Everything Sous Vide!

I didn't see a thread for sous vide and didn't want to clutter up the BBQ/smokin thread.

Let's talk tips, tricks and recipes.

My first sous vide cook is tonight. Thin ribeye steaks (sous vide), potatoes (pressure cooker) and asparagus (conventional oven).

Super stoked. Pictures to come.

I know @Cold Iron has the same Anova I do. Know anyone else? Tag em!

 

I got the same Anova sous vide device for xmas. Made amazing steaks with it a few weeks ago. I just need to change my cast iron searing technique. Maybe my cooktop doesn't get the skillet hot enough. How thick are your steaks?

Making seared ahi tuna tonight!

 

Ha my first cook is tonight also! Ribeye's choice cut on sale at $9.99 normally ~12 a pound. Prime was also on sale at $19.99. But this method of cooking is supposed to be so good will see how it does with choice meat.

Grilled Romaine hearts with EVOO and Midwest meat works seasoning on the gas grill. Will use left coals from the smoker to sear on the 22" kettle. Did 9 pounds of pork loin on the Weber mountain smoker this morning for Canadian bacon so will be using all 3 of my Weber's today. Picked up some greenhouse tomatoes today also and will slice them, drizzle EVOO and black Hawaiian salt.

Have the rubbermaid X commercial cooler coming tomorrow already got the lid cut for the Anova today. Also going to pick up the 9 qt. igloo cooler and cut a 2 3/8" hole for overnight cooks. This chit better work I'm kind of committed now LOL.

 

I'm not a fan of cast iron for searing or cooking steaks. Did it for years and now I can use charcoal there is no comparison IMO. The ones I am doing tonight are between 1 1/2 inch and 2 inches. I also like thick steaks. That comes from years of doing charcoal so maybe that will change. But don't think so. Flames can lick the sides and sear the fat on the sides better than a pan. Something like this.



Did I mention I like thick steaks?!



The butcher shop here sells them as Viking steaks. You can bludgeon to death anyone that tries to take them from you with them.

 

Steaks were hammered at the grocery store today but we picked up some thin cut ribeyes as they were on sale as well. Looks like .5" thick.Same thinking as @Cold Iron , it's suppose to make a less than ideal cut great...so let's see the magic. If these turn out great I'll visit the butcher shop and get some nice steaks.

How long do you let your cast iron skillet preheat? It can take 30-45 minutes for it to reach proper temp.

 

Heated my skillet up to 500 degree (used my digital temperature gun) and then threw a stick of butter. That butter evaporated in no time. Probably should have used oil instead. I'm no iron chef. Wife does most of the cooking.

 

Love sous-vide. Favorite is just simple beef tenderloin. Trim the fat. Vacuum seal with a couple pats of butter, salt and pepper, sprig of thyme and rosemary, then drop em in for a couple hours. Pull them out and sear.

 

So it begins

SVRibeye2 by Gage McKeag, on Flickr

 

Well, I was disappointed at first but I had to put it in perspective. I have never cooked a perfect thin cut steak. I normally over cook them and or not have a good seat.

These were tasty and juicy but nothing mind blowing. By far the best thin cut steak though and I can't wait to try it with a proper 1-2" steak.

Great start but I am looking forward to making some chicken breast tomorrow.

 

Just finished eating mine Gage Will wait until you post up your steps and thoughts before I do mine. Besides waiting on the phone to transfer them to my email, could use bluetooth and transfer faster but taking the long way around. And still in a bit of a food coma. Might have to wait until morning LOL.

 

Won't be posting any more camera battery died haha. That said, it was super simple. Oil the steak, drop it in a bag, cook, sear 15-20 sec per side.

Can't wait to see what you came up with.

 

Thin steaks are very difficult to cook IMO, just the sear can cook them all the way though. Have to admit that yours turned out very consistent throughout judging by the color. As did mine. And extremely juicy and tender. But even though I seared the heck out of them on charcoal it seemed to be missing just a little bit of depth of flavor that sear and slide provides. Think that the traditional cooking on charcoal may concentrate flavors? Don't want to dry them out by overcooking, fine line and I usually hit it mainly from experience. These were literally like juicy butter meat. But missing just a little bit of depth in the flavor department compared to a full charcoal cook...

What temp and how long for 1" or so?

 

I miss the small flavors as well. It was almost "bland". I tend to do smoked sirloin or tri-tip and those pack lots of flavor.

According to my modernist cuisine book. Ribeyes should be cooked at 133 for 3 hours. We did 1 hour at 135.

They suggest searing using a torch and I think that would provide the best crust/flavor. I may pick one up and try that because even at 550 on a propane grill, it wasn't a good sear. My roommate was using the stove so I didn't use the cast iron skillet.

 

First food vacuum seal of my life. Weston Pro 1100, I am tired of freezer burnt food especial wild game birds. Could fall in love with this thing. Salted both sides well with kosher salt, couple pats of butter, sliced fresh green onions, and a couple sprigs of thyme from my plant.



Finally a good use for used charcoal. Fired them up 20 minutes a head of time and sear for a couple of minutes and let them go to ashes. Had good flames when I seared them. Had my hands full with the other food and timing so didn't get a picture of the sear, stating them up with a full chimney and paraffin starter. Bottom vent wide open this is a bit different than I am used to, but this will work well also.



After cooking. 129 for 1 hour and 15 min. The app called for 1 hour but wanted to make sure they were done and supposedly you can't overcook them with this method. I would call the outcome a very solid upper end Med Rare. Next time will go to 128 and then 127 until just a little bit on the light Med Rare side. But 129 was a good starting point and think most people that like MR would like this setting. Ready for the sear.



After the sear it is extremely juicy and consistent.



Dinner is served



Had a lady friend over tonight who I have cooked a lot of steaks for as a judge. She was the one who mentioned the lack of depth of flavor. Until she mentioned it I would not have known. I was too busy sucking the meat in like butter LOL. She is right, it is subtle but there is something just a little bit lacking on the flavor department if you have eaten a lot of well cooked steaks done on charcoal. On the other hand it was one of the juiciest steaks I have eaten in my life.

She apparently didn't mind the slight lack of depth, a little while after eating she mentioned something about a foodgasim. The end result was a little bit of a let down after all the hype. But still pretty damn good, just different. When people talk about SV meat being mushy I think that it is just because it is extremely juicy. Texture was fine as was taste for me. Will have to do a few dozen more of these before I make up my mind

 

I'm definitely a foodie I picked up an Anova a couple months ago and I love it!

I've used it at least twice a week for the past two months. I've done steaks, shrimp, Leppord shark, burgers, veggies, whole Pheasant, Checken and two 30 hour pork shoulders that were amazing!

I just so happen to be making Steaks tonight so I'll add a recipe so to speak to the thread.

I like my Filet rare so 124 degrees for 40min on a room temperature steak is what I do.

I toss olive oil, smoaked sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper and for this one Flavor God bacon lovers seasoning in the bag and vacuum sealed it and drop it in the pre heated pot.



Right out of the bath 40min later.


Once the meat is done I finish on a 600 to 700 degree grille 20 seconds cross hatch and 20 more seconds. Flip and repeat on the other side forgot the phone for that one my bad and I didn't even take a pic of the beautiful cross hatch just picture this XXXX lol.

And the finished product a perfect 124 degrees from edge to edge I like to buy 2" thick cuts but the butcher cut these a little thin about 1.25" thick.
It's a Filet Mignon by the way.




Apparently my son wanted some lol

 

When you get a chance very interested in your whole pheasant recipe using this. Still have about 10 phez brought back from SD, although not all are whole LOL the ones that flushed at my feet are a bit less than. But phez dry out very easily and always have been a struggle this would be perfect given the amount of moisture in the cooked meat. Have a number of ruff grouse in the freezer and same issue, would like to do something other than make soup out of them.

 

I did 3 hours at 150 and the breast was amazing! The dark meat was not the greatest but that was the bird as it was just too gamey for my taste but it was cooked great.
I seasoned with butter salt pepper and garlic & rosemary. I finished on the rotisserie infrared only with the smoke box going for 25min.

 

Thank you! Yeah thighs and drummies on phez have all those tendons in them too, and are real PITA anyhow so they often end up in the stock pot to make, well pheasant stock And strain through cheesecloth after boiling for about 12 hours. You have me started down the right path for sure and thank you again.

Yours has been plucked, at the end of the day after stepping in badger holes and tripping over hidden barbed wire walking ~10 miles a day and looking at a pile of birds to clean at dark we just skin them, too tired to pluck at our ages LOL. But with no skin is why they dry out so fast so Sous Vide would be perfect.

The dogs get a fair amount of time at game farms during the year for training and I haven't paid for it in the past always just skin mine, but have the option to pay for exchange birds that have been plucked. It really isn't that much. I rotisserie a lot of chicken and turkey on both gas



And charcoal, my preferred method



We apparently think a lot alike, at what temp did you smoke for at 25 minutes if you don't mind me asking? And well done good sir!

 

Did a pork shoulder the other day. So big I almost had to find another vessel. Took 18hrs then another hour in the oven to get a nice crust.

 

How did it turn out?