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Sous Vide Steaks Question

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    Sous Vide Steaks Question

    A local restaurant this weekend is having a steak flight. They are advertising try our 4 steaks we serve sous vide to a perfect medium with sides for each steak. It’s Filet, NY Strip, Delmonico and Flat Iron. They are not advertising the price so I’m sure it’s gonna be a bit pricy.

    I had a friend ask a few of us if this is something we wanted to do and I volunteered myself to do it for cheaper and at my house. It will probably be 4 couples so I figured about 6 pounds of meat will be good since I’ll be making sides and such.

    I’ve sous vide a steak or 4 in my time but I’m no expert with it.

    My questions are as follows for any seasoned pros out there.

    Are the 4 steaks the restaurant serving the best choices to do? Is there a steak you would swap out for one that is listed?

    What thickness should I have each steak cut. I plan on searing them with charcoal on my Weber Kettle when they are done? Or would you suggest searing them on my Blackstone.

    How long and what temp should I sous vide each cut. I plan serving each cut of beef at the low end of Medium.

    How should I season the steaks. Should it be before I sous vide them or after and before I sear.

    Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks

    Steve

    #2
    The steaks the restaurant chose are all traditionally served boneless. That is why they make sense for sous vide.

    Your thickness will determine your cooking time. I find that inch thick steaks are done in an hour.

    For the low end of medium, you want to cook them at 140 or 141 F.

    For seasoning, I would dry brine the steaks ahead of time as usual. I would add whatever other spices or rub you choose after they are out of the water, i.e. before searing.

    I generally sear sous vide steaks on my gasser, so whatever you pick will be fine.

    Relax, this will be fun.

    Comment


      #3
      Searing first...

      How you sear affects the doneness of the meat. I think you really want to sear at very high heat for around 30-60 seconds per side.. IF you want that edge to edge doneness thing. I'd thus sear on the Blackstone unless you feel you could get the kettle super hot, with something like a Vortex.

      If you sear for longer per side, you end up with a grey band and potentially overcooking the steak.

      I'd do this: Dry brine and vacseal them the night before the SV or the day before... 12-24 hours or so, basically). SV to 138-140 for about 90 minutes. Shock in an ice bath, toss them in the fridge. You could do this 2 or 3 days before too.

      The day of the meal, heat a water bath to 120F or so. About 30 minutes before you want to sear, put the steaks in the bath. This warms them so you don't have a hot, seared exterior and a cold interior. Then sear over very high heat for ~60 seconds per side.

      Why do them beforehand? Two reasons:

      First, you won't be fussing over the SV during this party. It lets you spend time with people.

      Second, it avoids overshooting the temp. If you pull them at 135-140F and sear soon after, it's easy to overshoot the temp you want. If you have done them to 135-150 they're already on the low side of medium and the SV is just to get them warm (which is why you only do them to 120 or so - more headroom).

      Finally, thickness. I'd do 1.5 to 2 inches. Not thicker. Not thinner.
      Last edited by rickgregory; April 22, 2022, 05:10 PM.

      Comment


      • fzxdoc
        fzxdoc commented
        Editing a comment
        Thanks rickgregory for the additional information. If you've ever tasted that unpleasant leftover flavor in meats(which the Modernist Cuisine site says is from the fats having gone off) you'll know why I do my best to avoid it. Not everyone (like my husband) is as sensitive to it as I am, so perhaps it's a gene thing like with cilantro.

        K.

      • rickgregory
        rickgregory commented
        Editing a comment
        fzxdoc - yeah i know what you mean. This SE article implies is should exist in any cooked food and get worse over time but they also talk about vacuum sealing minimizing it. https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-...r-chicken-meat

      • fzxdoc
        fzxdoc commented
        Editing a comment
        Wow, that's a really good article, rickgregory . Thanks so much for the link.

        K.

      #4
      Ya need a ribeye in there. Maybe switch it with the flatiron?

      Comment


      • Murdy
        Murdy commented
        Editing a comment
        Some people use Delmonico to refer to a Rib-eye. In any event, those would be similar, and I'd swap it out with that if Rib-eye wasn't intended by Delmonico (there's a little imprecision in the terminology).

      #5
      Why would anyone take a filet to medium?

      Comment


      • Murdy
        Murdy commented
        Editing a comment
        I imagine the restaurant is doing it because they are not cooking the steaks to order and are aiming for something in the middle that most people would not object to, and possibly cooking them en masse in the same cooker. At home, you don't have to take this into consideration.

      #6
      If you are doing all steaks, the minimum time you need is how long it’ll take the thickest steak to reach temp. But the beauty of SV is you have quick a big window. If you have steaks that vary from 1 inch to 2 inch thick, give yourself 90 mins or so but you can leave it in there for a few hrs before you start getting negative impacts

      Always sear post SV otherwise you’ll get an unappealing look and no crust. I like to pat dry and let sit on a wire rack for 10 min to dry off. Then 2-3 min sear total and you should be golden. I’d probably lean towards the Blackstone unless you go afterburner on the kettle. I love the crust a griddle or cast iron skillet gives.

      As far as the cuts, that’s all preference. I’d personally go for a strip, ribeye, hanger and maybe a flatiron. I don’t find filets all that enjoyable to eat
      Last edited by shify; April 22, 2022, 07:14 PM.

      Comment


        #7
        Medium? Why? Why? Crime against cows.

        Comment


          #8
          I think rickgregory has nailed if you want to cook all of the steaks the day before and reheat to serve.

          if you want to do this the day of, I’d sous vide at 129 for 90 minutes, pat dry, season, then sear to take you to medium range. If you are skipping the fridge overnight, you’d want to sous vide at a lower temp to ensure you don’t overcook it. Otherwise, you are starting with meat at 135 and taking it higher. After a lot of trial and error, I’ve found this approach works best for me.

          Comment


          • rickgregory
            rickgregory commented
            Editing a comment
            ^ this for same day cook.

          #9
          One of the great things about Sous-Vide is you can get just about any cut of meat tender, but let's say you decide on a NY Strip. I have had great success with a 1-1/2 to 2 inch thick strip steak at 125 to 130 for 90 minutes, pat dry, then to the "afterburner" (charcoal chimney method) on my Weber Kettle grill for the sear.

          Comment


            #10
            Well..i SV to 127-129 as i prefer mr to m, especially for prime beef. Flat iron? Seriously, a ribeye would be a huge improvement but prime beef critical. I salt before SV. Your reAL choice is how to sear. I dont think the blackstone is a good choice. I would go CI ripping hot or over a charcoal chimney. This makes a nice show as others unlikely to have seen it. I like thick steaks but 1.5” is plenty…i prefer 2”. Have fun

            Comment


              #11
              1. Delmonico? What are they calling a Delmonico?

              2. Perfect medium is an oxymoron.

              Comment


              • RogueCookers
                RogueCookers commented
                Editing a comment
                I believe a Delmonico steak is a coined named after a restaurant of same name in New York. It refers to a THICK cut of steak from the rib or short loin and is commonly a ribeye or NY or KC Strip.

              • Murdy
                Murdy commented
                Editing a comment
                In some areas, the term is used nearly interchangeably with Rib-eye.

              • Bkhuna
                Bkhuna commented
                Editing a comment
                Murdy - In the USDA Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications, the only mention of the word Delmonico is in reference to Chuck the chuck eye roll.

                Delmonico like many other cuts is a retail or restaurant term. It really has no definition and if you read 20 web sites, they will all cut and paste the same phrases.

              #12
              Yes, the rib-eye is sometimes called the Delmonico, named for the nineteenth-century New York City restaurant that served it.
              The rib-eye consists of two very different muscles: the loin, also called the longissimus dorsi, or "eye," and the cap, also called spinalis dorsi or "deckle". It is the most marbled and flavorful meat on the entire animal.

              Comment

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