Sous Vide Steaks

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

So I set my crappy sous vide set up up:

And set it for 132, two small top sirloins and one massive Strip Loin for 6 hours. The Strip Loin was the last of a whole primal that I got cheap and have not been that impressed with.

Here they are out of their bath.

and off of their sear on a 1000 degree egg.

On the plat with some woked fennel bulbs with lemon and parmesan and some Crash Hot Russets as per the post the other day.

Both steaks turned out very tender and juicy and done the same, albeit I will try a few degrees less next time as they were a little on the medium side of medium rare. I would say that the strip loin was nicer than it's brothers which I had both pan seared and trexed

Doug.

Beli · March 2010

Doug that last photo makes you justice,,,,looks just perfect, Felicidades!!

Photo Egg · March 2010

Tim the Tool Man Taylor got nothing on you man.
Very cool post.
Darian

eenie meenie · March 2010

Doug, ingenious sous vide device. The steak looks fantastic.

How did you decide on your sous vide temp and time?

NoVA Bill · March 2010

Hey Doug,

Very interesting approach. I saw 132 and thought ohhh a little to medium for me. Also interesting wrt the strip loin comparison. The steaks look delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Village Idiot · March 2010

Doug,

How long did you cook them?

Edit: Oops, I just read your post. 6 hours. That seems short from what I read. I thought I read that it can take days.

AZRP · March 2010

Good job, I've been thinking of doing the same as they sell the controllers on Ebay. How well did it hold the 132? Also, how long did you sear the meat? -RP

Our Nicky · March 2010

Doug, I did outside round sous vide for the Sunshine State Eggfest. I have a thermal circulator (Thank you Santa)that makes life a lot easier. I'm going to post the recipe with other stuff I did in Florida. Outside round's like shoe leather but 24 hours at 64 dgrees celsius gives it a texture like prime rib and a pre and post sear on a hot egg tives it a flavour that can't be beat.

The Strip looks great. How did you decide on 6 hours - I would have thought maybe 2 or less for strip.

Jeffersonian · March 2010

Very cool, Doug. Is that a thermostatic controller or something more sophisiticated?

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

Yeah, thats one thing that the sous vide is supposed to do and did, consistent throughout the whole steak. Takes steak thickness right out of the equation too, which I thought was cool.

Doug

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

Thanks!

Doug

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

I started with lifehacker and surfed on from there and found a site that said 2 hours to about 12 before texture started to get too mushy. 6 hours fit my schedule, so thats what I did. Over 130 because they claimed med rare, a few degrees less I think next time to get to my medium rare.

Doug

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

You welcome, and yes definitely too medium.

Doug

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

For steak, less than 12 is what I read. I did short ribs that went 48 and they were divine. :woohoo:

Doug

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

Flawlessly on 132 by the thermapen. Seared for about 1 minute, just until it looked good.

Doug

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

I was happy with the results on the top sirloin as its a fair chunk cheaper, next time I might try cheaper again like outside round. The site I was looking at suggested anywhere from 2 to 12 as the meat just stays at the temperature you set. 6 hours was what worked for me.

Doug

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

Its a very old hot and cold temperature controller, I used to use it to control a fridge for lagering beer.

Doug

Bacchus · March 2010

I see a new hat in your future.

Big'un · March 2010

Doug , I love the innovation. Just curious if a searing prior to putting it the sous vide might add additional flavor. How much liquid was in the bag when you pulled it out? TIA.

Serial Griller · March 2010

Perfectly done! and those taters...I could eat those 7 days/ week. HEY! That's my crock pot! :laugh: :ohmy:
Here's some interesting reading for those like me who have never tried Sous Vide Cooking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide

Doug in Eggmonton · March 2010

Between the two bags maybe 3/4 cup, which we added to some sautéed shallots, balsamic vinegar and some butter whisked in late to make a nice rich sauce.

Not sure of the difference in flavor pre-sear vs. post sear. I don't think there would be much difference, but a worthy experiment.

Dpig

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker · March 2010

beautiful color on that steak (internal and external).

the internal pic is a good example of why some of us hot-tub. the consistency all the way across is much better than a straight-seared steak, though not nearly as perfect as yours.

that said, i understand that sous vide and hot-tubbing might look similar, but they are two different ball games.

Our Nicky · March 2010

Searing before in my experience seems to generate about the same quantity of juice in the bag as not searing. The difference I found is with pre-seared meat the juices in the bag have all the flavour of the seared crust which will be influenced by what rubs you use. When you cook pre-seared meat in the bag in the water bath it's almost like cooking it in a seasoned brine. It seems to me that the flavours of the seasoning also become more intense. Maybe that's a consequence of the vacuum packing. Or then again maybe it's my imagination.

I tried the outside round I served at the Sunshine State Eggfest seared and non seared. While both were good, for the seared, I rubbed the round with my default rub, Worcestershire Sauce, yellow mustard and Montreal Steak Spice. I had apple and cherry wood chunks in the Egg for the sear. Those were the flavours that permeated the meat. Even with a limited sear time it also developed a smoke ring.

I only brought the pre-seared to the Eggfest.

Sous Vide Steaks

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