Just tried my Sous vide for the first time

[Angry Perch]

I didn't get quite as fancy with the cutout, but it does the job. I've done 24+ hours without adding water.

[pianoman9701]

you cook the entire steak to the same desired tempature, then sear afterwords.

the steak then does not have stratified layers of overcooked, to undercooked, like you would get with a bbq.
The selling point to me was the ability to make a steak well done, but not dry. my wife wont eat bloody meat, and it is tough to make one well done that isn't dried out via conventional methods.

Resting meat to room temperature after searing/torching will eliminate a lot of juices running. A great many chefs recommend it. A nice prime NY steak done medium sous vide and rested 20 minutes won't bleed when you cut it and will taste out of this world, although my wife and I are fans of rare. She really didn't like steak much before I got the circulator. Now, she really enjoys them.

The biggest benefit I enjoy is the ability to have everything ready at once. If you know how long your resting time will be and how long it takes to make the veggies and other sides, you can enjoy a cocktail or 4 with your guests and still do it all timed perfectly whenever you're ready to eat. Just prepare all of the sides ahead of time and cook when you know your timing. It also means that if someone arrives late, it doesn't spoil the whole meal for everyone waiting for them.

[KFhunter]

you cook the entire steak to the same desired tempature, then sear afterwords.

the steak then does not have stratified layers of overcooked, to undercooked, like you would get with a bbq.
The selling point to me was the ability to make a steak well done, but not dry. my wife wont eat bloody meat, and it is tough to make one well done that isn't dried out via conventional methods.

Same here, wife sees pink and turns her nose up at it. Gawd I hate regrilling a perfectly done steak to get the pink out, sacrilegious

sent from the telephone

[frazierw]

you cook the entire steak to the same desired tempature, then sear afterwords.

the steak then does not have stratified layers of overcooked, to undercooked, like you would get with a bbq.
The selling point to me was the ability to make a steak well done, but not dry. my wife wont eat bloody meat, and it is tough to make one well done that isn't dried out via conventional methods.

Resting meat to room temperature after searing/torching will eliminate a lot of juices running. A great many chefs recommend it. A nice prime NY steak done medium sous vide and rested 20 minutes won't bleed when you cut it and will taste out of this world, although my wife and I are fans of rare. She really didn't like steak much before I got the circulator. Now, she really enjoys them.

The biggest benefit I enjoy is the ability to have everything ready at once. If you know how long your resting time will be and how long it takes to make the veggies and other sides, you can enjoy a cocktail or 4 with your guests and still do it all timed perfectly whenever you're ready to eat. Just prepare all of the sides ahead of time and cook when you know your timing. It also means that if someone arrives late, it doesn't spoil the whole meal for everyone waiting for them.

Are you resting it for 20 minutes after you sear it, or resting it between the sous vide and sear?

[pianoman9701]

After the sear. I sear it right out of the water.

[Southpole]

Will Sous vide make a tough piece of meat tender?

[frazierw]

After the sear. I sear it right out of the water.

how do you keep it warm while it is resting?

[92xj]

After the sear. I sear it right out of the water.

how do you keep it warm while it is resting?

Wrap in foil, throw a towel over it while it sits.

[vandeman17]

After the sear. I sear it right out of the water.

how do you keep it warm while it is resting?

Wrap in foil, throw a towel over it while it sits.

I usually cover my steaks with a pan and a towel since I am cheap 

[pianoman9701]

After the sear. I sear it right out of the water.

how do you keep it warm while it is resting?

I don't want to keep it warm. I want to get it to room temperature.

[Switchback]

I have a cooler with a hole in the top for sous vide – the insulation from a cooler lets you use a much larger volume of water than a regular pan or tub, which lets you cook larger things. So you can do ribs, hindquarters, etc. I've cooked stuff up to 36 hours before in the cooler, it works great! Anova has a guide online, I use the same Coleman Party Stacker cooler they have. there's also a bigger one that's taller and great for big roasts and hindquarters. https://anovaculinary.com/sous-vide-cooler-guide/

The hot water from my tap is right around 130°, so if I put it on full blast right into the cooler there's essentially no waiting time – especially for steaks, which I usually do 125-129°. The cooler is so helpful for keeping the temp stable, and on longer cooks (like more than a day) I just set the cooler in the garage so it's not taking up counter space. You can get the Coleman Party Stackers on amazon, I think mine was under $20.

Also, for steaks and smallish stuff, I usually leave the vac sealer in the pantry and just use a gallon zip-loc freezer bag. If you leave the top of the bag open and immerse the bag/steak in the water down to the top of the bag, it forces all the air out just like vacuum sealing. Works really well and is quick and easy (I have a big, clunky 15" vac sealer that's a pain to break out for a couple steaks).

[KFhunter]

I'm going to do a big prime rib for christmas dinner,  I have some of those big ziplock bags that holds like 5 gallons and I got some old coolers laying around and I got a bunch of hole saws

hrm... can I cold smoke it, then sous vide it?

130 degrees for how long?  I don't have my cooker yet it's in the mail. 


the family I'm cooking it for likes their prime ribs well done done done   BLICK!   but dang it's hard to cook most of the pink out of a prime rib!

[KFhunter]

cold smoke > fridge 12 hours > sous vide > hot smoke   

[Angry Perch]

I'm going to do a big prime rib for christmas dinner,  I have some of those big ziplock bags that holds like 5 gallons and I got some old coolers laying around and I got a bunch of hole saws

hrm... can I cold smoke it, then sous vide it?

130 degrees for how long?  I don't have my cooker yet it's in the mail. 


the family I'm cooking it for likes their prime ribs well done done done   BLICK!   but dang it's hard to cook most of the pink out of a prime rib!

[/b]

Sounds like you need to prepare a medium rare prime rib, and a couple packs of hot dogs!

[pianoman9701]

I'm going to do a big prime rib for christmas dinner,  I have some of those big ziplock bags that holds like 5 gallons and I got some old coolers laying around and I got a bunch of hole saws

hrm... can I cold smoke it, then sous vide it?

130 degrees for how long?  I don't have my cooker yet it's in the mail. 


the family I'm cooking it for likes their prime ribs well done done done   BLICK!   but dang it's hard to cook most of the pink out of a prime rib!

So you sous vide it med-rare, finish it in a hot oven 450F for 20 minutes, let it rest for 30 minutes, then slice fairly thin for the heathens who want it well (1/4") and put the slices back in the oven for 10 minutes on flat pans. Then, don't ever cook beef for them again, ever!