Sous Vide

[Prefect]

I want to throw this out there because it has been straight up the most amazing thing I have ever done for meat. The basis of it is that you seal in something you are going to cook in a plastic bag, I use ziploc bags, and cook it in a water bath that is extremely temperature controlled. This isn't boiling meat. The water around the bag is just for temperature control. The bag also traps the juices and marinades the meat if you add into the bag. You can't control it on a stove well enough to do it properly. A steak cooked in 130 F water is very different than 135 F water. You really need 0.5 F +/- control. I started with this using an Instant Pot max but you can get sous vide device that you can clamp onto any container you want to use and it will control the temperature and circulate the water. The concept of the process is to heat up the meat to a temperature that kill bacteria or prevents them from growing without overcooking the meat. Once you are in that range, the longer the meat is cooked at that low temperature the softer it gets. It is easy to get right everytime because you are cooking them so slowly. It isn't like accidently overcooking the meat a bit in a pan or on a grill. Also, the meat is cooked evenly through the whole cut.

Steaks I like rare so I do 1.5 hours at 130 F. I sear them when I am done. I have done them longer but they just get too soft for me to call them steaks anymore. I just use soy sauce, chili sauce, and some garlic and out comes some of the best steaks I have ever had. The only thing that I sometimes have to watch is that it is easy for them too get too salted due to all the juices being trapped in the bag. Soy sauce or whatever goes a lot further than marinating in a bowl.

Now this is the one that blows me away every time. Sous Vide is sometimes called something the upgrades your cuts of meat. This is so true. I will get like a 3 lb slab of chuck roast for $9. So, chuck roast is a tough cut of meat and that is why it is cheap and often put in stews or roasted. Now, if you sous vide it, you can keep it rare and soften it up. I sous vide it for 27 hours at 135 F and it comes out like prime rib. It is soft, red all through it, and juicy with a strong beef flavor. It is really amazing to able to do this with a cheap cut of beef. Anyways, if you get an instant pot or sous vide device, it is one of the best bang per buck spent things I have bought.

I know some of you think I am overselling this but the whole process makes it so easy to get a chunk of meat cooked exactly right every time. Imagine being able to soften up any cut of meat and keep it rare as well, never overcooking it.

 

[Provocateur]

Thanks for sharing that very useful information with us.

Spoiler

 

[Get To Da Choppa]

Spoiler

I would be interested in trying it, though I don't like the idea of putting plastic in very hot water for hours with food in it

 

[Pliny Pete]

Ive heard great things about sous vide but the thrill of the cook is part of the fun for me, I like to test and learn from mistakes and gain skillzzz through experience
Sticking meat in a bag of water and walking away doesnt sound like any fun at all

I would try it out of curiosity if I had one available to me but Im not gonna buy one

 

[Cantona7]

I want to throw this out there because it has been straight up the most amazing thing I have ever done for meat. The basis of it is that you seal in something you are going to cook in a plastic bag, I use ziploc bags, and cook it in a water bath that is extremely temperature controlled. This isn't boiling meat. The water around the bag is just for temperature control. The bag also traps the juices and marinades the meat if you add into the bag. You can't control it on a stove well enough to do it properly. A steak cooked in 130 F water is very different than 135 F water. You really need 0.5 F +/- control. I started with this using an Instant Pot max but you can get sous vide device that you can clamp onto any container you want to use and it will control the temperature and circulate the water. The concept of the process is to heat up the meat to a temperature that kill bacteria or prevents them from growing without overcooking the meat. Once you are in that range, the longer the meat is cooked at that low temperature the softer it gets. It is easy to get right everytime because you are cooking them so slowly. It isn't like accidently overcooking the meat a bit in a pan or on a grill. Also, the meat is cooked evenly through the whole cut.

Steaks I like rare so I do 1.5 hours at 130 F. I sear them when I am done. I have done them longer but they just get too soft for me to call them steaks anymore. I just use soy sauce, chili sauce, and some garlic and out comes some of the best steaks I have ever had. The only thing that I sometimes have to watch is that it is easy for them too get too salted due to all the juices being trapped in the bag. Soy sauce or whatever goes a lot further than marinating in a bowl.

Now this is the one that blows me away every time. Sous Vide is sometimes called something the upgrades your cuts of meat. This is so true. I will get like a 3 lb slab of chuck roast for $9. So, chuck roast is a tough cut of meat and that is why it is cheap and often put in stews or roasted. Now, if you sous vide it, you can keep it rare and soften it up. I sous vide it for 27 hours at 135 F and it comes out like prime rib. It is soft, red all through it, and juicy with a strong beef flavor. It is really amazing to able to do this with a cheap cut of beef. Anyways, if you get an instant pot or sous vide device, it is one of the best bang per buck spent things I have bought.

I know some of you think I am overselling this but the whole process makes it so easy to get a chunk of meat cooked exactly right every time. Imagine being able to soften up any cut of meat and keep it rare as well, never overcooking it.

My wife bought me a sous-vide wand and a vacuum sealer for my birthday this year, I’ve been getting some pretty good results with it-I’m not convinced it’s great for ‘everyday’ steaks, if I’ve got something foolproof like a sirloin or ribeye I think I get better results just using a cast iron griddle, but it’s great for fillet steak, worked really well with a bavette steak too. My favourite thing I’ve done with it so far are pork ribs, gave them a dry rub the sous vide them for 12 hours at 165 and finished them basting them over charcoal, in the absence of a smoker I’m not sure there’s a better way to cook them.

 

[Prefect]

Thanks for sharing that very useful information with us.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Provocateur]

Spoiler

Tranny?
Definitely wood.

 

[Prefect]

Tranny?
Definitely wood.

Sorry to disappoint. Not a tranny. Just Doja Cat.

 

[Provocateur]

Sorry to disappoint. Not a tranny. Just Doja Cat.

That's ok.
@Zer is the one that will really be disappointed.

 

[crabmeat]

I've never had a good gauge with sous vide steaks. I've had some friends prepare them as such, but they used all these marinades and such. It's not offensive, it just masks the centerpiece. I like it basic. A good cut, real butter, salt, pepper, and fire.

 

[rj144]

I've had one for 3 years now. It's really awesome. I haven't used it in a few months though because I kind of forgot about it. I'll probably use it soon though.

 

[Prefect]

That's ok.
@Zer is the one that will really be disappointed.

The one?

Oh, my sweet summer child.

 

[Darth_Inv1ctu5]

I want to throw this out there because it has been straight up the most amazing thing I have ever done for meat. The basis of it is that you seal in something you are going to cook in a plastic bag, I use ziploc bags, and cook it in a water bath that is extremely temperature controlled. This isn't boiling meat. The water around the bag is just for temperature control. The bag also traps the juices and marinades the meat if you add into the bag. You can't control it on a stove well enough to do it properly. A steak cooked in 130 F water is very different than 135 F water. You really need 0.5 F +/- control. I started with this using an Instant Pot max but you can get sous vide device that you can clamp onto any container you want to use and it will control the temperature and circulate the water. The concept of the process is to heat up the meat to a temperature that kill bacteria or prevents them from growing without overcooking the meat. Once you are in that range, the longer the meat is cooked at that low temperature the softer it gets. It is easy to get right everytime because you are cooking them so slowly. It isn't like accidently overcooking the meat a bit in a pan or on a grill. Also, the meat is cooked evenly through the whole cut.

Steaks I like rare so I do 1.5 hours at 130 F. I sear them when I am done. I have done them longer but they just get too soft for me to call them steaks anymore. I just use soy sauce, chili sauce, and some garlic and out comes some of the best steaks I have ever had. The only thing that I sometimes have to watch is that it is easy for them too get too salted due to all the juices being trapped in the bag. Soy sauce or whatever goes a lot further than marinating in a bowl.

Now this is the one that blows me away every time. Sous Vide is sometimes called something the upgrades your cuts of meat. This is so true. I will get like a 3 lb slab of chuck roast for $9. So, chuck roast is a tough cut of meat and that is why it is cheap and often put in stews or roasted. Now, if you sous vide it, you can keep it rare and soften it up. I sous vide it for 27 hours at 135 F and it comes out like prime rib. It is soft, red all through it, and juicy with a strong beef flavor. It is really amazing to able to do this with a cheap cut of beef. Anyways, if you get an instant pot or sous vide device, it is one of the best bang per buck spent things I have bought.

I know some of you think I am overselling this but the whole process makes it so easy to get a chunk of meat cooked exactly right every time. Imagine being able to soften up any cut of meat and keep it rare as well, never overcooking it.

I heard about this from a friend and from Hannibal Lecter, and I'm gonna try for sure, i heard the exact same things you noted. The thing costs about $200 iirc on Amazon but tbh idgaf about the price for something that can do meat so we'll, it's not expensive

 

[Prefect]

Spoiler

I would be interested in trying it, though I don't like the idea of putting plastic in very hot water for hours with food in it

I would if I were at high temps. The plastic in ziploc bags doesn't breakdown at 140F. I have looked it up. Polyethylene plastic will start to soften at 195F. If you really want to, you can buy boil bags.

 

[rj144]

I heard about this from a friend and from Hannibal Lecter, and I'm gonna try for sure, i heard the exact same things you noted. The thing costs about $200 iirc on Amazon but tbh idgaf about the price for something that can do meat so we'll, it's not expensive

I have two but picked one last Black Friday for $25 from Monoprice. It's a little small but works perfectly well. The other I got 3 years ago for $160 I think.

 

[Prefect]

I heard about this from a friend and from Hannibal Lecter, and I'm gonna try for sure, i heard the exact same things you noted. The thing costs about $200 iirc on Amazon but tbh idgaf about the price for something that can do meat so we'll, it's not expensive

You can get a basic one for under $100 that doesn't have all the bells and whistles like blue tooth. I am a little at a loss why anyone would want bluetooth on a sous vide device.

 

[Darth_Inv1ctu5]

You can get a basic one for under $100 that doesn't have all the bells and whistles like blue tooth. I am a little at a loss why anyone would want bluetooth on a sous vide device.

Same ppl who would want a fridge that has Alexa - degenerates.

 

[minute bull]

Spoiler

I would be interested in trying it, though I don't like the idea of putting plastic in very hot water for hours with food in it

The initial barrier is how long it takes, but at least there's an element of being able to walk away.

Maybe it would help to know that the heat isn't as high as you'd think, and the plastic isn't the same kind of plastic that easily deteriorates. Try cooking a steak in the restaurant method to acclimate yourself to the idea of sous vide; low-heat, lots of butter, takes maybe forty minutes.

Essentially it's constantly doing what he's doing at :29:

Low heat, flip it as much as you need, keep spooning butter on it until your preferred level of doneness. This'll be like driving a manual vs automatic (sous vide).

 

[TheNinja]

I thought about getting one of those things. Do you grill it up a bit or sear it when it's out of the plastic/water? I feel like a steak that's just kind of cooked in water like that would be a bit of weird texture. I like some searing on my steaks.

 

[Oeshon]

Sous vide is life. You will never go back after trying it.

I use my sous vide every week