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Sous Vide Que Steak Method

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    Sous Vide Que Steak Method

    I cooked a couple of steaks last night with the "Sous-Vide-Que Ribeye Steak Recipe" method. 131 deg in the sous vide for 1 1/2 hrs and then plunged them in ice and kept in the frig for a few hours before cooking. Cooked at 225 deg until 115 and then seared to 135. They turned out great. My question is: What is the difference in bringing the steaks up to 115 after they've been sous vided (not sure if that's a word) vs bringing them up to 115 from raw?

    #2
    For me it's tenderness. SV produces a more tender and uniform doneness (not sure if that's a word either). Sometimes I prefer a little more "chew" and forego the SV. The differences are pretty subtle for sure, but it is easier to overshoot a traditional method.

    Comment


      #3
      In my opinion, doing a true reverse sear where you bring the raw steak up to 115 before searing gives you a better smoke flavor on the steak than sous vide to 115 and then sear. As CaptainMike mentions, texture can be more tender from a sous vide, but some of that depends on the quality of your meat too. For example, if you sous vide a chuck steak and also do a reverse sear on one, the reverse sear one may be like chewing rubber, whereas the sous vide one will be tender if in the hot tub long enough. On the other hand, a very tender ribeye will be very close either way you fix it.

      Comment


        #4
        Thanks for the comments. Very helpful.

        Comment


          #5
          What is the purpose of ice bath/fridge overnight then essentially reheating the meat by reverse searing? Smoke flavor perhaps? Does the meat taste reheated?

          For most of my sous vided steaks, I give them a short quick dip in an ice bath when the sous vide part is done and then sear on the grill. The short dip in the ice bath is to allow a little more time for a good sear to happen for a good Maillard Meat Moment when eating. Am I missing something flavorwise?

          *************

          P.S. I wrote this and then went to look at the recipe. Here's what Chris Cantwell writes:

          By following the controlled water bath, rapid chill, smoke, and reverse sear method, I was able to create what, according to my wife, was the best ribeye I have ever made at home. So why such a complicated cooking process? The short answer is, you've spent good time and money selecting the perfect steaks so why would you want to muck them up in a rush to make dinner? With a little planning, you can take advantage of the texture and tenderness benefits produced by sous vide while also striking the perfect balance of smoke and color via the reverse sear grilling method. In addition, the rapid chill between those two steps not only make a true reverse sear possible, it also allows you to prep the steaks well in advance then grill and serve when you are ready. Once cooked, finish the steaks with a compound butter or nice olive oil and enjoy the fruits of your labors!

          *************
          I get the fact that it might be convenient to reverse sear on another day while still enjoying the texture of a sous vided steak, but is the taste significantly different? I guess I could give it a try myself, doing a side by side comparison, but I'm too lazy, especially if someone has a definitive answer.

          Kathryn

          Comment


            #6
            fzxdoc - I'm with you. This method makes zero sense to me. If you are going to reverse sear and then direct sear to the same temp or even a higher temp as the original SV, as the OP did, what is the point of the sous vide? At only 1 1/2 hours in the bath, I doubt there is anything more than a negligible impact on the texture.

            And you aren't saving any time or can serve when you want as the reverse sear will still take about the same amount of time as from raw.

            When dealing with steaks, either SV and sear directly, with a 5 min ice bath in the middle if you are worried about overcooking on the sear or reverse sear, otherwise you are being needlessly complicated for an indeterminable (in my mind) benefit

            Comment


              #7
              from another post regarding SV by wcpreston titled - My first Sous Vide experience

              https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ide-experience



              my add was;

              December 3rd, 2018, 06:09 PM

              I've had good success with red meat. The one step I add is an ice bath for about 15 minutes prior to the sear. No chance for it getting past your desired internal target temp. It has worked for me.

              Comment


                #8
                115 from raw is VERY rare, but if you like that, cool. SV cooks them first, and holds them at temp to tenderize.

                When I do the SV-chill-grill, I didn't chill overnight I just chilled for half hr then grilled up to temp. Reason for that is grill flavor. I've taken right from SV bath to hi heat grill, and it wasn't as good IMO.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Huskee View Post
                  I've taken right from SV bath to hi heat grill, and it wasn't as good IMO.
                  I agree. SV to a very hot grill (mine gets 500-600°F plus) does not allow enough time for a good crust to form. But SV with a quick chill and then the super hot grill allows for a great crust and wall-to-wall red (or whatever other color appeals). I just don't get the reason for essentially reheating a steak by SV-chill-fridge overnight-reverse sear.

                  Reverse sear is great, but it bears watching, which is not what I want to do when making steaks for a bunch of folks while trying to get the rest of the meal to come together at the same time. That's the beauty of sous vide. The meat is not the boss of you. When I have guests (or even just family), it's so much easier to sous vide, quick chill, then sear. Rewarming meat on a grill from fridge temps is just not my idea of how to respect the steak.

                  Kathryn

                  Comment


                  • Huskee
                    Huskee commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I agree. I like to front sear steaks & burgers myself. A little less smoke taste, and (to me) easier to slowly rise to finish temp indirectly than race to finish temp while searing. As for fridging overnight then searing, I dunno, unless a person was pressed for time, or maybe it's simply a theoretical "you *could* do this if you wanted".

                  • Henrik
                    Henrik commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I'm with you Kathryn. Putting in the fridge overnight and then reheating, that's called leftovers in my house :-)

                  #10
                  I SV then dry off as much as possible then sear on cast iron skillet or hot grill. When I have time I prefer reverse sear on a grill than SV for steaks. Chicken SV rules.

                  Comment


                    #11
                    Well I guess this is my take on things. When I SV a steak to say 115*, pull it out of the bath immediately and slap it onto a hot sear station or grill, I've found that the temperature rise occurs too quickly prior to the Maillard reactive browning really taking hold the way I like it. In short I tended to over run my 130* target and overcook the outer portion of the steak.

                    To me then doing a flash chill and calming down the proteins a little ("chill proteins"), buys me more time to let it sear the way I want it while maintaining as close as possible that nice pink edge to edge finish inside.

                    Otherwise, I tend to agree, unless timing compels you to do so, cooking via SV, completely chilling, then starting the re-heat process from cold meat seems redundant. Maybe Potkettleblack has some words of wisdom otherwise but I'm sticking with the method above. Works especially great on thick cuts like tri-tip or pichana.

                    Here's an example of a picanha done recently via the method I described. Got a bit of browning on the edges but still done exactly the way we like it .......

                    Click image for larger version

Name:	SV Picanha 03.jpg
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                    Comment


                    • Huskee
                      Huskee commented
                      Editing a comment
                      I think a person could tailor the 'chill level' to the smoke/grill flavor level they're after. The colder the meat after chilling, the longer of course it takes to get back where you want=more grill/smoke flavor. I don't SV steaks often myself (still fan of just grilling the darn things, call me crazy) but in my experiences of varying 'chill' levels, chilled for 30min in ice bath after SVing...

                    • Huskee
                      Huskee commented
                      Editing a comment
                      at 131, puts the steak to ~70 deg, in my experiences with the thickness I used, and then back up to 120-130 was PERFECT for me regarding that grill flavor I was after.

                    #12
                    I generally batch cook steaks and such, shock them and then sear them at a later date.

                    Comment


                      #13
                      Adding a reverse sear after a ice bath and fridge rest can add some smoke flavor (you have cold wet steak) and dries out the surface nicely for the sear.

                      But it I hardly ever do this because the difference isn’t a lot from a plain sear.

                      If your steak is 2” or more, and you want to finish it at a later date, it will still be cold in the center with a fast sear so you could do a reverse sear if you don’t want to warm it up in the SV. That would be a reason for the small smoke flavor advantage.

                      For thinner steaks i just go straight from fridge to sear.

                      Comment


                        #14
                        Well, I'm going to continue to leave the fridge step out unless I have too much steak and want to go the leftover/reverse sear route. I don't usually make batches of protein as Potkettleblack describes, for future lunches or quick dinners. It sure would come in handy for that use, though.

                        For the way I cook, sous vide is convenient enough when guests are expected or when I have to have dinner on the table at a certain time. Sous vide-ing, flash chilling, and then putting in the fridge overnight is not really a timesaver for me in those scenarios. If anything, doing a reverse sear from fridge temps is more time consuming and bears watching while I'm trying to enjoy cocktails with my family/guests.

                        I use the method similar to that described by Troutman: SV then "protein chill" for only about 4-5 minutes if that. Just enough to chill the surface a bit before the sear step. Works for me.

                        Kathryn
                        Last edited by fzxdoc; December 6, 2018, 08:21 AM.

                        Comment


                          #15
                          If I were searing directly from Sous Vide, I would shock as Troutman and Fzxdoc do, dry it hard, sear it, and maybe use some pellets for close proximity smoke flavor if I were so inclined.

                          But really, my best searing comes from my cast iron pan super heated. So if I just want sear, no smoke, I’m not going outside.

                          Comment


                          • EdF
                            EdF commented
                            Editing a comment
                            Spoken like a man who lives in Chicago!

                          • Potkettleblack
                            Potkettleblack commented
                            Editing a comment
                            I’m not one of those "Why do I live where the air hurts my face?" types, but I try not to be outside when the wind is blowing in December, more than I have to be.

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