Prime Tritip Personal Best Sous Vide Magic

Money_Hillbilly

I have moved the prime Tritip up on my list to right under a Wagyu ribeye.  They have a beefy flavor that most other cuts cannot match.  SV for 3 1/2 hrs from frozen, ice bath then season with Dizzy Pig Raising the Steaks then a 500 degree hard sear on the egg.  Turned out one of the best meals I have ever made.  Incredible flavor.

nolaegghead

Looks great.  I have a prime tri-tip that I seasoned and vacu-sucked and let sit in the fridge for a day before freezing.  Last one I didn't freeze but otherwise same treatment with 125F SV for a few hours before a hot sear.  My sear was an inch from a broiler.  I like to mix it up.  Came out perfect.  Hard to mess up a prime TP unless you overcook it.

nolaegghead

I'll probably SV the next at 115F.  SWMBO likes her beef blue.

Foghorn

1) That looks spectacular.

2) Question.  If you find yourself needing an ice bath - should you have just picked a lower temp for your sous vide?  I'm just trying to think how I will approach my next hunk of beef that is in this size range.

StillH2OEgger

That looks marvelous!

Money_Hillbilly

@Foghorn I SV at the desired end temp. The purpose of the ice bath is to cool it down so it doesn’t overcook during the sear. Since this was a 3 lb Tritip vs a normal steak thickness I think the ice bath actually cooled it down too much. Next time I will just place it in a sink full of cold tap water.

Foghorn

That makes sense.  Thanks.

lousubcap

Great result right there.  Nailed that one.  Congrats.

1voyager

Absolute perfection! 

nolaegghead

Money_Hillbilly said:

@Foghorn I SV at the desired end temp. The purpose of the ice bath is to cool it down so it doesn’t overcook during the sear. Since this was a 3 lb Tritip vs a normal steak thickness I think the ice bath actually cooled it down too much. Next time I will just place it in a sink full of cold tap water.

Right....the cold water cools the outside off and works in, like a wave, just like cooking does, but it protects the inside from overcooking.

gmanrva

Looks great!

JimmyBolognese

Never SV, but am interested in getting the goods to do it.  Question i have is how do you know the internal temp of meat without poking a hole in the bag?

nolaegghead

JimmyBolognese said:

Never SV, but am interested in getting the goods to do it.  Question i have is how do you know the internal temp of meat without poking a hole in the bag?

Assume the internal temp is the same as the bath after a short time.  Longer depending on size.

Cardinal rule:  No more than 4 hours at temps under 130F.

Money_Hillbilly

@JimmyBolognese Chefs use a needle probe and place it into the vacsealed bag through special foam tape.  I don’t find that necessary since I do either long cooks like 135 degrees for 48 hours for beef short ribs or under 4 hour cooks.  As @nolaegghead states there are critical rules that are much more important for times and temperatures.  I always recommend that anyone interested in SV cooking read Douglas Baldwin’s book.  The book is available online for free.  There are charts in the book that address your question about how long it takes meat to reach safe internal temps.  I have the needle temp probe and remote thermometer and I have never found that I have needed it.  I am very careful about following the time/temp rules. The SV environment could promote dangerous bacteria issues if done incorrectly.

JimmyBolognese

@Money_Hillbilly thank you for the response, I will definitely check out that book.  Sounds a bit intimidating. 

dmourati

I'm making a tri tip this weekend. I go traditional Santa Maria style and cook entirely on the Egg.

TechsasJim

That looks fantastic.   I have never SV (don’t have the equipment) but did this one on the egg last night.  2.5#, 10 mins on each side at 375F.