Sous Vide

[SconnieQ]

Trying out my new immersion circulator.

http://anovaculinary.com/

Another method of precision temperature, low, and REALLY slow. Most of us already have the vacuum sealer, and one or two of those cambro plastic containers, although any food safe plastic or metal pot/container will do.

Asparagus, 185 for 12 minutes. Remove and drop into cool water to hold. Add cold water to container to drop temp down to 131. Add asparagus back in to keep warm while steak cooks. Add ribeye steak. 2 hours at 131, then sear. Medium-rare pink from edge to edge, no gray overcooked ring. I made a pan sauce with shallots, mushrooms, dijon mustard, a little cream and the juices left over from the bag. It was delicious!

At the same time I added the ribeye, I added a thick slice of chuck. That needs to go for 2 to 4 days at 131, then a quick sear. It's still going. I'm going to go 4 days for this first chuck steak. It will stay a nice medium-rare, but is supposed to tenderize and break down during the long cook, and supposedly eats and tastes like prime rib. We'll see

BTW, I should mention, because I'm sure many of you are wondering about the 140 degree magic number for food safety, and how long the chuck steak is cooking at 131. Here are the more specific food safety guidelines. You need to be at 140 for at least 12 minutes. OR, 130 for at least 112 minutes. So as long as the temp gets to 130, you can cook as long as you want. The USDA doesn't seem to publicize the whole 130 business, because it really doesn't apply to 99.9% of people. The Anova boasts accuracy to within one-tenth of a degree, and from what I could figure from testing with my Maverick, it is spot on. (Poor Maverick only goes in whole degrees )

No picture of Ribeye after cooking. Too hungry and forgot. Going to try some eggs next. Some interesting things can happen with eggs.

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[Bebe]

Very nice!

I'm thinking to try this pate, looks interesting.
I've done it before, bain-marie, wrapped in bacon, and used Quatre épices instead of allspice - no flour either. I made two loafs, they were gone in a blink of an eye!

[DivotMaker]

Thanks Kari!  I've been interested in this, but haven't taken the plunge.  I'll be following you to learn more about sous vide!

[SconnieQ]

Very nice!

I'm thinking to try this pate, looks interesting.
I've done it before, bain-marie, wrapped in bacon, and used Quatre épices instead of allspice - no flour either. I made two loafs, they were gone in a blink of an eye!

Yay! I was hoping to hear from other experienced "sous-viders". Love the term "Charcutepalooza". Sounds like you have some experience with pate. I'm wondering if it should be left in for 24-48 hours, or if that would hurt it. Seems like a pretty thick hunk to just go overnight. It shouldn't overcook if set at the right temp. Also, have you tried adding Prague Powder #1 (pink salt) to your pates to keep them nice and pink? I'll have to see if I can find some caul fat. Probably have to have a butcher shop order it for me. In Brooklyn, I'm sure you have no problem finding it.

I also found the idea of cooking beans in mason jars intriguing. (Nice to be able to cook a smaller quantity of beans this way too.) Sounds like they come out creamy with skins in-tact. Have you tried?

[SconnieQ]

I bought my Anova for $149 (for the wifi version) a couple weeks ago. They were $50 off through December 16th. Sadly, I see on their website they are back up to $179/bluetooth, $199/wifi. They will probably be on sale again.

[Bebe]

I'll have to see if I can find some caul fat.

you don't really need caul fat, i think bacon is better... just like a fatty
here's a vid of Julia Child, almost all pate are made like that... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44RIR2q8khI
If you google "country pate" i'm sure you find a bunch of recipes.
One very important thing, not to be missed, is to put a weight on the loaf 'til next day - when you take it from you pan/terrine the top will be the bottom of the pate, gotta be flat.
On sous vide i believe 24hr won't be too much, generally you can not overcook something. In the oven, bain marie, at 375, it take about 3 hrs, or til the IT of the loaf is ~160.

Beans in a mason jar ?
When i was a kid my grandmother cooked ALL soups and beans in clay pots, beans too. I remember it took a whole day or more but those were the beast tastings meals ever!
I have a Romertopf, mostly for roasts and chicken, they come out very moist and juicy. (they get ugly over time but seem to cook better)

[SconnieQ]

Beans in a mason jar ?

You've probably seen this if you have the Anova, but the canning jar cooking method for things with liquid that can't vacuum seal sounds interesting...
https://anovaculinary.com/5-tips-for-precision-cooking-in-canning-jars/

[SconnieQ]

Wow, wow wow wow wow.
What? did I say wow? I have to say I was somewhat skeptical about a thick slab of chuck resembling prime rib after sous vide and sear. But wow...it was so tender and flavorful, I might even say it was better than prime rib. Perfectly medium-rare pink from edge to edge, and all of the fat that runs through the chuck had become soft and succulent. Melt-in-your-mouth!! It kind of reminded me of that rich, fatty outer ring of prime rib, that is the best part.

What I did:
Lightly salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and vacuum seal. Sous vide for 4 days at 131 degrees. Remove from bag and dry meat with paper towels. (Use juices in bag for a sauce if desired.) Lightly coat meat with oil. Sprinkle meat with more salt and pepper. Quick sear on each side. I seared on my Wolf indoor charbroiler, but there are many ways to sear: hot grill, very hot broiler, heat oven to 500-550 (hottest possible), or a good ol blow torch (a sous vide favorite). Use the highest temp/method possible, so searing takes as little time as possible.

I also made asparagus, no sous vide on that. Olive oil, salt and pepper, and onto the grill just before the meat went on. Also delicious, but secondary to the meat revelation.

Packers won, so all around it's been a pretty good day.

[BedouinBob]

That looks awesome! May have to get one of those machines.....

[DivotMaker]

Kari, the chuck looks fantastic, but 4 days???  You are MUCH more patient than I am!  Not sure about this sous vide thing if it takes 4 days to cook a steak!

Edit 2/2/16:  I'm sold!  I just put a chuck roast in the Anova, at 131, for 4 days!!  Should have seen the looks I got from wife & son when I told them I was starting Saturday's dinner!  LOL!

[SconnieQ]

Kari, the chuck looks fantastic, but 4 days???  You are MUCH more patient than I am!  Not sure about this sous vide thing if it takes 4 days to cook a steak!

2 to 4 days for a slab of chuck to come out like prime rib. Takes a long time to tenderize at medium-rare temp. It is SO worth it though! So delicious! As good or better than prime rib IMO. And the price difference between chuck and prime rib (or any steak) is huge. I'm going to try 3 days next time. Chuck is an extreme example of about the longest time you would sous vide something. For tender cuts, like any actual steak cut, it is 1 hour at 129, or 2-4 hours at 131. Chicken breast would be 1 to 1-1/2 hours, beans maybe 6 hours, eggs about 45 minutes, etc. So you really don't need any more patience than you do with smoking. I enjoy cooking things that take all day (or more).

It's almost impossible to overcook anything, so you can leave it in practically indefinitely. So the timing of your meal is very flexible. And there is no carry-over cooking, so you just set it to the exact temp you want your food. You also don't really need to rest. You can see in my pictures, absolutely no juice ran out when I sliced the steak, and there was relatively little juice in the bag when finished cooking. It all stayed in the meat! The temperature doesn't get to the point where the meat contracts and squeezes the moisture out.

[DivotMaker]

That's more encouraging, Kari!  I'll be following!

[SconnieQ]

I think you would love it Tony. And any of the other Auber nerds out there who like precision control. Another really amazing tool in your arsenal for making the most of your ingredients (and wallet). I have found already just for reheating, it can't be beat. I can reheat my medium-rare slab-o-chuck leftovers for however long (won't overcook), and it is just as pink, and medium-rare, and juicy as the first time I ate it. And no monitoring of a simmering pot of water, or crock-pot limited in temperature control.

[DivotMaker]

I'm very interested in this, Kari.  I just haven't had the time to do the research I like.  You've given me incentive to start!

[Limey]

The Anova units work really well-I have two of them, one wifi and one bluetooth. Not really sure that the wifi is worth the extra $20 apart from the "gee whiz" factor to impress guests. I suspect that they will go on sale again after Christmas; two months ago they had $50 off the wifi units($149 vs $199)  and a few weeks ago had $50 off the bluetooth units ($129 vs $179)
It is a well made unit, all stainless or high tech plastic, is simple to use and works as advertised.