hot tubing purpose

KcLeaf · April 2009

i went back and tried to read some of the threads. But briefly, don't want to take up peoples time, but what is the purpose of hot tubing?

RU Eggsperienced · April 2009

Hi,

You bring the steak up to a higher temp so that you can cook it very evenly. When the steak is cooked that is cold, upon removing from the grate the center may be too cool while the outside is overdone...

Richard Fl · April 2009

I agree. The original way I heard about a few years back, was to run hot tap water into a container for an hour or so. It is around 100F-never measured the temp myself.

Last couple of years just toss a well wrapped piece of beef, including prime rib and filet mignon, into my spa @100F and pull out an hour later or so.

This allows me to do a hot sear and the outside does not get overly blackened and the inside gets to 125 or so easily. Used to burn outside to get inside the way I wanted. NO more!

AZRP · April 2009

You got it, perfect med-rare from surface to surface. -RP

Richard Fl · April 2009

Thank you for noticing Mr Spa Man. LOL How is your Indian River collection holding up?

Semolina Pilchard · April 2009

There was a drawing posted on here a while back that showed a cross section of a steak done the usual way, and one hot tubbed. It was a drawing of a rare steak. More of the thickness of the steak was rare when hot tubbed. The drawing was a great example of the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words." Maybe the person who posted that will do so again. I believe it was stike.

Fidel · April 2009

It was stike. Unfortunately he has changed all his photobucket links and even old posts with the drawing only show the photbucket error placeholder.

Hopefully he will see this and oblige by posting again. It is the easiest was for a person to understand the hot tub idea.

Ross in Ventura · April 2009

Try this
http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=442370&catid=1

Ross

gdenby · April 2009

When I hot tub a steak, I adjust my home water heater to produce 120 F water. Then I fill a thick pressure cooker with that water, and immerse the rubbed and wrapped steak. Depending on the thickness, after 30 - 45 minutes the hot water almost has the steak cooked rare.

Then, as Richard Fl says, the Egg sear brings the inside up to 125, and just toasts the outside. Result, a very thin and tastey outer shell, and a most juicey, rare inside.

If you do this for guests, they will be impressed by just a minute of searing before serving the steak.

BobS · April 2009

You can do a reverse sear on the grill and get the benefits of the hot tub method with the extra flavor from the time on the grill.

This was taken from Cooks Illustrated.

The goal is to get the best possible crust, with minimum, over cooked layer between the crust and the warm center.

The process starts by putting the steaks in a low oven -- or in this case, your grill -- at 250-275F

Leave for 20-25 minutes or until 90-95 degrees for rare or 25-30 minutes, to 100-105, for medium.

This step does two things -- dries out the exterior (a good thing -- when you sear the water on the surfact is already gone) and brings the center up to a warmer temperature.

Heat a skillet, over high heat, until the oil is smoking. Place steaks in skillet and sear until well browned and crusty - 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, lifting once half way through to redistribute the fat underneath the steak. Reduce heat if fond begins to burn.

It goes on to recommend searing on the sides, but that seams like overkill to me. Need to check the internal temp to get it to 125 for rare.

Apparently there is some science to explain why this makes a better steak.

These steaks spend a long time in a warm oven, yet taste more tender than traditionally prepared steaks, which can be tough and chewy. The explanation? Meat contains active enzymes called cathepsins, which break down connective tissues over time, increasing tenderness. (a fact that is demonstrated to great effect in dry-aged meat). As the temperature of the meat rises, these enzymes work faster and faster, until they reach 122 degrees, where all the action stops. While our steaks are slowly heating up, the cathepsins are working overtime, in effect "aging" and tenderizing the steaks within half an hour. When steaks are cooked by conventional methods, their final temperature is reached much more rapidly , denying the cathepsins the time they need to properly do their job.

I have done the sear directly on the grill and also in a CI skillet. The skillet works great, because of the direct contact with the metal is great for heat transfer - just like your grill marks all over.

Here is the result.

Desert Oasis Woman · April 2009

:unsure: What is the texture like after hot tubbing???
Seems it would be similar to steaming--kinda mushy

Richard Fl · April 2009

Actually they are eggtremely juicy, NOT mushy Hot tubing does not cook just warms up the raw meat.

thirdeye · April 2009

The method dubbed "hot tubbing" broke into the barbecue world after an article in Cooks Illustrated. CI focused this method as a way to prepare london broil in the feature article. The nuts and bolts of their write up was to season the meat with salt, seal in a baggie (I prefer a vacuum bag) and place in 100° water for an hour before cooking.

The meat temp rises to 75°-85° during the soak. This means you only need to take it another 35° or 40° when it hits the cooker. Like everybocy has mentioned, the doneness is extremely even across the cross section of the steak. The only downside I see to this method is that your cook time is so short, you literally must stand next to the cooker with a thermometer in your hand. If you do something like go for a beer, you can overshoot your window of perfection.

I've tried it on steaks, chops and even a whole tri-tip.

hot tubing purpose

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