Fajita thoughts/help- SV vs Traditional

hoofaloos · January 2016

Did a Super Bowl trial run last weekend with a pound each of skirt, flank, and hangar. Simple marinade for 24 hours of cilantro, lime, oil, garlic followed by 48 hours of SV at 130, and finished with a quick sear on the Egg at 600. Flavor of all 3 was great but the skirt and flank were both pretty mushy. The hangar was a thicker cut so not as mushy but still a little more than it needed to be. On the plus, the hangar was the cheapest price of the 3.

Going to retry this weekend with maybe the same 3 cuts or whatever Costco has on sale here and looking for ideas. I'll do one batch only 24 hour marinade, one with marinade and 24 hour SV, one with only SV- 48 hours and one probably with marinade and short SV- a couple three hours. Anybody try any of these methods yet?

Thatgrimguy · January 2016

48 hours makes it mush. I don't let my steaks go more than 5 or 6. They are done in less than 2.

FLgrillinGirl · January 2016

I am not sure of the reason for such a long amount of SV time for 2 thin cuts (not the hanger, obviously). Why not just a hot and fast cook on the egg?? A couple of minutes on each side is all it takes and your'e done.

lkapigian · January 2016

I can't imagine spending 3 days on something you can pull off in 15 minutes
Somethings IMHO don't need SV or a 24 hour marinade, the beauty is in the simplicity....

hoofaloos · January 2016

FLgrillinGirl said:

I am not sure of the reason for such a long amount of SV time for 2 thin cuts (not the hanger, obviously). Why not just a hot and fast cook on the egg?? A couple of minutes on each side is all it takes and your'e done.

Just looking for a more tender fajita. I've gone with marinade & sear before but it still seemed tough. There is also a real possibility that there was user error involved with the slicing then too

hoofaloos · January 2016

lkapigian said:

I can't imagine spending 3 days on something you can pull off in 15 minutes
Somethings IMHO don't need SV or a 24 hour marinade, the beauty is in the simplicity....

So you just sear the meat as is? I like the flavor a marinade imparts and the temp precision from the SV but I may be trying to overthink a simple taco too. That being said, you never know what you're going to get until it's tried

lkapigian · January 2016

hoofaloos said:

lkapigian said:

I can't imagine spending 3 days on something you can pull off in 15 minutes
Somethings IMHO don't need SV or a 24 hour marinade, the beauty is in the simplicity....

So you just sear the meat as is? I like the flavor a marinade imparts and the temp precision from the SV but I may be trying to overthink a simple taco too. That being said, you never know what you're going to get until it's tried

I hear you for sure....I'm in a very Mexican street food culture area...A little olive oil, lime basic seasonings ...something I'll throw it in a Ziploc the night before...fresh grilled veggies fresh avocado homemade tortillas and boom....But your right, I would love to try it the SV method

FLgrillinGirl · January 2016

I have used this recipe many times with great results:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/skirt-steak-recipe.html

I did not cook on the coals, but rather a CI grid.

FLgrillinGirl · January 2016

Also, not sure if you need this, but slicing the meat properly helps.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/why-should-you-cut-meat-steak-against-the-grain.html

Raymont · January 2016

48 hours to long. go 8-10. Heck, try one sacrificial beforehand.

Photo Egg · January 2016

Try knocking out just the lime in the marinade. Add a squirt as it cooks or after plated.
Long marinade time with citrus juice can turn things to mushy. Just a thought.

GreenWave36 · January 2016

try this:

http://www.apronstringsblog.com/the-most-flavorful-fajitas-ever-flanks-steak-or-chicken-breast/

GregW · January 2016

I have a Polyscience Professional SV setup.
You would be amazed at how good a job it does in defrosting meat to cook on the egg. I thawed out 2 racks of St Louis style ribs the other day in 15 minutes.

I then proceeded to baptize the ribs in fire and smoke for 4 1/2 hours on the egg. They turned out excellent.

Sous Vide simply can not be beat on thawing out frozen meat to cook on the egg.

pgprescott · January 2016

Do what you like, but do yourself a favor and cook the protein whole. There is no need to complicate this simple cook IMO.

Fajita thoughts/help- SV vs Traditional

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