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But...WHY for a home cook?

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    But...WHY for a home cook?

    I understand sous vide...I really do...and have used it more than once...
    And in a commercial/catering setting it can truly be a godsend.
    Need to get those 300-odd steaks grilled on less grill space than would be available to normally pull that off under absurd time restraints? Yep...I get it. Been there, done that. And sous vide can save the day!

    ​But I guess I'm not grasping the reason why a home cook would par-cook meats in this instance...and then smoke it anyway... I guess, if it was ONLY going to be grilled for "colour" & final texture...it MIGHT make some sense.
    Perhaps.
    But not really. :-/

    Sous vide steak? I don't get it. Steaks don't take hours. And most decent grills can handle a few steaks.
    Sous vide eggs? Really?! How many eggs are you prepping? O_o

    For larger cuts (brisket et al) just put it on the smoker and let it go...either way we're looking at hours. HOURS!

    Colour me a fairly confused chef.
    So yeah... WHY would a home cook turn to sous vide?
    Perhaps I'm missing something. Enlighten me.

    #2
    Maybe they can't hold a temp on their equipment? Maybe it's too much to hold a low temp given the quality of the outdoor gear? It's a fad for home cooks? Maybe after the long hours it's cooks better then they do? Sorry Chef, that's all I got. I cook my chicken in cast iron or outside.

    Comment


      #3
      surfdog - I fully understand what you are saying, but I will admit that I'm a convert for certain meats. I can cook the best short ribs using Sous Vide. Every time I cook them on my smokers or grills, the end up drier than I would prefer. With Sous Vide, I can get the perfect consistency and have everyone drooling over the flavor and texture.

      I've also found that I can cook an incredible Tri-Tip using a combination of Sous Vide and my grill. Admittedly, I prefer to cook a tri tip the whole time on the grill, but the sous vide helps me nail the temp and tenderness every time.

      As a home cook, sous vide helps provide consistency. My heart is still with spending the time outside on the grill.

      Comment


        #4
        For me it is texture. No matter how low and slow I do Tri-tip and slice across the grain, can't stand the texture. Sous vide takes care of that...EASY.

        Chicken for salads. Your not getting that texture anywhere else.

        Sirloin Tip Roast. Same as Tri-tip I sous vide all of it.

        Pre-tenderizing pastrami before the smoke works well. Some of the finished product vacuum sealed waiting to be reheated in the sous vide.

        I have a pit that has been holding steady at 244-246 for 2 hours, has not come off of 244 for the last hour. Another holding steady at 223-225 for 1 hour. Only one has a temp controller that is electric, so temp maintenance has never been a real problem for me leading up to the sous vide.

        Where I don't like sous vide.

        On a ribeye, to me, if I can't indirect or direct it on the grill, I won't bother. I don't get to buy Prime, but some really good Choice make their way in the house occasionally.

        Next up, tough catfish filet. I don't have time to cook in a white gravy like my dad, and I'd rather sear quick on the grill in my new fish basket.

        Comment


          #5
          Wow, my mind just ran. I have 7.5 lbs pastrami in the fridge/brine. Never thought of that. I'm in SoCal so I never considered tri tip any other way. Hmmm....

          Comment


            #6
            I don't know what I am missing.

            Comment


            • boftx
              boftx commented
              Editing a comment
              What do you consider way too expensive? We have them here all the time at about $6 per pound for choice. I can get prime for a bit more at the butcher shop. I was checking prices today and boneless short ribs were more expensive than tri tip.

            • Huskee
              Huskee commented
              Editing a comment
              boftx see the above comment^.

            • boftx
              boftx commented
              Editing a comment
              OMG!!! Move to Vegas!

            #7
            And FYI* I tried sous vide before I received a circulator as a gift and I don't have the disposable income to partake in fads.

            Comment


            • Darchie03
              Darchie03 commented
              Editing a comment
              I'm on SS so I have the same problem with disposable funds, it's taken me all most 2 years on my COS & the mods.
              Dave

            #8
            Jerod Broussard said it, texture. I've enjoyed playing with different textures and doneness on multiple cuts of meats.

            The other thing for me is convenience. It has replaced using a slow cooker many of times and provided the Fam with better meals. Throw a tri-tip or large flank steak in it and walk away. Come back and all you have to do is sear. If your day gets away from you for a while, an extra hour or two on the tri-tip is nothing. Still just come home and sear. Can't do that on any outside gear I know of.

            Comment


              #9
              I can not naysay that SV can produce good results, I am sure that I have had many a steak at various dinners that have been prepared that way and will have many more. But I am not prepared to say that cooking with water is the same as cooking with smoke, nor will I say that it tastes the same.

              Meat was meant to be kissed by fire, bathed in smoke. Let the English boil their beef. At least they can always use the (copious amounts of) leftovers for shoe leather.

              Comment


                #10
                Sous Vide eggs... Poaching an egg for most home cooks is not an easy task. Poaching a dozen eggs for a family breakfast of eggs Benedict would be completely overwhelming for a home cook.

                Sous vide style you drop in a dozen eggs, shell on, at 167° for 15 minutes and you have PERFECT poached eggs. Prepare your English muffin, crack the egg open and out drops a fantastic poached egg.👍
                Attached Files
                Last edited by Breadhead; May 20, 2016, 10:58 PM.

                Comment


                • Fine Swine
                  Fine Swine commented
                  Editing a comment
                  That looks incredible!😋

                • surfdog
                  surfdog commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Looks great, but as a chef I would say those are coddled eggs and not poached. ;-)

                  I do see your point, and poaching eggs is a bit of an art...and witchcraft. LOL And, cooking for a crowd is where I think it makes great sense...as I said in the first post and it can be a game changer with groups.

                #11
                If you're having a party and you're going to serve a large hunk of meat like a beef tenderloin. Sous vide it to 130° for 4 or 5 hours or overnight.

                Then after your guests arrive and you've greeted them, served cocktails, you let them watch their dinner being seared. You spend more time entertaining your guests and you're not trapped to the grill for an hour.

                I did this chateaubriand sous vide style...
                Attached Files
                Last edited by Breadhead; May 20, 2016, 11:12 PM.

                Comment


                • Breadhead
                  Breadhead commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thank you fzxdoc ...

                  The Bernaise sauce gave it an added boost in flavortown too.😋

                • gcdmd
                  gcdmd commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Was that for two, Breadhead ? ;-)

                • Breadhead
                  Breadhead commented
                  Editing a comment
                  No... That was my plate but there were 4 people dining.😋

                #12
                Bottom line... Tri-Tip is just much better and more tender when done Sous Vide style. You can sear it in less than 10 minutes.😎

                Comment


                • Breadhead
                  Breadhead commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thank you ecowper ... Not bashing a fellow Pit members chosen method is what has made the Pit inhabital for ALL. I wish everyone in the Pit would follow your lead.👌

                • ecowper
                  ecowper commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Unless you boil the ribs. If you do that, all bets are off. :-)

                • Breadhead
                  Breadhead commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Boiling Ribs 30 days after joining the Pit is grounds for non-renewal of your membership.😆

                #13
                Originally posted by boftx View Post
                I can not naysay that SV can produce good results, I am sure that I have had many a steak at various dinners that have been prepared that way and will have many more. But I am not prepared to say that cooking with water is the same as cooking with smoke, nor will I say that it tastes the same.

                Meat was meant to be kissed by fire, bathed in smoke. Let the English boil their beef. At least they can always use the (copious amounts of) leftovers for shoe leather.
                This is exactly my question. If a potentially delectable cut of meat is pre-cooked SV style and then only seared on the grill, where is the smoke flavor?

                For example, I just did a chateaubriand a few weeks ago and could definitely taste a nice light smoke flavor after its 1hr 45 minute trip to the PBC followed by a sear. The tenderloin does not have a lot of flavor so I smoked a few sacrificial sausages, poked in a few places so that their dripping fat and juices helped take the tenderloin all the way to flavortown.

                I can't see how I would accomplish that flavor profile with the Sous Vide/Sear method.

                Ditto with a tri-tip. Its sojourn in the PBC adds a bit more flavor to an already flavor-packed cut. Never had a problem with toughness or a dried out cut. Maybe I've just been lucky.

                Kathryn

                Comment


                • Breadhead
                  Breadhead commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Flavortown is in the seasoning you add to the Sous Vide bag you pack the meat in. Plus the rub you apply before the searing process. Morton's a famous high end Steakhouse that serves some of the best tasting steak in the country... Cooks on a gas grill, no charcoal.

                • Danjohnston949
                  Danjohnston949 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks Kathryn, I'll ask The Boss, I just didn't want to bother him whe He is Attempting to Civilize
                  Saskatoon! BTW a 100 Yrs Ago when I was 23-30 I traveled The SE extensively as a District Mgr selling Forestry Products! NC particularly the Western side is Absolutely Georgeous! Dan

                • Breadhead
                  Breadhead commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Dan the Man... I spent about 10 days in HighPoint, NC every April and October for about 35 years. Yes NC is a beautiful State.👍

                #14
                Originally posted by fzxdoc View Post
                This is exactly my question. If a potentially delectable cut of meat is pre-cooked SV style and then only seared on the grill, where is the smoke flavor?
                ​I can say that I'm still able to get enough char and wood smoke on the tri tip to capture the flavor everyone loves. The best part is the texture and the fact the whole cut is perfect medium rare.

                Too bad we all can't gather and do a blind taste test. I really believe the results would surprise many people. Believe me, I get the apprehension. I felt the same way at first.

                Comment


                • fzxdoc
                  fzxdoc commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks, Paul Morrison , for that insight. I'm still planning on borrowing a friend's Anova for a weekend to play with it. Maybe then the lightbulb will really go on for me.

                • MBMorgan
                  MBMorgan commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Kathryn ( fzxdoc ) - when you're experimenting with the Anova, ChefSteps advises to avoid salt (can cause mushiness) and EVOO (can impart a metallic taste) during long sous vide cooks. For short ones, I've had no problem with either.

                • fzxdoc
                  fzxdoc commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks for the tips, MBMorgan . Duely noted.

                #15
                Sous vide has its benefits, in addition to those described above, and they all apply to the home cook. Other methods share some of these, but not all at once. It's not a replacement for all methods of cooking. It's a tool that makes some of your cooking better, as needed. And no, I wouldn't think of using it exclusively instead of my grill or KBQ. It just makes it easier to get the results I want, both with steaks and with long cook cuts.
                • Predictable: Using the same temperatures and times on the same cut of meat will yield the same results, whether you're cooking for one person or twenty
                • Precise: temperatures are generally held within 0.1 or 0.2 degrees
                • Safe: because of the precision, it is very easy to know you've pasteurized foods, even at extremely low temperatures
                • Flexible: if you need an extra hour or two before you can eat, just leave it in the bath and the results will still be the same
                • No involvement: You don't really need to do anything while it cooks - relax, run errands, prep/cook something else
                • Easy setup: add water to bath, preheat bath, drop bag in bath
                • Easy cleanup: recycle bag, dump water bath
                • Efficient: extremely low operational electricity cost, compared to cost of charcoal, wood, gas, electric oven
                • Unaffected by weather: doesn't matter if it's blazing hot or freezing outside, you're not out in it
                • Doesn't take experience to get it right every time

                Not so great:
                • It's terrible for crunchy/crispy textures, browning, and smoky flavor. So if you're talking about meat, you'll want to also incorporate another method, but for a much shorter time than usual.
                • No aroma to get you hungry.
                • You can't overcook (by temperature) meat with sous vide, but you can over-tenderize. If you cook meat too long (this takes many, many hours), instead of turning into a brick, it goes mushy. Although with a grill or oven you can both oveheat and turn it into a brick.

                Other random thoughts:
                • No need to wonder if food is overdone or underdone - no need to cut it open to check - no compromising.
                • You can space out the cook process for easier prep and time management, even over a couple of days - seal one day and refrigerate or freeze, days/weeks later you can sous vide cook in the bag. Ice, then refrigerate for a couple of days, then pull back out and reheat briefly in the bath again. Finish it in a pan or on the grill when ready to eat. Crazy convenient.
                • Easy to safely pasteurize pre-ground burgers or pre-tenderized cuts (a la Costco and their love for Jaccard) to rare or medium-rare, and then put a crust on them with some heat.
                • Great way to reheat leftovers without losing any moisture or changing the flavor. Seal them, then reheat in the bath.
                • You can pasteurize raw eggs in the shell and still use them like raw eggs.
                • It's easy to seal and cook per-person portions, and then just cook what you need.
                • Not related to meat, but eggs, custards (creme brulee and ice cream), and yogurt all turn out perfect every time with sous vide - regardless of how big of a batch you're making.

                Comment


                • fuzzydaddy
                  fuzzydaddy commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Excellent information. Thank you.

                • Breadhead
                  Breadhead commented
                  Editing a comment
                  @badfOOd ... Well said?👍

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