Come all ye self-styled chefs and kitchen users, we must talk.

Yeah, you want the meat to be able to be exposed on at least two sides. If there are pieces in the middle, well, flesh is not the greatest transmitter of heat... Also it would be hard to get the air out of the bag. And you really do need to do that.

My favorite meats are things like flank steak that take to low and slow. Flank, chuck roast, brisket, etc are quite long cooks but come out just screamingly tender and delicious. I doubt you can do those in the same way in a skillet. Marinated flank roast is just the best.

Also I use mostly just salt and pepper in the sous vide. Sometimes like a sprig of rosemary for each piece. Many spices, like garlic, degrade during long cooks. However, marinades tend to hold up well.

It also spectacular for sweet glazed carrots, chopped up of course.

Any kind of relatively firm fish filet that you might otherwise poach or bake. Not being able to overcook fish is great.

Duck breast sous-vide then seared is nice.

I have the same sous vide. So far I've done steaks and bone-in chicken breasts.

I've learnt a few tricks along the way that really work for us:

1 - I use zip lock bags. It's really easy to get all the air out if you submerge the bag in the water before zipping up. Obviously, you don't want to submerge the actual zipper

2 - adding rubs or marinades in with the meat before sous vide really works well

3 - you can use frozen meat just as easily as thawed.

4 - I sous vide to a temp of 150F. After I've seared on the grill, internal temp comes up to 160 - 165, which is where we like our meat to be. I haven't done fish, but if I planned to finish-sear I'd lower that to 130.

Yes, but don't use the slider style bags, they can gap at the ends. Use the finger-locking ones with 2 zippers. Those do very well, no leaks.

For meats, sous vide will pasteurize over time at temperatures down to 130F.

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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...

What this means is that you don't need to hit 165 internally (using beef as an example), which allows you get much more tenderness through the body of the meat. I mean, avoiding cooking hard is what sous vide is all about.

Here's more info.

Robear wrote:

What this means is that you don't need to hit 165 internally (using beef as an example), which allows you get much more tenderness through the body of the meat. I mean, avoiding cooking hard is what sous vide is all about. :-)

Yeah, I know. But we're a "don't like it rare" house, so the advantage of sous vide for us is two-fold. I have much less chance of over-cooking the meat (a horrible tendency I've been slowly backing away from, but it's hard) and we can still have meat "that's not pink" and yet still very tender. I'd love to try a corned beef this way. Any suggestions on marinade for inside the bag to get that corned beef flavor?

Good tip about the zip bags. I have been getting a little water into the bag using the sliders, so I'll get some finger-locking double zippers to try.

Moggy wrote:

I have much less chance of over-cooking the meat (a horrible tendency I've been slowly backing away from, but it's hard) and we can still have meat "that's not pink" and yet still very tender.

I've finally gotten my 84-year-old dad from horrendously over cooking every piece of meat he touches so there's hope for you yet! I was in my late 20s when I realized chicken wasn't supposed to be stringy.

Moggy wrote:

I'd love to try a corned beef this way. Any suggestions on marinade for inside the bag to get that corned beef flavor?

I know I've seen at least one video on Sous Vide Corned Beef (and Pastrami) I'll see if it is in my YT history.

Nope, not there. I can't remember where I would have seen it if not on YT.

Searching "sous vide corned beef" on YouTube has a lot of hits. Good deal. I'll be watching them. Pastrami is probably my favorite meat. One of these vids will have a good corned beef brine I'm sure.

Here are some that I know I've watched, but they aren't the one I'm looking for:

-BEP

Moggy, I've sous vided a pre-made corned beef slab from the store and it was *delicious*. Just a thought.

And I totally get your situation now, sorry I mistook it.

I watched that second video you posted, bepnewt.

so,

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Should be ready Monday. While I think 2 days at 140F is a long time, that's what the guy in the video did.

NomNom!

I am almost out of that salmon jerky and am sad. Going to have to do a giant batch next time.

Oh, by the way, you can usually find a neoprene sleeve to insulate just about any plastic sous vide container. This helps retain the heat and greatly reduces the use of electricity, especially on a thermally conductive surface such as granite.

If you can't find a sleeve, get a neoprene mat that is big enough to wrap around bottom and sides, and tape it up for the same effect.

I always check different recipes to get an idea of the time and temp variations that will work for a cut of meat. Like for the corned beef, if you want it more toothsome, you can do, say, 180 for 10 hours, or 175 for maybe 12. But 140 for 2 days, that's going to be tender and delicious!

Also, you'll find that finishing the meat afterwords is not strictly necessary. It's most for appearances or if you like that little caramelized layer for presentation. If you're going to be stuffing it in sandwiches or using it in other dishes, you don't have to finish it. The flavor overcomes the slightly awkward look.

Robear wrote:

if you want it more toothsome, you can do, say, 180 for 10 hours, or 175 for maybe 12. But 140 for 2 days, that's going to be tender and delicious!

Right-click > Search Google for definition

So it can be "temptingly tasty" or tender and delicious? I must still be missing some jargon here because otherwise I'm not seeing a meaningful distinction.

Still better than my first thought, which was "full of and/or resembling teeth."

Toothsome, meaning more of an effort to bite through, versus being very soft and tender. Think 'al dente' with pasta.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I am almost out of that salmon jerky and am sad. Going to have to do a giant batch next time.

That was fast!

What Leaping said. A bit chewier with a shorter cook.

LeapingGnome wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I am almost out of that salmon jerky and am sad. Going to have to do a giant batch next time.

That was fast! :D

To be fair, I shared some with coworkers. *thinks back to how much he actually shared which was only about 3 pieces*

Okay, yeah, that was fast.

I've made this sous vide pulled pork a couple of times now and it turns out AMAZING: https://fundiegofamily.com/cooking/s...

It also makes a TON, but it freezes well, so we split it up into some zip-loc bags and freeze most of it.

Instead of baking in the oven I use a MAP torch to char some bits, it's a handy tool for "finishing" off sous vide stuff.

Robear wrote:

Oh, by the way, you can usually find a neoprene sleeve to insulate just about any plastic sous vide container.

... snip good stuff ...

Nice, thanks. I didn't think of that and I've had my Sous Vide running for a long time on the granite island in the past.

Moggy wrote:

I watched that second video you posted, bepnewt.

so,

... yummy pics ...

Should be ready Monday. While I think 2 days at 140F is a long time, that's what the guy in the video did.

Can't wait to hear/see how it comes out. I'd really like to make my own pastrami at some point!

-BEP

Ranger Rick wrote:

I've made this sous vide pulled pork a couple of times now and it turns out AMAZING: https://fundiegofamily.com/cooking/s...

It also makes a TON, but it freezes well, so we split it up into some zip-loc bags and freeze most of it.

I've done 4 or 5 pork butts Sous Vide, now. I normally smoke them for 2 hours first, then sous vide them for about 15 hours, then put them back on the smoker/grill to get a crust. They turn out great, but a little too greasy for me. I have used a Sous Vide gun on one to "finish it" and it's done a LOT faster but not quite the same. I used the gun on the only steaks I cooked Sous Vide and wasn't happy. I think it has more to do with me than the gun. I may be over or undersearing or something.

And AMEN it makes a lot of pork. I vacuum seal the pork and flatten it out and stack them in the freezer (and give some away). Now that I'm back working from home, I'll open one and make sandwiches from it at lunch for the week. Works great for quick lunches.

-BEP

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A late lunch was just enjoyed.

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It was tougher than I expected it to be. While I could cut it with a fork, I really thought it would barely hold together after 43 hours. Maybe a slightly higher temperature?

I was surprised at the amount of liquid in the bag. The sous vide tank water was crystal clear, so it must have come from the beef.

Tasty. Not as salty as other store bought ones I've made. Washing prior to going into the bag may be part of the reason. I might want to add a smidge of salt next time. I do like the "briney" taste.

That looks very tasty!

Part of the beauty of sous vide is that it cooks in its own juices. You don't have to let it stand when it comes out.

If it's tougher than you like, try 145 next time. Until you zero in to the right time and temp. Also, maybe cut at an angle (top to bottom, like on the fancy cooking shows, not side to side lol). That might break up the grain in each piece a bit vertically, I dunno.

Still, cutting with a fork, I mean, that's pretty good? You don't want to make pudding out of it.

Man, that corned beef looks delish. Looks like you nailed it.

I really gotta do a pastrami, now.

-BEP

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Oh Sarah, never stop.

Robear wrote:

I had not anticipated that. Cool! Salmon paste mixed with herbs and stuff could be an interesting filling for, I dunno, baked rolls, or maybe a sandwich spread? Or just used to thicken fish soups...

Onigiri, place I would always get them from in NY included a salted and spiced salmon filling that was delicious.

Made a fancy breakfast of Food Lab buttermilk pancakes with lemon zest topped with a mix of maple syrup and local honey along with some local scrambled eggs and bacon. It was so good. Those pancakes are unbeatable.

My wasabi plants are flowering! Can harvest a root this December!

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The cordierite pizza stone I received for Christmas works great and is simple to use.

I use this dough recipe which is simple the key is just using bread flour or high gluten flour: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...

And this sauce recipe which is also simple: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-mak...

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On the stone each pizza cooks in 8 minutes and is perfectly even. You just have to take the time to get the stone hot and let it cool before taking it out.

The stones are amazing, and as long as you are careful they will last for years.