Sous Vide Ribeye Steak - from start to finish

Cullum

Cullum,

It seemed to be down about 1/2 inch, although I'm not sure.  I'll pay more attention next time. I heated up some water to 142 degrees and added it.  I don't think I needed to.  At 142, theoretically, you shouldn't be creating steam, so there shouldn't be any water loss.  Right?

VI,

Is that your website willsononline.com? I was looking at the pics and saw the "Bourbon Soaked Smoked Chuck Roast". How does that taste? How you do it?

 

Village Idiot

Cullum,

It seemed to be down about 1/2 inch, although I'm not sure.  I'll pay more attention next time. I heated up some water to 142 degrees and added it.  I don't think I needed to.  At 142, theoretically, you shouldn't be creating steam, so there shouldn't be any water loss.  Right?

VI,

Is that your website willsononline.com? I was looking at the pics and saw the "Bourbon Soaked Smoked Chuck Roast". How does that taste? How you do it?

 

Cullum,

Here is the recipe.  I've only done it once and my notes say the flavor was outstanding, but it was a little tough.  I think cooking it longer would fix that.

5 lb. Chuck roast
1 tablespoon Smokey Mesquite Seasoning Mix
1 tablespoon Pepper , fresh ground
16 oz. KC Masterpiece Steakhouse marinade
4 oz. Bourbon whiskey
4 tablespoons Sugar, Dark brown

1.The night before, mix 8 oz. of the steakhouse marinade and 2 oz. of the bourbon in a Ziploc bag and place the chuck roast in the bag for at least 8 hours of marinating before smoking.

2.Preheat you smoker to 250 degrees. Place all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Apply the dry rub to the marinated meat from the night before. Cover the entire meat with the rub.

3.Mix the remaining bourbon with the unused marinade and use as a basting solution after the first hour in the smoker. Baste every ½ hour until done.

4.Place on the smoker and cook to an internal temperature of 150 degrees (approximately 20 minutes per pound.)

5.When the meat is done, allow it to rest for 20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Slice into steaks or strips 3/8 inch thick.

6.While the meat will be great, the bourbon and steakhouse glaze is out of this world. The two layers of flavor complement each other and you can not get the texture and flavor such as this on a regular grilled steak!

NDG

Can I eat this? or should I toss it?

Two salmon fillets in chimichurri marinade from trader joes in vacumm sealed package.  I moved them from freezer to cold water in my crock pot set to warm.  I did this move yesterday at lunch and planned on grilling at dinner yesterday.  Got stuck at work late, and needless to say, the salmon is still floating in the crock pot at ~130F.  When I get home tonight it will be 30+ hours in the crock pot . . .  I know this not the most controlled environment, soooo can I eat this? or should I toss it?

I have been reading about sous vide (and hot tub) on this forum and probably jumped into it too fast.  I put the vaccumm sealed fish in another freezer bag to prevent any possible leakage.  Here is a pic of the fish with digital temp read-out at ~.  Can I pull this after 30+ hours and finish on the egg tonight? or should I toss it?

Village Idiot

According to my book, Clostridium perfringens can grow up to 126º.  Pasteurization requires cooking with a minimum of 130º.  So, not being in a controlled environment, your "~130" troubles me quite a bit.  Also, you said that the salmon is floating.  That means that part of it is not in the hot water bath.  The Sous Vide book makes a big point of having the food completely submersed in water, even to the point of weighting it down.

Personally, I wouldn't eat it, but a more daring person might.

gdenby

Can I eat this? or should I toss it?

Despite reading many pages on pathogen growth and death rates at different temperatures, I still think the rule of thumb "when in doubt, throw it out" is worth following.

On a plus note, "Modernist Cuisine" has a table on pg. 193 of vol. 1
that indicates foods require 7 hours at 131 for pasteurization.

The doubts I have are:

As VI noted, the food is floating. May not be possible to learn if the portion above water has reached 130.

Worse, for me, is that it was placed frozen in cold water. I use a Auber controller w. my slow cookers. If I fill the bowl with hot water from the tap, and drop a few pounds of defrosted meat into the bath, it can take more than an hour for the temp to rise to 130 with the controller letting the heating elements on high go continuously. Conceivably, pathogens might have grown long enough to produce poisons that will not break down. That, for me, is the biggest unknown.

I've had food poisoning for sure a couple of times. Unless I was really hungry, and as fit as I was 30 years ago, I'd have to consider the fish a failed experiment.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

yeah, I would pass on that one. Floating is not good.

NDG

Ok I was leaning this way, so to the trash it goes . . . thanks guys. The fish started submerged but as it started to heat up, I produced some gas, bag ballooned and it floated. I took the temperature randomly a few times (lunch, night, morning) and it ranged from 127 to 132.  I will do a test this weekend to see if the water on warm crock pot is consistent when empty - with the frozen fish variable removed.  Regardless, I learned a few things (always submerge completely, consistency at/over 130F is needed) but wondering what my next attempt at "warm crock pot" aka "poor man's sous vide" should be?  I am thinking I will do a room temperature piece of salmon for a few hours just to get a feel for it.  I saw this video on chowhound (http://www.chow.com/food-news/86045/how-to-cook-salmon-sous-vide-in-your-kitchen-sink/) and thinking it might be a good place to start . . . unless others have a better idea?  Thanks for the help.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Ok I was leaning this way, so to the trash it goes . . . thanks guys. The fish started submerged but as it started to heat up, I produced some gas, bag ballooned and it floated. I took the temperature randomly a few times (lunch, night, morning) and it ranged from 127 to 132.  I will do a test this weekend to see if the water on warm crock pot is consistent when empty - with the frozen fish variable removed.  Regardless, I learned a few things (always submerge completely, consistency at/over 130F is needed) but wondering what my next attempt at "warm crock pot" aka "poor man's sous vide" should be?  I am thinking I will do a room temperature piece of salmon for a few hours just to get a feel for it.  I saw this video on chowhound (http://www.chow.com/food-news/86045/how-to-cook-salmon-sous-vide-in-your-kitchen-sink/) and thinking it might be a good place to start . . . unless others have a better idea?  Thanks for the help.

Fish is unreal in the Sous Vide. I had 1.5" thick Sea Bass last night and it was unreal. 

Cullum

Ok I was leaning this way, so to the trash it goes . . . thanks guys. The fish started submerged but as it started to heat up, I produced some gas, bag ballooned and it floated. I took the temperature randomly a few times (lunch, night, morning) and it ranged from 127 to 132.  I will do a test this weekend to see if the water on warm crock pot is consistent when empty - with the frozen fish variable removed.  Regardless, I learned a few things (always submerge completely, consistency at/over 130F is needed) but wondering what my next attempt at "warm crock pot" aka "poor man's sous vide" should be?  I am thinking I will do a room temperature piece of salmon for a few hours just to get a feel for it.  I saw this video on chowhound (http://www.chow.com/food-news/86045/how-to-cook-salmon-sous-vide-in-your-kitchen-sink/) and thinking it might be a good place to start . . . unless others have a better idea?  Thanks for the help.

Fish is unreal in the Sous Vide. I had 1.5" thick Sea Bass last night and it was unreal. 

Cen-Tex,

Did you season it before you put it in the SV?. Also, did you finish it on the BGE or just eat it after the SV method?

Village Idiot

Did you season it before you put it in the SV?. Also, did you finish it on the BGE or just eat it after the SV method?

Yes.  Inquiring minds want to know.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I did not season it in the SV. I hard seared the top with salt pepper and sesame oil with a few drops of soy sauce. It was then placed in a really cool broth TFJ makes on top of soba noodles. It was out of this world. I'll get you the recipe if you are interested. We eat it a few times a month. Not really egg related but super good.

Eggbertsdad

I did not season it in the SV. I hard seared the top with salt pepper and sesame oil with a few drops of soy sauce. It was then placed in a really cool broth TFJ makes on top of soba noodles. It was out of this world. I'll get you the recipe if you are interested. We eat it a few times a month. Not really egg related but super good.

Really? You can work the BGE in there somewhere? 

Cullum

I did not season it in the SV. I hard seared the top with salt pepper and sesame oil with a few drops of soy sauce. It was then placed in a really cool broth TFJ makes on top of soba noodles. It was out of this world. I'll get you the recipe if you are interested. We eat it a few times a month. Not really egg related but super good.

The recipe would be great. Thank you so much!

Village Idiot

Really? You can work the BGE in there somewhere? 

Edad, I'm learning that the Egg is an indispensable component of Sous Vide cooking.  There have been hundreds of posts regarding Hot Tubing and dry aging - none of which have direct relationships to the Egg. Yet, the interaction of them to the Egg makes for a wonderful outcome (hopefully).  We are all here to expand our borders in one way or another, so I hope you don't mind SV posts here.

Eggbertsdad

No, not at all. I was just kidding with Cen-Tex. I did some hot-tubbed steaks last weekend and they were great. My 1st thought was this method is great you're having guest over, drinking, etc. SV or hot tub the steaks or burgers and finish with a quick sear. It's pretty simple and the results are great. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

It's true. SV gives texture, but no flavor. I have an instant flavor machine on my deck that is the perfect compliment when I do SV.

Lit

I am getting my sous vide supreme tomorrow

Village Idiot

I am getting my sous vide supreme tomorrow

Welcome to the club Lit.  We can all learn together.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I did not season it in the SV. I hard seared the top with salt pepper and sesame oil with a few drops of soy sauce. It was then placed in a really cool broth TFJ makes on top of soba noodles. It was out of this world. I'll get you the recipe if you are interested. We eat it a few times a month. Not really egg related but super good.

The recipe would be great. Thank you so much!

The broth:

3 whole scallions tied in a bunch

3" piece of ginger root "Smashed" (crushed with mallet or flat side of a knife but left in tact)

4 cups of low sodium chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

Low Simmer for 3-4 hours then  strain all the solids out. 

Add 1/8 cup of sherry or Mirin and 1/8 cup of soy sauce

The fish:

We used 2" thick Sea Bass Steaks. The skin was on the side but it falls right off after the SV cook.

SV for 40-60 min with Salt Pepper and a tsp of sesame oil (I said above we did not season it at all but she did this time and it was good so do it this way).  Then remove and hard sear both sides (I said above it was one side but she switched it up on me this time she likes it better) in a pan or BGE as fast as you can to get some nice browning. We use 70/30 grapeseed/sesame oil to sear Asian foods. Sesame gives you that authentic flavor but has a very low smoke point. Grapeseed has no flavor but a very high smoke point so by mixing it 70/30 with sesame you get the high smoke point of grapeseed and the flavor of the sesame. 

The Plate:

Place a small amount of broth in a shallow bowl. Add cooked Soba noodles, and set the fish on top of the noodles. 

She said she also flash poaches some mushrooms and snow peas in a separate pot with a little of the broth and throws that in for the finish. 

This can all be stir fried on the egg/wok and there is a lot of room for playing around. It's a super simple dish but so buttery good it's hard to explain. We have also done it with scallops and it was delicious (SV scallops are crazy, melt in your mouth good).

Enjoy, let me know if you have any questions. The broth is great and can be used as a soup base for any Asian dish.

I'll take pics the next time we make it.

This can be grilled or wok'd on the BGE so there is plenty of room to play. We have just done it all indoors up until now.

Lit

Woohoo. Tri Tip is the first victim.

 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Ha ha! Nice score Lit. You'll love it. 

Village Idiot

You da man, Lit !!!!  Got my chuck steak swimming right now.

Newportlocal

Congratulations! This is on my short list now. It's as far as I want to delve into the world of the Modernist Cuisine book. Bet it turns out some great food.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Short ribs have been in for 48 hrs and we have 36 more to go. Dinner tomorrow night! Can't wait

gdenby

Congratulations! This is on my short list now. It's as far as I want to delve into the world of the Modernist Cuisine book. Bet it turns out some great food.

Most of Modernist Cuisine is stuff that applies to any well furnished kitchen. There's a whole section on using microwave cooking, stuff on using a pressure cooker, a wok, a basic kettle grill, etc. If you can afford a centrifuge, all the better, but most of it is just dealing with basics (and using some really hard to find ingredients.). Having a special purpose SV makes things easy, but the principles can be applied to just cooking in a bag in a water bath w. lots of attention paid to temperature and time. Kind of like tending a charcoal fire in a put vs. in a "space age" ceramic cooking vessel. The equip. just makes things a lot easier, but one still needs to know whats going on.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Congratulations! This is on my short list now. It's as far as I want to delve into the world of the Modernist Cuisine book. Bet it turns out some great food.

Most of Modernist Cuisine is stuff that applies to any well furnished kitchen. There's a whole section on using microwave cooking, stuff on using a pressure cooker, a wok, a basic kettle grill, etc. If you can afford a centrifuge, all the better, but most of it is just dealing with basics (and using some really hard to find ingredients.). Having a special purpose SV makes things easy, but the principles can be applied to just cooking in a bag in a water bath w. lots of attention paid to temperature and time. Kind of like tending a charcoal fire in a put vs. in a "space age" ceramic cooking vessel. The equip. just makes things a lot easier, but one still needs to know whats going on.

Correct. You can actually cook Sous Vide (Under Vacuum) in a microwave. It's awesome for veggies and I've seen a guy do fish that way too. I did some fantastic carrots and potatoes in SV bags in the micro. 

Newportlocal

Looks like some of the sealers you have to add your liquid as ice cubes, others you can add the liquid without it sucking out. Great thread will definitely do more research on sealers.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Looks like some of the sealers you have to add your liquid as ice cubes, others you can add the liquid without it sucking out. Great thread will definitely do more research on sealers.

The vac seal machines that allow liquid are really expensive (like $3500) commercial machines. I have not seen a home machine that will allow you to seal liquids. let me know if you find one

Newportlocal

Looks like some of the sealers you have to add your liquid as ice cubes, others you can add the liquid without it sucking out. Great thread will definitely do more research on sealers.

The vac seal machines that allow liquid are really expensive (like $3500) commercial machines. I have not seen a home machine that will allow you to seal liquids. let me know if you find one

Found this
http://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-Portable-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B003YE8FG0
and this one is more commercial quality
http://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-VP210C-Chamber-Machine-Metallic/product-reviews/B001Q3LSW4/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

As a side note my wife said I should get the Modernist Cookbook soon, good wife! I am a confirmed food and cooking junkie.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

There yiu go. That looks cook. Pricey but cool. If you are going to use your modernist cooking book, yiu'll need a chamber sealer.

So check out http://www.modernistpantry.com for all the cool toys in the book. Meat glue, carrageenan, and all the other stuff they talk about in there. Great site