses.  First stop was an utter fail and a giant waste of time:  soft-boiled eggs.  Second stop was a success, but also a waste of time:  vegetables (green were OK, carrots were unevenly cooked).

 

Somewhat dismayed, I've moved on to what everyone seems to rave about:  steak.  I've probably done 8 batches of prime graded ribeye (all about 1.25" thick and post-seared) so far, with mixed results.  All but one turned out overdone given the temperature and time recommendations.  All had decidedly less homogenous centers (i.e., more heat gradation depth) than all the photos in cookbooks and on the web seem to show.  Honestly, only the last batch (see below) was as good as just pan-frying.

 

So I've been bumping down the bath temperature.  The overall  "rareness" progressively improved.  Still, the gradation issue wasn't getting much better.

 

The last batch I did, I decided to chill the SV'd (120F) steaks and let the bags stabilize in the fridge overnight.  After searing, these were a major improvement with the gradation issue (still not perfect),  and I noticed very little difference in internal temps between these and the ones seared right outta-da-bag.

 

I'm concluding that maybe I need to sear faster.  Or lower my expectations.

 

Advice?  Does anyone else find it advantageous to chill the SV'd steaks before searing? 

 

Thanks!

[Chris Hennes]

I can't understand why you've got any internal temperature gradation at all -- are you cooking in a bath hotter than your desired final temperature? What temp are you using?

[scubadoo97]

I'm perplexed as well.  I always get even cooking.  No gray.    My biggest issue is post SV searing.  Getting enough crust without cooking the interior.   A torch is the most convent way for me. 

[boilsover]

17 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

I can't understand why you've got any internal temperature gradation at all -- are you cooking in a bath hotter than your desired final temperature? What temp are you using?

 

Hi, Chris:

 

  I think I started at 131F, then 129F, and it's now ratcheted down to 125F.

 

  I think that--strictly as a matter of physics--there's necessarily going to be some gradation whenever you sear.  The heat is obviously coming from the outside, and it's heating deeper than just the topmost cells.  The reason I'm speculating I need a faster sear is that the carryover heat from the way I'm doing it now is differentially cooking the interior.  I think an analogous thing is happening with the carrots, which were skinny to start with, except it's probably more a function of time-at-temp than adding a second outside-in heat application.  I think exactly the same thing would happen if the carrots were sauteed after SV.

 

  Then I'm thinking that carryover heat (and only that) is exactly what cooks the interior of a steak done non-SV.  And that this is what I'm returning to when I chill the bag before searing.  Maybe I should just be happy with a slight marginal improvement over simply pan-frying my steak?

[boilsover]

11 minutes ago, scubadoo97 said:

My biggest issue is post SV searing.  Getting enough crust without cooking the interior.

 

This is actually the same issue I'm having.

Edited December 18, 2017 by boilsover (log)

[Shelby]

I like my steaks very rare and I do 125F.  Most times I do not sear mine....it ends up over cooked for me.

[scubadoo97]

A powerful torch is the easiest remedy.  But I’d rather a hot camal.  It’s just diceier with the camal.  But some gradient is not entirely a bad thing

[Chris Hennes]

3 minutes ago, boilsover said:

  I think that--strictly as a matter of physics--there's necessarily going to be some gradation whenever you sear. 

Oh, I understand now, it's really completely a searing problem. As far as I am concerned it's not even possible to have the surface temperature too hot when you are searing. How are you doing it?

[boilsover]

13 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

Oh, I understand now, it's really completely a searing problem. As far as I am concerned it's not even possible to have the surface temperature too hot when you are searing. How are you doing it?

 

Well, it's an outcome problem, that's as far as I'll go.  The steak that was SV'd to 125F and then chilled to 38F before the flop turned out fine, if less than ideal.

 

I like to pan sear with a little high-smoke-point fat in the pan.  All these were done in a CI pan near to smoking.  I don't care for blackened steak.

 

I have the Searz-All, but it's pretty slow going with more than 1 steak.  I mostly just hit the sides a little bit with it.  Not easy to do without lighting the pan on fire.

 

Have you seen the SV Everything guys' searing competition on YouTube?  Apparently the consensus winning method was the sear imparted by one of those huge weed burner jets.

Edited December 18, 2017 by boilsover (log)

[Chris Hennes]

50 minutes ago, boilsover said:

I like to pan sear with a little high-smoke-point fat in the pan.  All these were done in a CI pan near to smoking.

How long did the sear take, per side? The way you're doing it right now I don't see any point to the SV at all, but it also sounds like your sear is too slow. I agree that the Searzall is too much work for multiple steaks, I only use it for touch-up work (and melting cheese!).

[Porthos]

I do my steaks at 131.5 F for about 1 1/2 times that which Baldwin's tables indicate. Finishing them is already having the CI pan over 400F, open the SV bag, quickly pat dry both sides with a paper towel, add the oil to the pan and get the steaks in. I've never actually timed how long I sear but I would guess somewhere around 45 -60 seconds, flip the steak, then maybe 40 seconds then out of the pan right away. YMMV.

[boilsover]

20 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

How long did the sear take, per side?

 

Gosh, I never time that.  I go by the color and crust.  I'll try to remember to time it.

 

When I sear non-SV steaks, I sear the same way, but I either leave them in the pan to finish and rest (off the heat, covered), or put them in a low oven.

 

So do you sear right out of the bag, warm?

 

Before I got the circulator, I fooled with a variant of Kenji's charcoal chimney prep, where you bake the steaks in about a 140F oven for 40 minutes or so, and then perch them, skewered, over a half-full burning charcoal chimney.  There, the sear is about 45-60 seconds/side.  This is similar in concept to SV, IMO.  

[scubadoo97]

Aka the reverse sear 

[Chris Hennes]

5 minutes ago, boilsover said:

So do you sear right out of the bag, warm?

Yeah, straight from the finished temp to the pan to the plate, no waiting. I get results that pretty much look like the other photos you see online: rare interior with a very thin seared layer on the outside. I have never timed my sear stage, but I think it's under a minute per side. Is that about where you were at, or do you think you were going longer?

[btbyrd]

It's almost impossible to sear properly in a home kitchen for lack of both BTUs and ventilation. If your pan is really hot enough to do the job you're asking it to do, you'll smoke out your kitchen in an instant. I do it outside or not at all.

Searing over charcoal is excellent, but at that point I'd rather just grill the steaks over charcoal from start to finish.

I hate torches for searing, even with the Searzall. I use the Searzall all the time, but not to finish steak.

My favorite indoor searing strategy is deep frying. By searing all the sides at once, you get an extremely even sear with minimal risk of producing a temp gradation.

 

I almost never cook steak SV anymore.

Edited December 19, 2017 by btbyrd (log)

[boilsover]

1 minute ago, btbyrd said:

My favorite indoor searing strategy is deep frying.

 

I get the coverage aspect of this, but aren't you limited to about 375F for temperature?

[boilsover]

5 minutes ago, Chris Hennes said:

Is that about where you were at, or do you think you were going longer?

 

Gosh, it may have been longer.  Like I said, I'll have to time it next time.

 

Thanks for your input.

[btbyrd]

Whatever the smoke point of your oil is. And while it may be cooler than a very hot pan, the overall time your meat will have to spend in a hot pan is less.

[mgaretz]

I use a torch (part of the Sansaire searing kit) and I put it on my stovetop so I can run the extractor fan.  But the secret is to dust the steak (after patting dry) with dextrose.  Some use a dextrose/baking soda mix to create a more alkaline environment for the browning reaction.  But I can taste the baking soda and it is gritty so I just use dextrose. I haven’t found any difference in the browning.  The cheapest place to get dextrose will be a local home brew supply shop.  I have mine in a screen top shaker. 

 

 

 

[boilsover]

9 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

...the overall time your meat will have to spend in a hot pan is less.

 

I have to think about that.  Deep frying conducts the heat from the oil over the entire surface area all at once, whereas a pan/griddle/grate is generally just hitting it front and back.

 

I deep fry Czech meat skewers fairly often, and unless the chunks are cut really large, they get cooked through.

 

I'll try it though.  Thanks!

[boilsover]

3 minutes ago, mgaretz said:

I use a torch (part of the Sansaire searing kit) and I put it on my stovetop so I can run the extractor fan.  But the secret is to dust the steak (after patting dry) with dextrose.  Some use a dextrose/baking soda mix to create a more alkaline environment for the browning reaction.  But I can taste the baking soda and it is gritty so I just use dextrose. I haven’t found any difference in the browning.  The cheapest place to get dextrose will be a local home brew supply shop.  I have mine in a screen top shaker. 

 

 

 

Ooh, that looks good.  I knew of the dextrose/soda thing from wok preps like Mongolian Beef, but I didn't think of it for steaks.

Homebrew here I come.

[scubadoo97]

Good pick up mgaretz. I forgot about the chemicals to increase browning.  They definitely work

[Okanagancook]

I use the 'Magic Browning Powder" (2 parts baking soda to 3 parts dextrose from a previous post by an Egullet member...forget who it was about a year or so ago).I sear my steaks in the same fashion as Chris Hennes.  Heat the cast iron pan to smoking (kitchen fan on and window open); unbag the steak and dry really really well; dump in the canola oil and let it get hot; put the steak in (steaks are cooked at 122F for about 45 minutes) and leave for about 45 seconds and flip for another 45.  I think thick steaks work the best and ours are usually 1 1/2 inches.

 

[gfweb]

Unless cooking a big bunch of steaks I don't do SV because the pan sear and low oven works great for me.

 

I sear in an unoiled steel pan that is blazing hot or a big steel flat top.30 sec per side maybe.

 

I find that steak has a different bite when cooked SV. Because there's no gradient in doneness there is not much sense of chew at MR  temps eg 125. It tastes undone to me. So I will up the SV temp to 128 or so and it makes a difference.

 

SV tri tip done thusly

Edited December 19, 2017 by gfweb (log)

[Okanagancook]

I really like doing flank steak for a day at 131F in the bath.  Nice and tender and medium rare.  Best way to do that cut in my opinion.

I have to admit that the last few steaks I did were on the stove top or BBQ too.  Just a whole lot easier and I do agree about the texture differences.