Sous vide is to steaks what red dots are to pistols

Arioch

Arioch

Amateur
You're objectively wrong if you're not using either /s

Jokes aside I'd like to open a thread about cooking with sous vide. Share techniques, recipes, tips and tricks, etc.

For myself I like to have the bath temperature about 3-4 degrees Fahrenheit below where I want the final internal temperature to be. I do this because I like to finish my steaks in a very hot cast iron skillet and so that ends up raising the temperature a few degrees. Additionally when it comes to finishing the steaks I prefer to use avocado oil as the higher smoke point of avocado oil greatly reduces the likelihood I'll set off my smoke alarm.
 
Arioch

Arioch

Amateur
Although sous vide is basically cheating I think it's still important to warn newbies about ways you can actually mess up the cooking process. A few years ago I told a neighbor about sous vide and he tried it out with a 24 hour cook time on some pretty good meat an absolutely ruined it. On good steaks I'll go 1-2 hours max. So far J Kenji Lopez Alt has yet to lead me astray as far as cooking goes.
 
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David FTH

Newbie
Arioch said:
Although sous vide is basically cheating I think it's still important to warn newbies about ways you can actually mess up the cooking process. A few years ago I told a neighbor about sous vide and he tried it out with a 24 hour cook time on some pretty good meat an absolutely ruined it. On good steaks I'll go 1-2 hours max. So far J Kenji Lopez Alt has yet to lead me astray as far as cooking goes.
Click to expand...
Lopez Alt seems solid. I recommend the Chef Steps Joule app (it's free) even if you don't have that particular sous vide. It's a high quality app with solid recipes.
 
S

Smith

Regular Member
I tried sous vide steak once (ribeyes) and the meat seemed kinda... I dunno, gummy? Just a weird texture. I prefer the texture of drier cooking methods.
 
M

MPer15

Amateur
Not a big fan of sous vide either. The fat just doesn't render. A proper pan fry with a butter baste or a reverse sear on a thicker cut is the way to go.
 
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hughes35e

Newbie
The perfect steak:

Buy a whole grass fed ribeye either bone in or boneless. Dry age for 30-40 days. To dry age, you can use an umai bag and a vacuum sealer. It will take up a lot of refrigerator space, so a beer fridge in the garage works great. Put it in the bag, and seal it. Let it sit in a fridge on a drying rack for 30-40 days. Pull it, remove it from the bag. Using a fillet knife, carefully remove the hard dried outer layer. Doesn’t have to be perfect, but get as much off as you can without butchering the thing. Cut into 1 1/4” to 1 1/2” steaks. Then, I use a technique similar to sous vide, but I like the finished product more. It’s called reverse searing. You have to have some specialty equipment though, mainly a grill that can go super hot or an infrared searing burner on your grill (what I use). I season the steak with salt pepper and garlic, and allow it to sit in the fridge overnight. Then I pull it out 1 hour before I plan to grill it. I set my pellet smoker about as low as it can go (mine is 150 degrees but 130 degrees would be ideal). I stick in the probe as near to the center as I can. I smoke the steaks on low until the internal temp hits 100 degrees, then I flip it. I continue on low until the internal temp hits 120 (rare) or 130 (medium rare). This can take an hour or so, but the longer the better (just remember if your grill temp is below 130, it won’t ever get to temp, so 130 is the minimum you should go). Then I pull it and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes while my searing burner heats up (the hotter the better). Then I brush the steak with melted butter and throw it on the searing burner for 1-2 minutes per side. You are just looking to get a little char and bark on the outside. Serve either whole, or sliced. Top with Gorgonzola compound butter and minced parsley with smoke roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables on the side, with a glass of Dalwhinnie 15 (no ice. This is important. Cooling stones are okay). For dessert, have another glass of Dalwhinnie 15 and a Wise Man Moduro Robusto while swapping war stories with your bros. By the time the meal is done, your voice will drop two octaves, your neighbors will jealously complain about the delicious smells, and you’ll have to send the boys home, because your wife will urgently require your attention in the bedroom.
 
Lobsterclaw207

Lobsterclaw207

Regular Member
Fellers. Sous vide is king. I just did a 36 hour of face rump and rump roast (at 133 degrees) which we then cut into cubes and seared on cast iron for kebabs.

@MPer15 I don't know what you mean, sous vide renders the f out of fat if done properly. It's my favorite method, because I tended to overcook steaks on the grill or pan by accident. You can sous vide and it literally will not/cannot rise above the temperature you set.

A trick is to take them out of the sous vide bath and cool/let them cool before searing. This ensures you don't rise above the internal temp the sous vide already got them to. 135 degrees is my "normal" for regular steaks, about 2-3 hours. 133 was only for those bigger, tougher cuts that were going to stay in overnight.

If you haven't tried chicken breast, it's AMAZING. Honestly the chicken is the wildest thing I've done, and how juicy it is compared to other cooking methods is crazy. Definitely let it cool and then sear on cast iron with salt and pepper and you'll be golden. You can cook the chicken to a lower temperature due to the duration it stays at temp (to kill bacteria), but might have to play with temperature to get the texture you like. Too low might still be safe to eat but a little mushy. It definitely takes refinement.

The best meal I've ever eaten was deer backstrap in the SV, then grilled. Came out utterly amazing. No chance I could've grilled it that perfectly without screwing it up on a conventional grill for the entire cook.

seriouseats.com is your friend, Kenji knows all.
 
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