Perfect Sous Vide steaks in 3 steps and no words (it's that easy)

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

(After 1.5 hrs)

Money shot:

And that's the way you do it

)

nolaegghead · December 2012

A masterpiece!!!

U_tarded · December 2012

bravo! beautiful! i think i will drink to your success 90 sec sear each side on cast iron I take it? pictures definitely tell this story.

Tjcoley · December 2012

Very nice.

nolaegghead · December 2012

That's not just perfectly cooked steak, that's performance art.

cazzy · December 2012

Incredible sir!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

U_tarded said:

bravo! beautiful! i think i will drink to your success 90 sec sear each side on cast iron I take it? pictures definitely tell this story.

if that much. I had the CI in the oven on broil for 15-20 minutes. I took it out and put it on a hot stove and hit it with grass fed butter and put the steaks in. I think it was more like 60 per side max. I just do it by the way it looks.

JerkChicken · December 2012

Why not sear on Bge? Butter purposes?

U_tarded · December 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

U_tarded said:

bravo! beautiful! i think i will drink to your success 90 sec sear each side on cast iron I take it? pictures definitely tell this story.

if that much. I had the CI in the oven on broil for 15-20 minutes. I took it out and put it on a hot stove and hit it with grass fed butter and put the steaks in. I think it was more like 60 per side max. I just do it by the way it looks.

beautiful. gonna show this to the wife, one more piece of ammo for a sous vide, the results look by far better than my attempts with my rice cooker

Mighty_Quinn · December 2012

OMG. You didn't use an egg. And you were still able to eat it? [-(

Mighty_Quinn · December 2012

Looks awesome. I guess I need to jump on the sous vide bandwagon.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

JerkChicken said:

Why not sear on Bge? Butter purposes?

You certainly can and I have posted many SV cooks on here that I do. With the risk of tearing the fabric of our very existence..........great steaks are way better without any smoke. Of all the restaurants considered to serve the best steaks on the planet, not one cooks over wood or lump.

Not to say that steaks are not good that way ( I do it all the time and love them), but when I go super premium steaks, I keep the smoke off and let the steak (and butter) do the talking

when I sear on the egg, I normally go right on the lump for 30 seconds a side. That 30 seconds gives the food a ton of smoke flavor so I only do it for certain things.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

Mighty_Quinn said:

OMG. You didn't use an egg. And you were still able to eat it? [-(

We choked them down somehow

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

Mighty_Quinn said:

Looks awesome. I guess I need to jump on the sous vide bandwagon.

It really is that easy too. a 3rd grader could do it (if you trusted them with nuclear hot cast iron). You can also do it with a torch which a 3rd grader could easily do. It's that easy and it's that good.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

U_tarded said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

U_tarded said:

bravo! beautiful! i think i will drink to your success 90 sec sear each side on cast iron I take it? pictures definitely tell this story.

if that much. I had the CI in the oven on broil for 15-20 minutes. I took it out and put it on a hot stove and hit it with grass fed butter and put the steaks in. I think it was more like 60 per side max. I just do it by the way it looks.

beautiful. gonna show this to the wife, one more piece of ammo for a sous vide, the results look by far better than my attempts with my rice cooker

I love costing people forum dollars. God knows you guys have cost me plenty.

But...you should honestly be able to do it it any heat source and and body of water as long as you can hold the temps accurately. I'm guessing that's the issue with eh rice cooker?

I still say go buy a SV rig. Get Nola's, it's more expensive. ok, it's way more flexible too. Dang it.

U_tarded · December 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

U_tarded said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

U_tarded said:

bravo! beautiful! i think i will drink to your success 90 sec sear each side on cast iron I take it? pictures definitely tell this story.

if that much. I had the CI in the oven on broil for 15-20 minutes. I took it out and put it on a hot stove and hit it with grass fed butter and put the steaks in. I think it was more like 60 per side max. I just do it by the way it looks.

beautiful. gonna show this to the wife, one more piece of ammo for a sous vide, the results look by far better than my attempts with my rice cooker

I love costing people forum dollars. God knows you guys have cost me plenty.

But...you should honestly be able to do it it any heat source and and body of water as long as you can hold the temps accurately. I'm guessing that's the issue with eh rice cooker?

I still say go buy a SV rig. Get Nola's, it's more expensive. ok, it's way more flexible too. Dang it.

it is temp control. i stick my thermapen (thanks guys) in the hole in the lid, and check it about every 10-15 minutes but in that time it can have a 5-10 degree fluctuation. so i have to toggle power on alot. i don't want an auber for it i want more toys! i've been thinking the poly science myself.

Little Steven · December 2012

Nola is a studious guy. I always buy stuff that the studious guys buy. Saves me hurting my brain over it.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

U_tarded said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

U_tarded said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

U_tarded said:

bravo! beautiful! i think i will drink to your success 90 sec sear each side on cast iron I take it? pictures definitely tell this story.

if that much. I had the CI in the oven on broil for 15-20 minutes. I took it out and put it on a hot stove and hit it with grass fed butter and put the steaks in. I think it was more like 60 per side max. I just do it by the way it looks.

beautiful. gonna show this to the wife, one more piece of ammo for a sous vide, the results look by far better than my attempts with my rice cooker

I love costing people forum dollars. God knows you guys have cost me plenty.

But...you should honestly be able to do it it any heat source and and body of water as long as you can hold the temps accurately. I'm guessing that's the issue with eh rice cooker?

I still say go buy a SV rig. Get Nola's, it's more expensive. ok, it's way more flexible too. Dang it.

it is temp control. i stick my thermapen (thanks guys) in the hole in the lid, and check it about every 10-15 minutes but in that time it can have a 5-10 degree fluctuation. so i have to toggle power on alot. i don't want an auber for it i want more toys! i've been thinking the poly science myself.

yeah. 10 degrees will kill you on a steak. These types of controllers don't vary 1 degree over days and days. Big difference

U_tarded · December 2012

Awesome leaving more time to enjoy my drinks

nolaegghead · December 2012

The Polysci unit is good to plus or minus 0.1F. That company makes commercial laboratory equipment. They ventured into the world of cooking with the recent rise in popularity of molecular gastronomy. They also make some cool stuff like a kitchen sonicator that will mix oil and water into an emulsion that stays together for 12 hours, a rotary evaporator/still where you can remove the flavors of habernero peppers without taking any heat (capsaicin). A cold griddle for making desserts, etc. Cool stuff, but ridiculously expensive.

Specs on their sous vide:

Exceptional control of liquid heating to within 0.1°F (0.06°C)
Dedicated temperature control enables you to quickly set or adjust cooking temperature
Easy up and down buttons allow you to select and set cooking temperature to a 1/10th of a degree
Temperature readings available in Celsius or Fahrenheit
Controls liquid heating up to 100°C (212°F)
Control cooking liquid circulation level by easily adjustable pump pressure outlet
High-grade stainless steel heating coil and pump ensure lasting, trouble-free performance
Large backlit display for easy reading

PERFORMANCE

Maximum Temperature: 100°C
Temperature Stability: ±0.1°F (0.06°C)
Pump: 1-speed with adjustable slider
Pressure Flow Rate (max): 12 Liter per Minute
Heater Output: 1100 Watts / 3753 BTU

OPERATION

Display Type and Size: EasyView™ LCD 2.12 x 3 inches
Menu Language & Prompts: English
Minimum Immersion Depth: 3.375 in / 8.57 cm

SAFETY

Over Temperature Protection: yes
Failsafe Heater Control: yes
Low Liquid Level Safety: yes
Alarm and Fault Indicators: Icon indication

WEIGHT & DIMENSIONS

Unit Dimensions (HxWxD): 14.125 x 3.875 x 7.375 in / 35.88 x 9.84 x 18.73 cm
Unit Weight: 9.5 lbs / 4.1 kg
Shipping Dimensions: 18 x 11.5 x 9 in / 45.72 x 29.21 x 22.86
Shipping Weight: 12.75 lbs / 5.78 kg

Skiddymarker · December 2012

Superb! Great cook.

This may be most important reason to keep a gasser. After the sous vide, searing on a 700 F cast grid is a piece of cake. The oven broiler works too, as this excellent cook shows. Again, Bravo.

I like a little smoke, and once the baseball sirloin has been hit with the Jaccard, I let them sit on the egg for 30 - 40 minutes, indirect at 200-225 grid, until internal hits 10-125. If in the mood, the egg gets to sear, or the Broil King steps up and does a great job.

Again, CenTex - great cook.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

U_tarded said:

Awesome leaving more time to enjoy my drinks

exactly. I'm putting some pork belly in today and i won't look at it until Wednesday night. Stay tuned for that one. Should be fun

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

Skiddymarker said:

Superb! Great cook.
This may be most important reason to keep a gasser. After the sous vide, searing on a 700 F cast grid is a piece of cake. The oven broiler works too, as this excellent cook shows. Again, Bravo.

I like a little smoke, and once the baseball sirloin has been hit with the Jaccard, I let them sit on the egg for 30 - 40 minutes, indirect at 200-225 grid, until internal hits 10-125. If in the mood, the egg gets to sear, or the Broil King steps up and does a great job.

Again, CenTex - great cook.

I like smoke on most of my steaks too. It's just when i go really high end, I tend to keep the smoke off of it. I do 80% of my steaks on the egg but when yo want the killer steakhouse flavor, you have to keep the smoke off and add a little butter and a pan sauce if you are so inclined. I was last night, did a really nice bordelaise and it was perfect with the steak (just a drizzle)

misu · December 2012

Costco just decided to carry the sous vide Demi machine and your post doesn't help

nolaegghead · December 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Skiddymarker said:

Superb! Great cook.
This may be most important reason to keep a gasser. After the sous vide, searing on a 700 F cast grid is a piece of cake. The oven broiler works too, as this excellent cook shows. Again, Bravo.

I like a little smoke, and once the baseball sirloin has been hit with the Jaccard, I let them sit on the egg for 30 - 40 minutes, indirect at 200-225 grid, until internal hits 10-125. If in the mood, the egg gets to sear, or the Broil King steps up and does a great job.

Again, CenTex - great cook.

I like smoke on most of my steaks too. It's just when i go really high end, I tend to keep the smoke off of it. I do 80% of my steaks on the egg but when yo want the killer steakhouse flavor, you have to keep the smoke off and add a little butter and a pan sauce if you are so inclined. I was last night, did a really nice bordelaise and it was perfect with the steak (just a drizzle)

Exactly the reason I'm so anti-smoke on PRIME rib. The meat stands on its own. ummm. except it always benefits from horseradish sauce.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

nolaegghead said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Skiddymarker said:

Superb! Great cook.
This may be most important reason to keep a gasser. After the sous vide, searing on a 700 F cast grid is a piece of cake. The oven broiler works too, as this excellent cook shows. Again, Bravo.

I like a little smoke, and once the baseball sirloin has been hit with the Jaccard, I let them sit on the egg for 30 - 40 minutes, indirect at 200-225 grid, until internal hits 10-125. If in the mood, the egg gets to sear, or the Broil King steps up and does a great job.

Again, CenTex - great cook.

I like smoke on most of my steaks too. It's just when i go really high end, I tend to keep the smoke off of it. I do 80% of my steaks on the egg but when yo want the killer steakhouse flavor, you have to keep the smoke off and add a little butter and a pan sauce if you are so inclined. I was last night, did a really nice bordelaise and it was perfect with the steak (just a drizzle)

Exactly the reason I'm so anti-smoke on PRIME rib. The meat stands on its own. ummm. except it always benefits from horseradish sauce.

and butter......mmmmmm.....butter

nolaegghead · December 2012

(in the voice of homer)

Don't forget the au jus.... nom nom nom nom

NibbleMeThis · December 2012

It works better if you stick your sous vide device inside your Egg

:0

Now I have that "stuff" in a box song playing in my head, thanks dude.

I have toyed with making my own using a Johnson Controls A-419 controller (I use one at work for our geo-thermal systems) hacked into a crock pot but I am not sure about the temp swing window for that. Probably be cheaper to buy a unit but I like tinkering.

nolaegghead · December 2012

A Johnson controller also will extend your marriage. So I hear.

A geo-thermal controller to run your sous vide crock pot - that's awesome!

billyray · December 2012

Just finished some beef filets. Cooked @ 131 for 3 hours, would have pulled at 2 hours, but sides weren't ready. I have the Polyscience Professional, like NOLA. They were outstanding, season after sous vide and sear for 2 minutes a side. Pulled and put a pat of butter and fleur de sel. Used Pioneer woman sauce. I used Better Than Boullion instead of cubes. No pics, because it was eaten so fast. Will take pics next time, promise.

Sauce:

4 to 6 tablespoons tri-color peppercorns, crushed
4 tablespoons butter
1 beef bouillon cube
4 to 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup brandy
1 1/2 to 2 cups heavy cream (can substitute half-and-half for some of the cream)
Next, heat a heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Crumble in the beef bouillon cube. Whisk to combine. Then add the Dijon mustard to the skillet and whisk it around a bit. Pour in the brandy. Whisk the Dijon and brandy together until combined, and then let it bubble for about 45 seconds or so. Then pour in the heavy cream and the crushed peppercorns. Whisk it all together, allowing it to bubble for a few minutes to thicken. Spoon it over the grilled steaks.

bweekes · July 2014

The Cen-Tex Smoker nolaegghead, I was inspired to pull the trigger on a Polyscience SV this weekend. It absolutely is a whole new world, and I have been reading all of the SV related posts on this forum religiously. But jeez, do I have questions! Would like to mind meld (sorry for the Star Trek reference) with the two mentioned above to soak up all of their knowledge. Guys - any words of wisdom as I embark on this journey? Things that you learned the hard way that might get me off to a good start? I cook a lot of steak and my first cook was a skirt steak. Pretty sure I bastardized the process by going for a much shorter time than I should of, but still came out great. Had it sit at 131 degrees for about 4 hours and then seared for 90 secs a side. With such a thin piece of meat, the colour was not as pink as I would have liked. Any suggestions on how to avoid this or just general words of wisdom to impart? Thanks in advance - you guys are legends.