Sous Vide Prime Ribeyes Seared On GrillGrates

Spring Chicken · July 2016

Sometimes H.E.B. has a good sale at the right time and we're able to take advantage of it.

This time is was their 1½" thick Prime Ribeyes for $7.97 a pound. I just happened to have exactly enough left in my food budget to buy one. We put it away for a rainy day. It rained today. Not much but enough to celebrate it.

So out came the sous vide and some new lump in the Mini-Max with its new GrillGrates.

And the magic started to take place. By the time we sat down to eat, we knew it was going to be a very good dinner. And it was...

Take a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsuRcRvUn9s

Yes, I'm hopelessly in love with the GrillGrates, sous vide and, of course, the Big Green Egg. And they love me...

Spring "Magic Happens" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Theophan · July 2016

I'm still waffling on whether I want to try sous vide or not -- I confess that I just like the idea better of a low and slow cook in the BGE over a charcoal fire than cooking the meat in a plastic bag in a water bath. But I admit I've never tried sous vide, so this may just be irrational bias on my part.

But I want to ask why you seared it before the sous vide step rather than after. I feel like the sear gives the outer surface of the meat a bit of a crust, dries it out just a little, and that texture affects the flavor and "mouthfeel." Surely all of that becomes soft and moist in the sous vide, giving it a very different texture.

Have you tried it both ways, and is there something you like better about it when you do the sous vide after the sear?

Thanks for educating me!

Spring Chicken · July 2016

Theophan said:

I'm still waffling on whether I want to try sous vide or not -- I confess that I just like the idea better of a low and slow cook in the BGE over a charcoal fire than cooking the meat in a plastic bag in a water bath. But I admit I've never tried sous vide, so this may just be irrational bias on my part.

But I want to ask why you seared it before the sous vide step rather than after. I feel like the sear gives the outer surface of the meat a bit of a crust, dries it out just a little, and that texture affects the flavor and "mouthfeel." Surely all of that becomes soft and moist in the sous vide, giving it a very different texture.

Have you tried it both ways, and is there something you like better about it when you do the sous vide after the sear?

Thanks for educating me!

This one was sous vide first and then seared. The very first sous vide I did was also with a prime ribeye like this one. But I was convinced that searing it first was the better approach. It was okay but I'm not convinced that it was better or worse than doing it like most sous vide experts say do it - sous vide first and then sear. I was tempted to sear this one in a carbon steel pan I got specifically for searing meats, but the new GrillGrates are such a joy to cook on that I decided to go for the sear on the Egg.

I think it may be time for me to actually sous vide something at an Eggfest and cook it right there at the table so people can see the sous vide actually work. It is a wonderful concept for cooking food, but even I will admit that it's hard to out do the Egg for cooking pretty much anything. But the sous vide method of cooking can take a very tough cut of meat and tame it over a period of time to make is a tender as a quality piece of meat. That's a plus.

I would strongly suggest you do a lot of reading about sous vide cooking first before you go purchase one.

Spring "Know Before You Go" Chicken

Spring Chicken · July 2016

Ooooops! Now I understand your question better. I posted the link to the wrong sous vide ribeye video. Here's the one I did today. The one above is for my first ribeye.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6WAXsMo5mA

Sorry about that.

Spring "Leroy Made A Misteak! Leroy Made A Misteak!" Chicken

bgebrent · July 2016

Great cook brother chicken! Looks amazing and appreciate the video.

GregW · July 2016

Theophan said:

I'm still waffling on whether I want to try sous vide or not -- I confess that I just like the idea better of a low and slow cook in the BGE over a charcoal fire than cooking the meat in a plastic bag in a water bath. But I admit I've never tried sous vide, so this may just be irrational bias on my part.

But I want to ask why you seared it before the sous vide step rather than after. I feel like the sear gives the outer surface of the meat a bit of a crust, dries it out just a little, and that texture affects the flavor and "mouthfeel." Surely all of that becomes soft and moist in the sous vide, giving it a very different texture.

Have you tried it both ways, and is there something you like better about it when you do the sous vide after the sear?

Thanks for educating me!

I did a Sous Vide ribeye a couple of weeks ago. I don't usually like them prepared that way. I tried a different approach this time. I cooked the steaks to 100 Deg F in the path and finished over very hot charcoal.
Cooking to 100 Deg in the path allowed me to cook the steak longer over the charcoal. To me this gave the steak much better flavor.

Spring Chicken · July 2016

GregW said:

I did a Sous Vide ribeye a couple of weeks ago. I don't usually like them prepared that way. I tried a different approach this time. I cooked the steaks to 100 Deg F in the path and finished over very hot charcoal.
Cooking to 100 Deg in the path allowed me to cook the steak longer over the charcoal. To me this gave the steak much better flavor.

That's pretty much the "Hot Tub" method. My hot tub is typically around 100° when my aches and pains need help. Years ago I tossed a vacuum sealed steak in the hot tub and let it 'cook' for about 45 minutes or so while the Egg got hot. When I tossed the steak on the grill (probably 500°), it only had to come up about 27° more to reach the desired medium rare I wanted. I seem to recall that I seared one side 3 minutes, then the other side 3 minutes, and then shut both vents to let the steak dwell 3 minutes. I just remember it was among my best steaks so far when I tried it.

I might try it again.

Spring "Me Thinks I Just Felt A Muscle Ache" Chicken

esdakota22 · July 2016

I am relatively new to sous vide as well, but since I started cooking this way, I have basically sent my grille into an early retirement. You will not be disappointed.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/qz/apcmfc6hi5e1.jpg

CurtisMaximus · July 2016

Nice cook! I have a cast iron grate for my BGE and have never thought about GrillGrates but see a lot of BGE'ers use them. I usually spray my grate with cooking spray or smear some olive oil and have never had an issue with meat sticking.

Am I missing something or is just a personal preference?

Theophan · July 2016

esdakota22 said:

I am relatively new to sous vide as well, but since I started cooking this way, I have basically sent my grille into an early retirement. You will not be disappointed.

<gasp!>

HERESY!!! HERESY!!!! HERESY!!!

ANATHEMA!!!!!!!!!

OK, a little more seriously, I LOVE my BGE and don't WANT to send it into early retirement! I admit that I've never tried sous vide, and years' worth of reading posts about it here have moved me a little way toward trying it out, but I really can't imagine preferring a steak, for example, cooked entirely without a grill, to one that was at least seared over charcoal.

I've cooked steaks indoors, for example, and they're really good. And I've made "smash" burgers indoors, and they were really good. But to my taste, anyway, the meats that I've cooked over charcoal just have a different, and better flavor. It just seems inescapable to me that a thick steak that's cooking low and slow over charcoal (for a reverse sear), perhaps with some wood chips in it to simulate cooking over a wood fire, is picking up FLAVOR that the same steak sitting in a plastic bag in a water bath is NOT picking up. Similarly, I swear a steak seared over a 650° charcoal fire just tastes different to me than a steak seared in an iron pan. They're both delicious! but I really love the flavor of meat cooked over a wood and/or charcoal fire.

I'm guessing that the texture of a steak cooked mostly sous vide is different, and maybe preferable, to one cooked entirely over charcoal, but do you really think the flavor of a steak that never saw fire or smoke is as good?

GregW · July 2016

Theophan said:

I'm guessing that the texture of a steak cooked mostly sous vide is different, and maybe preferable, to one cooked entirely over charcoal, but do you really think the flavor of a steak that never saw fire or smoke is as good?

No, I don't think it's as good as a Sous Vide steak that's been cooked over charcoal.
With that being said, cooking in the water bath to 100 Deg will give the steak sufficient time on the egg to get the good BGE flavor.
Please take a look at the post I originally made with the pictures.
I think it turned out really well.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1197279/hydrid-sous-vide-ribeyes#latest

Theophan · July 2016

GregW said:
No, I don't think it's as good as a Sous Vide steak that's been cooked over charcoal.
With that being said, cooking in the water bath to 100 Deg will give the steak sufficient time on the egg to get the good BGE flavor.
Please take a look at the post I originally made with the pictures.
I think it turned out really well.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1197279/hydrid-sous-vide-ribeyes#latest

Your pictures are gorgeous! I like a little char on my steak, but that almost looks like a little too much char for me, but they look mouthwatering, and I bet they tasted great!

I may try sous vide one of these days. There's just something elemental, satisfying, "right," about cooking over fire, to me, and I'm just not sure how much I'm going to enjoy cooking in a plastic bag in a water bath. It's too bad that the only way I'm really going to know whether I like sous vide or not is to go ahead and buy one. We'll see.

Thanks for the info!

GregW · July 2016

Theophan said:

GregW said:
No, I don't think it's as good as a Sous Vide steak that's been cooked over charcoal.
With that being said, cooking in the water bath to 100 Deg will give the steak sufficient time on the egg to get the good BGE flavor.
Please take a look at the post I originally made with the pictures.
I think it turned out really well.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1197279/hydrid-sous-vide-ribeyes#latest

Your pictures are gorgeous! I like a little char on my steak, but that almost looks like a little too much char for me, but they look mouthwatering, and I bet they tasted great!

I may try sous vide one of these days. There's just something elemental, satisfying, "right," about cooking over fire, to me, and I'm just not sure how much I'm going to enjoy cooking in a plastic bag in a water bath. It's too bad that the only way I'm really going to know whether I like sous vide or not is to go ahead and buy one. We'll see.

Thanks for the info!

I agree, I does look like it may have a little too much char.
The taste didn't really have any burned flavor.
I think that the compound butter/beef stock may be responsible for the dark appearance. (It certainly made for a flame up)
It definitely could have spent a little less time in the direct flame. The PK grill is extremely hot directly over the coals.
It may be first time luck with this method, and maybe just a really good quality steak, but I think it was the best steak that I have had in a long time.

SoCalWJS · July 2016

Read through this thread and liked what I saw and am going to try a combo cook on a Rib eye "cap" my wife bought at Costco. This one is thick - about 2 1/2", and I'm afraid it won't cook all the way through evenly with many methods, especially due to the nature of these things with all their marbling/fat. It's rolled up into a pinwheel.

Here is my plan (if somewhat labor intensive). Do you think it makes sense?

I sealed the steak up with a few pieces of rosemary and it will sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. I'll get the Anova up to 115 and give it a bath for 2 - 2 and a half hours (due to thickness). Then I'll throw it on to a BGE w/GrillGrates at high temp for a couple of minutes for the sear. I'll transfer it to a second BGE at 350 til it hits about 130 (second BGE will already be at temp to cook a baked Tater).

Make sense?

Spring Chicken · July 2016

If you like your meat rare that might work. We lean toward medium rare as a compromise between my rare and her medium.

I haven't cooked a ribeye cap yet but I would probably cook mine to about 125° to 127° in sous vide for up to three hours for that thickness. Then pat dry and onto the GrillGrates for up to 1 minute, rotate 1 minute and flip to the other side. I suggest lifting the corner of the meat at about 30 seconds to see if it has good searing. You can adjust the time accordingly.

I would probably pass on the second Egg.

We've all heard that sear marks are mostly for show and don't really change the taste all that much, if any, but I think too much sear marks will give off a burnt taste. No need to over sear it.

I've come to like flavoring the meat inside the vacuum sealed bag better than seasoning just before the sear. For one thing, the flavor seems to more uniform throughout the meat, especially for the thicker cuts. The second reason is by adding seasoning just prior to searing, tends to burn the ingredients in the seasoning, especially the sugar and onion or garlic flakes.

I'm still trying to achieve the near 200° difference between grid temperature and GrillGrates temperature. I read somewhere, I think in GrillGrates' booklet, that I should remember that the GrillGrates will be up to 200° higher, thereby saving you from having to burn extra lump to achieve a high sear temperature. If anything, mine has been more like 150° cooler than my grid temperature. I suggest using an infrared thermometer to check yours the first few times you use it.

I hope this helps. I'm kinda new at this myself and will be looking for your report on how it turned out.

Spring "I Know What I Know And No More But I Know To Ask What I Don't Know" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

SoCalWJS · July 2016

Spring Chicken said:

If you like your meat rare that might work. We lean toward medium rare as a compromise between my rare and her medium.

I haven't cooked a ribeye cap yet but I would probably cook mine to about 125° to 127° in sous vide for up to three hours for that thickness. Then pat dry and onto the GrillGrates for up to 1 minute, rotate 1 minute and flip to the other side. I suggest lifting the corner of the meat at about 30 seconds to see if it has good searing. You can adjust the time accordingly.

I would probably pass on the second Egg.

We've all heard that sear marks are mostly for show and don't really change the taste all that much, if any, but I think too much sear marks will give off a burnt taste. No need to over sear it.

I've come to like flavoring the meat inside the vacuum sealed bag better than seasoning just before the sear. For one thing, the flavor seems to more uniform throughout the meat, especially for the thicker cuts. The second reason is by adding seasoning just prior to searing, tends to burn the ingredients in the seasoning, especially the sugar and onion or garlic flakes.

I'm still trying to achieve the near 200° difference between grid temperature and GrillGrates temperature. I read somewhere, I think in GrillGrates' booklet, that I should remember that the GrillGrates will be up to 200° higher, thereby saving you from having to burn extra lump to achieve a high sear temperature. If anything, mine has been more like 150° cooler than my grid temperature. I suggest using an infrared thermometer to check yours the first few times you use it.

I hope this helps. I'm kinda new at this myself and will be looking for your report on how it turned out.

Spring "I Know What I Know And No More But I Know To Ask What I Don't Know" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Thanks for the response - bumped it up to 124 and going for a bit over 3 hours. Still going to go with 2 BGE's though - the Taters is going for an outside cook regardless. I do that at 350, and I think that's too low for a good sear. Throw a chunk of Mesquite in each one and hope for a bit of smoke flavor somewhere along the way. I'll check after a few minutes with the trusty Thermapen and see how it looks.

(besides, what's the point of having two Eggs if you don't fire both of them up at the same time every now and then

)

dsmithok · August 2016

I tried it by cooking the steak indirect at 250 until internal temp was 100 over pecan. Then transferred it to the Sous Vide until the internal temp was 120, then seared it over a blazing egg for a minute or so on each side. I will definitely do that again. It's rather labor intensive, but worth a try.

Sous Vide Prime Ribeyes Seared On GrillGrates

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