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Sous Vide burgers

Lit
Lit Posts: 9,053
These were pre made jalapeño cheddar burgers from a local grocery called Sprouts. They are really good just grilled but this took them over the top. I froze them then vacuumed to keep their shape then into the sous Vide frozen at 150 for 2 hours. I was worried it was too hot but I had some brats in there also. Seared them off on the PK then topped with Colby jack. These were ridiculous. 
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Comments

  • I really like that idea. Great out of the box cook! 

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."

                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
  • Looks great!  We have sprouts around here too, but I’ve never tried their premade burgers. 

    They look a little dense - is the picture deceiving?
    DFW - 1 LGBE & Happy to Adopt More...
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Looks great!  We have sprouts around here too, but I’ve never tried their premade burgers. 

    They look a little dense - is the picture deceiving?
    I think that’s from the sous Vide. They came out kinda like a meat loaf texture but weren’t dense to eat. You have to try their pre made stuff their cowboy burgers and brats are both really good. The one by me has hatch chili brats right now that are also really good. 
  • smokingal
    smokingal Posts: 1,025
    Cool!  What made you want to try them sous vide?
    It's "Smokin Gal", not "Smoking Al".
    Egging in the Atlanta GA region
    Large BGE, CGS setup, Kick Ash Basket, Smokeware SS Cap,
    Arteflame grill grate

    http://barbecueaddict.com
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,458
    Nice! I've always wanted to try making sous vide burger using mason jar rings as mold.

    IMO, if 'boiled' long enough, you can have medium rare burgers that are safe to eat?
    canuckland
  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    Nice cook @lit    The taste and texture of the SV burgers is in a league of its own. We’ve been doing them this way for a few months now 

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    SV burgers have been on my list for quite some time. Yours look great! 

    Did you feel these were an improvement vs. your usual method (grill or griddle)?

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Cornholio
    Cornholio Posts: 1,047
    I guess I’ll be the outlier here and say that I do not like thick burgers with a lot of pink in them.  Maybe if I grind my own but burgers for me they are a medium center cook and not medium rare.  I used to order/cook burgers medium rare but then I found myself a bit over them after they weren’t piping hot.    

    I prefer loose and thin burger patties versus the meatloaf like thick ones.. all boils down to preference though.  
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    smokingal said:
    Cool!  What made you want to try them sous vide?
    Store bought patties always make me nervous. These were cooked probably close to
    165 by the end but still nice and juicy. 
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    caliking said:
    SV burgers have been on my list for quite some time. Yours look great! 

    Did you feel these were an improvement vs. your usual method (grill or griddle)?
    Hard to beat a griddle burger. That’s a good idea for next time sous Vide then griddle some thin patties. These were really good and the best part a lot of the cheese normally cooks out but it didn’t this way. I think next time I will freeze the patties then sous Vide them in a freezer bag. I think the vacuum bag may have caused them to get dense since they couldn’t expand when cooked in the bath. 
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    You can make totally safe 131 degree med rare (very pink) burgers which, in my view, is the most compelling reason to Sous Vide them. They are safe at 131 in 30-60 min depending on thickness 
    They will be up to temp in about this amount of time but will need longer to pasteurize.  
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,326
    edited September 2019
    You can make totally safe 131 degree med rare (very pink) burgers which, in my view, is the most compelling reason to Sous Vide them. They are safe at 131 in 30-60 min depending on thickness 
    They will be up to temp in about this amount of time but will need longer to pasteurize.  
    Agreed. According to Baldwin's table an inch thick burger starting right from the fridge needs 2 3/4 hours at 131°F to be pasteurized. Even the thinnest of burgers needs 2 hours to be pasteurized. I'd add a bit more time if tossing in burgers that are frozen.

    Pasteurization Time for Meat (Beef, Pork, and Lamb)
    (starting at 41°F / 5°C and put in a 131–151°F / 55–66°C water bath)

    55°C56°C57°C58°C59°C60°C
    Thickness131°F133°F134.5°F136.5°F138°F140°F
    5 mm2 hr1¼ hr60 min45 min40 min30 min
    10 mm2 hr1½ hr1¼ hr55 min45 min40 min
    15 mm2¼ hr1¾ hr1½ hr1¼ hr60 min55 min
    20 mm2½ hr2 hr1¾ hr1½ hr1¼ hr1¼ hr
    25 mm2¾ hr2¼ hr2 hr1¾ hr1½ hr1½ hr
    30 mm3 hr2½ hr2 hr2 hr1¾ hr1½ hr
    35 mm3¼ hr2¾ hr2¼ hr2 hr2 hr1¾ hr
    40 mm3½ hr3 hr2½ hr2¼ hr2¼ hr2 hr
    45 mm4 hr3¼ hr3 hr2¾ hr2½ hr2¼ hr
    50 mm4½ hr3¾ hr3¼ hr3 hr2¾ hr2½ hr
    55 mm5 hr4¼ hr3¾ hr3½ hr3 hr3 hr
    60 mm5¼ hr4¾ hr4¼ hr3¾ hr3½ hr3¼ hr
    65 mm6 hr5¼ hr4¾ hr4¼ hr4 hr3¾ hr
    70 mm6½ hr5¾ hr5¼ hr4¾ hr4¼ hr4 hr

    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    HeavyG said:
    ... According to Baldwin's table an inch thick burger starting right from the fridge needs 2 3/4 hours at 131°F to be pasteurized.
    Thanks for posting that.  I still haven't gotten around to trying it, but I had thought that a nice, thick burger would take at least 3h to be safe, and I'm not sure how pink it will be, then.  Do you know -- have you done it?

    My favorite burgers are thick, seared, even a little charred on the outside, but VERY pink in the inside, but I'm scared to make those, anymore!  If SV will give me a safe but pink burger, I'm eager to try that!
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    ... -store bought patties are made in a press. They are always dense. If I buy store bought patties I always deconstruct them and re-form by hand so they aren't as dense (personal preference)
    Thanks for posting that!  I just had some really nice tasting burgers (cooked indoors in a skillet, I'm embarrassed to admit), grass-fed beef, really tasty meat, but they were pre-formed and I really hated the overly chewy texture.  They look so sort of homogenized raw that I'm struggling a bit to figure out how to "deconstruct" them, but it hadn't occurred to me to try.  Thanks for the suggestion -- I'll give that a try.
  • HeavyG said:
    You can make totally safe 131 degree med rare (very pink) burgers which, in my view, is the most compelling reason to Sous Vide them. They are safe at 131 in 30-60 min depending on thickness 
    They will be up to temp in about this amount of time but will need longer to pasteurize.  
    Agreed. According to Baldwin's table an inch thick burger starting right from the fridge needs 2 3/4 hours at 131°F to be pasteurized. Even the thinnest of burgers needs 2 hours to be pasteurized. I'd add a bit more time if tossing in burgers that are frozen.

    Pasteurization Time for Meat (Beef, Pork, and Lamb)
    (starting at 41°F / 5°C and put in a 131–151°F / 55–66°C water bath)

    55°C56°C57°C58°C59°C60°C
    Thickness131°F133°F134.5°F136.5°F138°F140°F
    5 mm2 hr1¼ hr60 min45 min40 min30 min
    10 mm2 hr1½ hr1¼ hr55 min45 min40 min
    15 mm2¼ hr1¾ hr1½ hr1¼ hr60 min55 min
    20 mm2½ hr2 hr1¾ hr1½ hr1¼ hr1¼ hr
    25 mm2¾ hr2¼ hr2 hr1¾ hr1½ hr1½ hr
    30 mm3 hr2½ hr2 hr2 hr1¾ hr1½ hr
    35 mm3¼ hr2¾ hr2¼ hr2 hr2 hr1¾ hr
    40 mm3½ hr3 hr2½ hr2¼ hr2¼ hr2 hr
    45 mm4 hr3¼ hr3 hr2¾ hr2½ hr2¼ hr
    50 mm4½ hr3¾ hr3¼ hr3 hr2¾ hr2½ hr
    55 mm5 hr4¼ hr3¾ hr3½ hr3 hr3 hr
    60 mm5¼ hr4¾ hr4¼ hr3¾ hr3½ hr3¼ hr
    65 mm6 hr5¼ hr4¾ hr4¼ hr4 hr3¾ hr
    70 mm6½ hr5¾ hr5¼ hr4¾ hr4¼ hr4 hr

    Thanks for posting- . Was pulling that number out of my arse. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,951
    edited September 2019
    Theophan said:
    ... -store bought patties are made in a press. They are always dense. If I buy store bought patties I always deconstruct them and re-form by hand so they aren't as dense (personal preference)
    Thanks for posting that!  I just had some really nice tasting burgers (cooked indoors in a skillet, I'm embarrassed to admit), grass-fed beef, really tasty meat, but they were pre-formed and I really hated the overly chewy texture.  They look so sort of homogenized raw that I'm struggling a bit to figure out how to "deconstruct" them, but it hadn't occurred to me to try.  Thanks for the suggestion -- I'll give that a try.
    Just mash it all up with your hands and re-form it without pressing on it too much. Anything you can do to loosen it up and get a little air in there is a good thing. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    How did we ever survive as a species before fire was invented?
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    How did we ever survive as a species before fire was invented?
    Hunting and gathering, along with tools to access bone marrow from carcasses, mostly.
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,326
    Theophan said:
    HeavyG said:
    ... According to Baldwin's table an inch thick burger starting right from the fridge needs 2 3/4 hours at 131°F to be pasteurized.
    Thanks for posting that.  I still haven't gotten around to trying it, but I had thought that a nice, thick burger would take at least 3h to be safe, and I'm not sure how pink it will be, then.  Do you know -- have you done it?

    My favorite burgers are thick, seared, even a little charred on the outside, but VERY pink in the inside, but I'm scared to make those, anymore!  If SV will give me a safe but pink burger, I'm eager to try that!
    I'm on Team Smashburger mainly because no matter how much I try to explain to my wife that I can cook her (via sous vide) a nice thick, juicy, and perfectly safe burger she just will not eat any burger with any sign of pink.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    i get ground bear meat from time to time, looks like 137 kills the trichinella. sounds like a plan
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    HeavyG said:
    I'm on Team Smashburger mainly because no matter how much I try to explain to my wife that I can cook her (via sous vide) a nice thick, juicy, and perfectly safe burger she just will not eat any burger with any sign of pink.
    I like smash burgers, and cook them fairly often, but they're not my favorite.  I still remember burgers of old where pink juices would drip down your chin when you bit into them -- MAN they were good!  But I just don't have the nerve to make them anymore.  The likelihood of getting sick is really pretty small, but it does happen from time to time, and people my age can DIE from that, and boy, puking and sh*tting myself to death is NOT how I want to go...

    I've actually thought about buying a chuck roast, or even brisket, and washing it with food-grade peroxide to kill bacteria on the outside, then rinsing it thoroughly to get rid of the peroxide, then chilling and grinding it, and then making MY kinda burgers!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  But so far I haven't gotten around to trying it.  We'll see.
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,326
    Theophan said:
    HeavyG said:
    I'm on Team Smashburger mainly because no matter how much I try to explain to my wife that I can cook her (via sous vide) a nice thick, juicy, and perfectly safe burger she just will not eat any burger with any sign of pink.
    I like smash burgers, and cook them fairly often, but they're not my favorite.  I still remember burgers of old where pink juices would drip down your chin when you bit into them -- MAN they were good!  But I just don't have the nerve to make them anymore.  The likelihood of getting sick is really pretty small, but it does happen from time to time, and people my age can DIE from that, and boy, puking and sh*tting myself to death is NOT how I want to go...

    I've actually thought about buying a chuck roast, or even brisket, and washing it with food-grade peroxide to kill bacteria on the outside, then rinsing it thoroughly to get rid of the peroxide, then chilling and grinding it, and then making MY kinda burgers!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  But so far I haven't gotten around to trying it.  We'll see.
    Sounds like the sous vide approach is the answer to your burger dreams!
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • The danger from undercooked ground beef has to do with factory slaughtering methods. A typical 1/4 lb. burger might have bits from 40 different cows in that one quarter pound so you just don't know which one got contaminated with e-coli by contact with fecal matter. All it takes is momentary contact.

    Once in a while we share a cow slaughter with a neighbor, and freeze up a side of beef. We get about 20 lbs. of ground that way and it's all the same cow, drastically reducing the possibility of contaminants.

    Otherwise, we grind our own from store bought roasts. Brisket point makes great burgers with loads of flavor. 


    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



  • are you vacuum sealing individually?
    Boom
  • GoooDawgs
    GoooDawgs Posts: 1,060
    @Lit resurrecting this thread as I just got a sous vide machine yesterday.  Do you season the patties and then freeze?  Or did you just put S&P on them after the bath? 
    Milton, GA 
    XL BGE & FB300
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    just wondering how many hours at 131 to tenderize a frozen aldi burger so that it doesnt turn into a hockey puck after cooking
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • fence0407
    fence0407 Posts: 2,236
    edited October 2019
    Lit said:
    Looks great!  We have sprouts around here too, but I’ve never tried their premade burgers. 

    They look a little dense - is the picture deceiving?
    I think that’s from the sous Vide. They came out kinda like a meat loaf texture but weren’t dense to eat. You have to try their pre made stuff their cowboy burgers and brats are both really good. The one by me has hatch chili brats right now that are also really good. 
    I missed this post the first go around - I'll have to swing in to Sprouts. I don't go there often enough clearly! Thanks for the heads up and those burgers look great!
    Large - Mini - Blackstone 17", 28", 36"
    Cumming, GA  

  • Thatgrimguy
    Thatgrimguy Posts: 4,723
    Theophan said:
    HeavyG said:
    I'm on Team Smashburger mainly because no matter how much I try to explain to my wife that I can cook her (via sous vide) a nice thick, juicy, and perfectly safe burger she just will not eat any burger with any sign of pink.
    I like smash burgers, and cook them fairly often, but they're not my favorite.  I still remember burgers of old where pink juices would drip down your chin when you bit into them -- MAN they were good!  But I just don't have the nerve to make them anymore.  The likelihood of getting sick is really pretty small, but it does happen from time to time, and people my age can DIE from that, and boy, puking and sh*tting myself to death is NOT how I want to go...

    I've actually thought about buying a chuck roast, or even brisket, and washing it with food-grade peroxide to kill bacteria on the outside, then rinsing it thoroughly to get rid of the peroxide, then chilling and grinding it, and then making MY kinda burgers!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  But so far I haven't gotten around to trying it.  We'll see.


    Grab a Chuckie and sear the outside,  but don't cook. Just enough to kill the bacteria and then bring it inside and cut it up and grind it down and cook the burgers in less than 4 hours and you should be as safe as you can get.
    XL, Small, Mini & Mini Max Green Egg, Shirley Fab Trailer, 6 gal and 2.5 gal Cajun Fryers, BlueStar 60" Range, 48" Lonestar Grillz Santa Maria, Alto Shaam 1200s, Gozney Dome, Gateway 55g Drum
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    GoooDawgs said:
    @Lit resurrecting this thread as I just got a sous vide machine yesterday.  Do you season the patties and then freeze?  Or did you just put S&P on them after the bath? 
    I had used premade patties on these but I would mix your seasoning in when you form the patties then freeze and then seal and sous Vide.