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To Shock or not to Shock? (Sous-Vide'd Steaks)

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    To Shock or not to Shock? (Sous-Vide'd Steaks)

    Interesting article on shocking SV'd steaks before searing:



    FWIW - We've had great success with method 4.

    Our favorite way to do steaks (1.5-2" thick) is to season them with salt, pepper and a little bit of granulated garlic then get smoke on them for 45-ish mins. I have an old Traeger that I use on the smoke setting to get smoke on the steaks, but not really cook them. The same thing could be done with a smoke tube or a smoker that does a cold smoke. After the steaks are 'cold' smoked, I bag them and put them in the bath. We like medium rare steaks so we do them at 131 for a min of 2 hours and not over 4 hours (time varies with the type of steak-we do rib eyes on the lower end and NY strips on the upper end). After they come out of the bath, I step cool the steaks (10 mins on the counter, 10 mins in cold water, then 30 minutes to an hour in an ice bath. After the step cooling they go in to the fridge until the day we're ready to eat them. We'll re-therm the steaks in a 125 bath for at least an hour. After re-therming, the steaks are removed from the bag, dried, lightly rubbed with some duck fat and then seared on a screaming hot surface. This method has pretty much made us give up on ordering steaks in restaurants and have had friends proclaim these were the best steaks they've ever had.

    #2
    How long do you think they last in the fridge like that?

    Comment


    • T-bone
      T-bone commented
      Editing a comment
      JGo37 based on info I got from the PolyScience Toolbox App, using a 2" thick steak if you SV it at 131 for 3 hours you should have the surface pasteurized and if you leave it for 4.3 hours it should be pasteurized to the core. Assuming that you have pasteurized the steaks, they should be fine in the fridge well over a week. Smarter food science folks on here could answer better on how long it will last, but I've held them for a week and never had any issues.

    • JGo37
      JGo37 commented
      Editing a comment
      thanks - I try to always pasteurize thoroughly...

    #3
    That's way too much trouble.

    1) Season and bag. If you're eating them soon (that night, 1-2 nights later), leave in the fridge. IF eating later, freeze them.
    2) If unfrozen, toss in SV. 1.5" steaks are done in 60 mins, There's no reason for a 2 hour minimum here.
    2a) If frozen, minimum of 90 mins.
    3) unbag, pat dry, re-season ( S&P, Montreal seasoning, etc).
    4) Sear on well-oiled, screaming hot cast iron for 30 seconds a side.

    Serve.

    Comment


    • T-bone
      T-bone commented
      Editing a comment
      I like the smoke flavor that the extra steps give us. But I don't think either way is wrong, bad or better. It's just what you're looking for in the final product. There's been occasions when we didn't have the time and went with an approach similar to what you posted.

    #4
    BTW, I think the linked article makes an assumption that, while true in the realm of theory, is irrelevant in reality, to wit:

    "If you don't shock first, you are adding heat to a protein that is already at its optimum temperature, which means it is going to go higher than the SV-Processed temperature.
    Once you remove the protein from the bath, let them rest at room temperature for up to 10 minutes on a cool surface. Alternatively using ice-cold water from the tap for 5-minutes. This allows the surface to cool somewhat. Doing so prevents the searing process from elevating the internal temperature beyond the original target temperature. Then, you can season, sear and serve.
    If not using right away use ice and water @ 50/50 and refrigerate after cooled sufficiently
    If you sear for some short time like 30 seconds, then, yes, you might raise the temp of the interior of the steak very slightly but a) on a steak of any thickness, like 1.5" or more that will be VERY little and b) no one can tell the difference between a 132F steak and a 133F steak. The point is that you want to do a SEAR. The purpose is just to add a crust to the exterior. If you sear improperly (1.5-2mins per side), you're doing it wrong in the first place.

    To wit...

    If you were to close your eyes, you would most likely not be able to tell which steak you were eating.
    Last edited by rickgregory; February 2, 2020, 01:36 PM.

    Comment


    • Potkettleblack
      Potkettleblack commented
      Editing a comment
      If you like a band of overcooked between the seat and the interior, shocking is not necessary. If you want that surface seat and edge to edge medium rare, shocking is mandatory. Especially if going from Sous vide to screaming hot grill.

      I find I like a bit of grey band from time to time, as it’s what I grew up eating. So no value judgment.

    • rickgregory
      rickgregory commented
      Editing a comment
      I don't care about the aesthetics and usually the band is thin enough that I'm fine with it. In fact, I like the textural contrast, so... yeah.

      If someone else want to do it differently, by all means, go for it. But it's not really that one is better than another, just different, and in a minor key at that.

    #5
    If I am shooting for med rare I sous vide for rare then the sear will bring it up to my desired temp.

    Comment


      #6
      I don’t always shock when going to the grill. I sometimes cook a bit under, like with flank and skirt steaks, and sometimes I just can’t be bothered and want to eat.

      I never let perfection be the enemy of my hunger.

      Comment


      • Troutman
        Troutman commented
        Editing a comment
        I know such a clever boy, I may steal that one too !!

      • klflowers
        klflowers commented
        Editing a comment
        "I never let perfection be the enemy of my hunger." Brilliant.

      • tbob4
        tbob4 commented
        Editing a comment
        Hahahaha. In one sentence you explained why my food photos don’t measure up. I thought it was ADHD!

      #7
      For most steaks I’ll unbag them, pat dry them really well and let them hang out for a few minutes while waiting for the pan or chimney to heat up. I mainly want them to be very very dry on the surface and I suppose they cool just a little.

      then I season if needed and spray on avocado oil. Then blast them with a 600+F surface or a chimney at full light.

      For things where shocking is required, the clinging moisture _can_ be a problem if you aren’t reverse searing them a little first.

      Comment


        #8
        I generally take the steak out of the bag, and let it sit out for a bit while I am finishing up the rest of the meal and then sear. If crunched for time, I've put it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes and that's worked just as well for me. I've done the ice bath, but enjoy my steak to be more warm when actually eating.

        Comment


          #9
          Originally posted by Potkettleblack View Post
          I never let perfection be the enemy of my hunger.
          Click image for larger version

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          Kathryn

          Comment


            #10
            For my two cents worth the reason I like to shock is to do just that, shock the meat proteins, cool and tighten them up. Searing or bark establishing seems to occur for me in a much more controlled fashion. The cooled down interior takes longer to heat up, thus more time to get that deep sear or bark without affecting the wall to wall medium rare finish it took so long to establish in the bath. Avoid the gray I say...avoid the gray !!!!

            But hey that's me....ya'll do what you want.

            Comment


              #11
              I too shock my steaks - or any protein - that I SV. But my reasons are completely different. I am so unorganized that when I pull the meat out of the bath, I am usually not ready to sear. It's like oh heck, I forgot to heat the pan up or start the fire or make the salad...

              Comment


              • Troutman
                Troutman commented
                Editing a comment
                OK fine I'll come clean, I'm unorganizied too

              • tbob4
                tbob4 commented
                Editing a comment
                That is funny. I don’t typically shock but when I do SV a steak it is to give me the time to get everything else in line. Same problem, but in a different order.

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