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Going to try sous vide beef back ribs

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njl
njl Posts: 1,123
in EggHead Forum
Beef back ribs were on sale today, and I got my 20qt stock pot for the Anova over the weekend...so I want to try slow cooking some ribs.  I've seen at least on recipe calling for 48 hours at 135F.  Isn't that too low (in the "food safety" danger zone for bacteria growth)?  I'm thinking, to be safe, I might go 140-145F for around 42 hours (i.e. dinner the day after tomorrow).
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  • SLOandSteady
    SLOandSteady Posts: 210
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    Will be interested in your thoughts on the Anova.
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  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
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    That is not too low of a temp, if the time is long enough. 

    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
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    Argh!  I don't know if we had a brown out or if the Anova just decided to shut off after some amount of time since I didn't bother setting its timer...but I woke up this morning to find it no longer running and the water down to 125F.  If the plan is to cook these ribs another 30+ hours, is it safe/worth continuing, or for the $8 I spent on them, is it best just to toss them / start over with another batch?
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    Is there anyone w. impaired immunity who might eat them? Kids under 5, or seniors over 70?

    Depending on the pathogen, growth rate reaches 0 around 126F. Assuming the water reached 135, the pathogens would have experienced some die back already, and would not have had much chance to restart growth.

    Seems like you might have some wiggle room if you want to continue. FWIW, steak is often served raw, "tartare," or at 125 with few if any reported problems.

    I use a recipe from Thos. Keller for short ribs. Don't recall the exact temp, its around 135, but for 72 hours. Not a matter of safety, but of melting the collagen.
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    I have read complaints about the Anova shutting down with little power spikes and other reviews of it just shutting down. I just picked one up on sale for $150 to use on small, quick cooks and to use at work. Hope I ended up with one of the god ones...
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    136º is the lower limit - I agree 145º works well with beef ribs. Mine went 2 days and were a bit mushy, 

    @SLOandSteady - the ANOVA is fantastic, have a second on order. 

    @njl - the unit has not shut off on me, almost a year old. I can understand a power hit or maybe even a brown out causing grief, brown outs can do that with lots of electronics. For my long cooks, I have never set the timer. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    edited September 2014
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    I'm cooking at 145F.  I know it was up at that temp for at least an hour or more last night.  I suspect these are still edible since 

    a) 1-2 hours at 145F should have killed the vast majority of bacteria
    b) the ribs are vacuum sealed in food saver bags...so no new bacteria are getting in
    c) They've cooked 10 hours today at 145F and I plan to cook them another ~24h at 145F

    So, if any bacteria survived the initial cooking time and began multiplying when the Anova gave up and the temp started dropping, surely they'll be killed off by 30+ hours back at 145F.

    I've contacted Anova and made some programming suggestions.  I think it's kind of ridiculous that it should need its own (big...it says it might draw 1050W) UPS.

    BTW...even with HDAF covering the pot with a square torn out for the Anova, I think I lost about 1L in 20 hours.  I just replenished the lost water.
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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
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    Photo Egg said:
    I have read complaints about the Anova shutting down with little power spikes and other reviews of it just shutting down. I just picked one up on sale for $150 to use on small, quick cooks and to use at work. Hope I ended up with one of the god ones...
    I'm curious, what do you plan to cook with an Anova at work, and will you be able to sear at the end?
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    njl said:
    Photo Egg said:
    I have read complaints about the Anova shutting down with little power spikes and other reviews of it just shutting down. I just picked one up on sale for $150 to use on small, quick cooks and to use at work. Hope I ended up with one of the god ones...
    I'm curious, what do you plan to cook with an Anova at work, and will you be able to sear at the end?

    No way to sear and not get in trouble. Was thinking soft boiled eggs for breakfast but mainly warming up pre cooked meals that are already foodsavered. Burgers, chicken, pork chops and such and experiment from that point. Normally at work for at least 10 hours a day. Only one coworker in my office and he is cool with it.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    Photo Egg said:
    njl said:
    Photo Egg said:
    I have read complaints about the Anova shutting down with little power spikes and other reviews of it just shutting down. I just picked one up on sale for $150 to use on small, quick cooks and to use at work. Hope I ended up with one of the god ones...
    I'm curious, what do you plan to cook with an Anova at work, and will you be able to sear at the end?

    No way to sear and not get in trouble. Was thinking soft boiled eggs for breakfast but mainly warming up pre cooked meals that are already foodsavered. Burgers, chicken, pork chops and such and experiment from that point. Normally at work for at least 10 hours a day. Only one coworker in my office and he is cool with it.

    i know this sounds weird but, hey, this is what we do. if you are taking a SV rig to work, you can take a mapp torch. we sear with a torch as much as anything else. no smoke, very little smell and perfect for almost anything that needs a little Malliard after the bath.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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     The Cen-Tex Smoker  wish I could take a torch. I have one of the small butane ones designed for SV searing. Work in a very large State of Texas Medical building. As much as I would like to push and risk the torch thing it's not worth loosing 20+ years at my job. lol
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
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    I'll post some pics later, but these were the best beef ribs I've had.  They'd been in 145F water for 40 hours (minus the cool down to 125F the first night when the Anova gave up due to a brown out).  I pulled them out, cut them open, patted them dry with paper towels, and then into the oven on broil for 2 minutes bone side up, 2 minutes bone side down.  Then I brushed on a little BBQ sauce on the tops and put them back under the broiler for 3 minutes bone side down.  The meat was basically meadium rare but almost melts in your mouth due to all the rendering.

    If the Anova were just more reliable (I guess I'll have to dedicate a UPS), this would be a really neat way to cook.  I'm curious to try baby backs sous vide now.

    Also, since the package was actually 3 separate 2--3 bone sections, I decided to do 3 different things prepping them.  
    Bag #1 was just kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and some paprika.
    Bag #2 was that + a little Worcestershire sauce.
    Bag #3 had my usual home made rib rub.

    Once finished with BBQ sauce, I didn't notice a whole lot of difference.  The rib rub ones, I could smell some of the spices in the rub, but the flavor really wasn't all that different.  That makes me wonder about trying baby backs with just the salt/pepper/paprika treatment.


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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
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