sous-vid-que flank steak for fajitas

[MBMorgan]

PhotoJoseph - Yep. SV at 131 for about three hours then immediately seared with the Searzall torch (didn’t shock). The steak was a USDA prime tenderloin ... used here just to illustrate the result.

[Potkettleblack]

129 is generally safe to whatever length. 127 might be as well. Below that, sub four hour, no storage, for immediate use.

[PhotoJoseph]

Cooled, not shocked. I like the freezer idea. Double whammy.

I am curious about the sub-131 SV. You’re saying go for it, others say it’s not safe. Do you know how long it can be at, say, 125 and still be safe? Because no matter what temp (over 125) you cook anything at, it’ll spend time at 125, so it’s not like that’s a magically unsafe temp.

[PhotoJoseph]

I did all that except the oil… good call.

[PhotoJoseph]

That’s a beautiful hunk of meat. Is that SV’d at 131?? That seems so rare (the way I like it) for 131.

I’ll try the shock. I usually do sear on cast iron, but it’s summer and the grill is going for veggies and I do love the final hit you get from the charcoal grill vs the pan, so I want to do that while I can. I very much understand that the cast iron gets hotter and obviously is a flat surface vs the Weber grill… but damn if I don’t love that charcoal!! Maybe I’ll just go "dirty" again!

[CaptainMike]

Great advice above. One thing I do when searing anything directly after SV is to unbag, pat dry with paper towels then air dry on a wire rack while the gasser is getting the flat GrillGrates ripping hot. Rub down with avocado oil, season, then sear until it gets the crust I want (60-90 seconds per side). Works well for me.

[Potkettleblack]

I didn't mention that I use grill grates flipped to the flat side, which greatly enhances the sear capability of the 330.

[MBMorgan]

SV below 131 deg. F is indeed dangerous. Like you, I've had issues with overdone steak cooked at 131 then seared on my gasser (a Weber EP-330 with sear burner) because, even with the sear station at "warp 10" it takes a little too long to get a nice crust to develop. To combat that, I've been using a Searzall torch attachment that is much hotter than the gasser and am very happy with the results:



Others report similarly successful results by searing in a cast iron skillet or on a griddle.

Shocking prior to searing (as recommended by Potkettleblack ) works well, too.

[Potkettleblack]

"And yes, I did let the meet cool for probably half an hour before throwing it on the grill. "
Cool or did you shock cold?

If it's more done that you want, you should shock in ice water until it is fridge temp.

You could use the freezer trick to dry the surface to give the sear faster.

The problem with flank and skirt for SV then on the grill is that they aren't that thick, so you're going to have a hard time building a nice sear without cooking the interior.

Any rate, my flank method is to salt, bag, cook at 131, shock and fridge. Then, on cook day, remove from bag, unfold, dry with paper towels, season, and sear 1 minute per side, then 30 seconds per side. Produces a nice enough sear. Cut against the grain on the bias, it's great stuff.

As to <129 sous vide. If you are going to cook and then throw on the grill, go for it... 3 hours at 125, dry and sear... it's not pasteurized, but in the carryover it will get food safe.

I don't have a marinade for you. Sorry. I'd just build a sauce for it and call it a day.

[klflowers]

Keep chasing. If you find it, let me know. I been chasing it for years lol.

[PhotoJoseph]

Nice, thanks!

[PhotoJoseph]

It was good… but you know… I want perfection ;-)

[RonB]

I have not tried that recipe, but we love Rachel Ray's recipe. Make sure you fix the onions per her directions - they take the fajitas over the top:

https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipes/22095_skirt_steak_fajitas

[klflowers]

Don't know about the 120 vs 131, but that piece of meat looks pretty darn good to me.

[PhotoJoseph]

Last weekend I did a sous-vid-que that came out great (second time doing this technique), but has room for improvement. I wanted to share and see if anyone else had different ideas, suggestions, and results with this.

To start, I used this Alton Brown recipe for marinade which I’ve been using for years. It’s awesome:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/skirt-steak-recipe/index.html

The recipe/technique is for skirt steak, which is much more expensive, so we usually do it with flank. Incidentally I did actually try his "put it directly on the coals (dirty)" technique once with skirt steak too… turned out nice, but not worth the effort IMHO (and such a waste to fire up coals just for that few seconds of cooking!).

For the sous vide time and temp, I followed the advice in this article here…

https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/sous-vide-que-marrying-grill-and-smoker-sous-vide

…to cook at 131F, because below that is risky. Now, I’ve regularly done steaks (like a thick ribeye) at 120 or 125 for several hours in SV to then finish in the pan, but maybe that’s a bad idea? Cooking in the water at 131 then finishing on the grill made the meat more cooked than I’d like. I want it red and rare; this was pink and cooked more than I want. Mine were in the bath for just a few hours. I know the article above says your can do like 8 hours which will make it really tender; I’m sure it will, but even at 3 it was more tender than not doing the SVQ method. And yes, I did let the meet cool for probably half an hour before throwing it on the grill.

So, comments and questions…

1. Not to question the almighty Meathead and his crack science team, but is doing SV at, say, 120F for a few hours on flank steak really a bad idea? Is there a limit to how long you can cook at that lower temp before things get dangerous?
2. I love my marinade recipe but if anyone has another one they swear by, I’m all ears! Always happy to try something new.
3. Any other suggestions for doing flank steak and making it awesome? I’ve done flank steak just on the stovetop (no sous vide even) many times and it’s great, but doing the SVQ method definitely takes it to a new level.

Thanks, and happy grilling! I believe we’re doing this again tomorrow for a bunch of people. Homemade tortillas and homemade salsa really ties it all together, too ;-)

cheers
-Joseph