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Sous Vide? What's the big deal?

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    Sous Vide? What's the big deal?

    I've been curious for quite sometime about why sous vide things seem to be so popular here. It's not a technique that one would expect to see touted on a BBQ site so what's the connection? Seems too close akin to boiling to me so I don't personally see me ever doing it (that and the equipment is expensive) but what's the draw?

    #2
    For me it's the ability to choose medium-rare on normally not so tender roasts, or roasts that I didn't care for the texture simply going medium-rare on the grill or smoker, such as sirloin tip roast and tri-tip. Does great for the finishing touches on pastrami without having to steam. Gives me the absolute best tenderness on baby carrots. The Creme Brule is out of this world. Sous-vide chicken breasts do great for pulled chicken salads.

    I didn't purchase mine it was a Christmas gift.

    Comment


    • Willy
      Willy commented
      Editing a comment
      Ahhh! Creme brulee!

    #3
    For me the convenience of a Sou Vide, can't be beat. And the adventure of mixing BBQ/Grilling with Sou Vide constantly has my mind wandering thru new ideas.

    Comment


      #4
      I bought mine with one intent - to be able to make steaks rare for my son and daughter while also being able to make mine medium rare and my wife's medium-medium well. It has worked like a charm. I can set the steaks low and just touch them to the grill for my son and daughter and know that the meat is safely cooked. I still like the taste of a nicely grilled steak from beginning to end better but my kids prefer Sous Vide because I no longer over-cook their steaks. I have also found that there is nothing better for reheating BBQ. If you told me I could never again use the device for simple cooking but could for reheating, I would still be happy. I will say that it took me a long time to admit that I used the thing for steaks on the site because I thought I would be blasted for it. I found the opposite. As for boiling, although the comparison would seem appropriate because water is the vessel in both, it's not boiling at all. It's a highly controlled cooking medium because the food is in a container. I have never done ribs Sous Vide. However, I wrap my ribs in the BBQ after 3 hours. That creates a very humid environment that tenderizes the ribs and makes them pull back from the bone. Interestingly, that has a "boiling" effect. I unwrap the ribs to firm them up and dry them out to bring them back to the "BBQ" state. I certainly understand why some folks would be philosophically against its use. Heck, I've read where some folks think a water pan is bad and I use them with regularity in my units - I have one that was specially made to be a water pan smoker. The nice thing here is the wide array of vessels, styles and opinions. Where else are you going to find a BBQ site where people actually debate the sourness of bread while also talking about a 24 hour brisket?

      Comment


      • Craigar
        Craigar commented
        Editing a comment
        ribeyeguy that is what grabbed my attention too.

      • Atalanta
        Atalanta commented
        Editing a comment
        Heh, that's what BF is planning. For a dinner party, pre-cook the steaks to the right temperature per person, then re-heat (all can go into same bath then) and sear. We like ours rare and others like them all over the range..

      • hoovarmin
        hoovarmin commented
        Editing a comment
        Just ordered my 1st Sous Vide circulator and am catching up on posts. I can't pass this one by, tbob4 - kids who prefer rare steak? Bravo, sir. You raised them youngins' RIGHT!!!!

      #5
      Ditto for what everyone above said. SV is really convenient and really precise. I've never had a better steak than one done SV and then slapped on screaming hot GrillGrates for 30-45 seconds per side. It's easily the best way I've found to cook chicken breasts that are actually juicy. As tbob4 said, it's unbeatable for reheating Q. It's great for making perfect hard boiled eggs. I use mine to make home made yogurt as well. I wouldn't be without one. The Anova can be found on sale for $99 at times.

      Also realize that you aren't "boiling" the food at all--the food and water never touch.

      Comment


        #6
        Originally posted by SlushDeezey View Post
        I've been curious for quite sometime about why sous vide things seem to be so popular here. It's not a technique that one would expect to see touted on a BBQ site so what's the connection?
        It's about making the food the best it can be. I like to break it down to this: The food doesn't know how you cooked it: it either tastes good or it doesn't. So if you can get the benefits of both bbq and under vacuum cooking, then you will get a superior result.

        Originally posted by SlushDeezey View Post
        Seems too close akin to boiling to me so I don't personally see me ever doing it (that and the equipment is expensive) but what's the draw?
        The only similarity is both use water. Boiling is 212*, sous vide is (for example) 125* for a steak. When you boil you lose all the juices to the water, when you sous vide all the juices are vacuum sealed inside the bag. As for expense, wait until the Anova is on sale for $99 at Amazon. That's about the same as two tanks of gas right now.

        All that being said, I don't use it all that often, because I'm set in my ways. But I'm starting to come around on steaks. A good sous vide'd steak, seared on the grill or in cast iron afterwards, is pretty freakin' amazing.

        Comment


          #7
          I don't own either but gave it serious thought about getting one simply for if I have a big cook let's say 20 steaks they all could be done to different doneness with the exception of the short search meaning no one is really waiting for their meal. Everyone is a happy camper

          Comment


            #8
            It's about the simple repeatability, the ability to make difficult things easy (hollandaise, for instance), the convenience with planning, and the ability to create things that cannot be made any other way (72 h short ribs being a prime example). It's also a low and slow technique, so it fits very nicely with smoking and BBQ.

            Comment


              #9
              I used my for steaks ONLY! I will stick with traditional BBQ...FIRED and SMOKE!

              Comment


                #10
                Okay, so now I am becoming more intrigued. How does one figure out how long to let a chunk of meat sit in the hot tub? Depending on the cut I have seen mentions of an hour to 24 hours? How do you figure out what is going to work with the particular cut you are wanting to sous vide?

                Comment


                • Skip
                  Skip commented
                  Editing a comment
                  I just got my Anova before Christmas but am learning slowly. This AR site has a lot to offer, just ask for advice. For instance a Tri Tip SV'd at 134 for 12 hours and then SEAR. My 5 yr old Grandson said "this is really good". That's all I needed to hear. Good luck.

                • Willy
                  Willy commented
                  Editing a comment
                  For a nice, thick ribeye--two hours tops. I did try SV pork ribs--BBs- and wasn't impressed. I'd be more likely to do "real" Q--even a CrockPot on occasion. I am intrigued by maybe doing tri-tip SV. I am anxious to do Jerod Broussard 's creme brulee!

                • Atalanta
                  Atalanta commented
                  Editing a comment
                  There are charts based on thickness of the meat and doneness. BF likes the one from Chef Steps: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities...perature-guide , I'll more often check out The Food Lab: http://www.seriouseats.com/sous_vide_101

                #11
                An additional comment: I don't see the need for Blue Tooth or WiFi (if that option costs more), but then, I am a geezer who doesn't own a smart phone.

                Comment


                  #12
                  I love gadgets, but I also love the taste of smokey meat. That is the major concern for me. I like the way steaks turn out on the grill using reverse sear. Most of the comments say something like "almost as good as over charcoal the whole time". As seldom as we eat steak now, (not my idea ), I want as much flavor as I can get. However, the idea of being able to cook to an exact temp is very tempting. Especially if I need different temps for different guests.

                  So if I understand the process, I'd Sous vide well done steaks first, then turn the temp down and add the medium steaks, then turn the temp down again for rare and pull them all off at the same time and onto the GrillGrates to sear - correct?

                  Comment


                  • tbob4
                    tbob4 commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I cook all to rare - take them out at the same time and put them on the grill. The rare steaks are simply cooked super fast and the others are cooked longer. It takes about 9 minutes, tops, to go from rare to medium well.

                  • HawksJ
                    HawksJ commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Yes, that's how you cook at different levels of doneness. Start out with the hottest/most well done and cook for an hour or so. Turn the temp down and when it gets there, add your next batch of steaks, and repeat.

                    At the end, remove them all, pat them dry, and brown them up however you like.

                  #13
                  Personally, though I haven't tried it, I'd be inclined to cook all of them at the low setting, pull the rare steak when it's ready, raise to the next level, cook a half hour and pull one, then raise the heat again and finish the well for a half hour Then sear them. Maybe someone with some experience can chime in.

                  Comment


                    #14
                    Originally posted by EdF View Post
                    Personally, though I haven't tried it, I'd be inclined to cook all of them at the low setting, pull the rare steak when it's ready, raise to the next level, cook a half hour and pull one, then raise the heat again and finish the well for a half hour Then sear them. Maybe someone with some experience can chime in.
                    You are correct, Ed. It's much easier and faster to incrementally heat water than it is to incrementally cool it. A half hour when the bath is stable at each incremental temperature should work on steaks. You just don't want to start the timer until then. Holding the pulled steaks might be an issue. Perhaps just toss them (still sealed in the bag) into an ice water bath until it's time to sear them all.

                    RonB , this applies to your question, too.

                    Comment


                      #15
                      RonB I would set the circulator for the for the lowest temp to be served. Pull those that want "more done" first, and put them on the "cool" side of a two zone grill... They'll continue to cook up to well done if need be. (shudder LOL) When those are about ready to be blasted with HIGH heat (read: seared) pull the lower temp steaks. That way they are all "finished" at the same time, and everyone gets served with the steak cooked to their choice. And everything from well done to rare can be done this way if needed.
                      Last edited by surfdog; February 1, 2017, 03:11 PM. Reason: Spelling errors.

                      Comment


                      • ribeyeguy
                        ribeyeguy commented
                        Editing a comment
                        That's the way I envision it.

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