Sous Vide Ribeye Steak - from start to finish

Village Idiot

If you own an Egg, you like toys.  I just got a new toy called the Sous Vide, and I just ate the most incredible steak I can remember eating.  Most of you know that Sous Vide cooking is putting your ingredients into a plastic packet, then vacuum seal it, put it into a precise temperature water bath to cook it.  The meal will never get hotter than the temperature you selected, and you can keep it in that water bath for a long time without overcooking.  By being vacuum sealed, the nutrients and flavor are preserved.  For meat, you can get the internal temperature to your liking without overcooking the crust.

I just cooked a ribeye steak for 5.5 hours at 132 degrees (F) for medium rare.  It may be the best steak I can remember tasting..... tender, done to medium rare just right.

Here is the steps I took for cooking, so you can see the sequence.  By the way, a Sous Vide cooker doesn't cost any more than a small Egg and should compliment your Eggs very nicely.

Vaccuum seal your meat.

Place in water bath in the Sous Vide machine

Set the temperature on the Sous Vide machine.  For medium rare beef, I used 132 degrees.

After 5.5 hours, remove it from the bath.  The outsides look grey. They need to be seared.  Take them to your Egg for searing.

Now, it looks like a regular steak.

I am telling you.  This was one fantastic steak !!!!!!

Little Steven

Dammit Gary!

Mighty_Quinn

Nice!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Nice Gary. Welcome to the club! 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

BTW- Best way to warm leftovers EVER. set it at 120 and drop it in right out of the freezer.

Village Idiot

C-T

My mind is boggled.  Just looking at the recipe book shows incredible possibilities.  I bought the Demi.  I may return it and get the regular size.

stike

good looking steak man. damn.
i haven't ever done this, but i have looked into it, and i appreciate your taking the thing past the half hour soak a lot of us hot-tubbers are doing.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

C-T

My mind is boggled.  Just looking at the recipe book shows incredible possibilities.  I bought the Demi.  I may return it and get the regular size.

It's awesome isn't it? I have the Demi and have not outgrown it yet but I'm a big fan of more space is better.

You will never eat chicken or fish any other way again. Steaks, although awesome, are my least favorite thing in the Sous Vide. Chicken and fish are nothing short of ethereal out of a Sous Vide

 

Village Idiot

good looking steak man. damn.
i haven't ever done this, but i have looked into it, and i appreciate your taking the thing past the half hour soak a lot of us hot-tubbers are doing.

When stike gives me a compliment, I know it's a good post.  Thanks, stike.

Little Steven

Just pulled the plug for me. Damn

Village Idiot

Just pulled the plug for me. Damn

I love spending your money, Steve.  With your incredible abilities, you won't regret it for a second.  I foresee amazing dishes from you.

burr_baby33

You guys are absolutely killing me with sous vide. I keep trying to accomplish something close with the hot tub but I am getting close.

burr_baby33

Close. To. Spending. $

stike

Vi: dont say that man. You put way too much stock in what i think if you think THAT

All your cooks are great. I dont have a wok so i never get into those discussions. But you are the guru there

Just because i dont compliment those diesnt mean i dont think they kick ass. Means i dunno thing one about wok cooking

stike

...and that i'm smart enough not to get into a discussion that's beyond me (woks etc.)

Lit

my crock pot set on warm will keep a water bath in the 120 degree range.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

120 is really good. It's rare, but still good.

Little Steven

Just pulled the plug for me. Damn

I love spending your money, Steve.  With your incredible abilities, you won't regret it for a second.  I foresee amazing dishes from you.

You flatter me. I follow your blog. I don't even have a blog. Photobucket is screwed too. I'm a hack

stike

Do you follow my blogs, steven? I have two

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Do you follow my blogs, steven? I have two

God help us all )

stike

One profession-related. (read: zzzzzzzzzzz)
The other: also zzzzzz

Village Idiot

I now officially sanction using the words 'horny' and Village Idiot in the same thread.

For some reason, I am very troubled by this statement.  

gdenby

Try some 72 hour short ribs. It will be a revelation.

The thing that is weird, tho', is how the machine just sits there for a couple of days. Doesn't seem like cooking till the meat hits some flame.

erickpanger

I ordered one of these odd Amazon last week. Can't wait to get it

bangor307

Awesome cook as always VI, I'm hoping one shows up for a birthday present. If it doesn't I'll buy one for my wife on her's!

Gato

Thanks for the detailed explanation of the sous vide VI. I had heard alot of talk but never knew exactly how it worked. I don't think I will be getting one any time soon, but when you post people buy!!

If I ever invented a product you would get yours free!!

boatbum

Do most of the Sous Vide machines come with a vacumn seal device, or is it assumed you already have one?   I had seen some of Cen-Tex's posts previously, definately intrigued by this.

 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

They don't. There is a package deal but it's like $69 extra or something like that.

FingerLicker

I recently got a sous vide controller from Auber Instruments and hooked it up to my crock pot. For $150 it's a cheaper option and it works great!  I like that I can use the crock pot for small-scale cooking or hook it to a turkey roaster for bigger meals, though the water in a roaster might need to be stirred occasionally. I also like that the controller doesn't take up much room, so I don't have to store another full-sized appliance.

For my first steak I seared it first and then sous-vided it for 24 hours at 130 degrees, best steak I've ever cooked. It doesn't need to cook that long but doing it that way really breaks down all the collagen and turns any gristley parts tender and delicious. I read that there isn't much difference between searing first or searing after sous vide, but I find it more convenient to sear it first so I can start tomorrow's steak right after cooking today's meal while the egg is still hot, then no need to heat it up the next day.

Austin Egghead

VI thanks for the in-depth post.  

I wonder what will be the next piece of lab equipment that translate to the home kitchen?  First it was the emersion blender and now the recirculating temp controlled water bath.  I am going to start looking at the stuff I use daily with a more creative eye.  

travisstrick

Gary, I saw the title and that you were the one that posted. I got excited for a bit until I googled the cost. HOLY F!!!!!!! There is no way I can buy that thing. Thanks for making me jealous, as usual. You Da Man.