Immersion circulator and steak

Doesn't sous-vide take a long time to complete?

Question: I like my steak medium rare.

Why do I want the temperature to be the same throughout? What's the difference? More red area?

Gooch1034 said:

You can bring the temp of meat up to 130 on a grill without cooking the outside. The heat just wont be as consistent(it will take longer) as circulating water and doing it on the grill causes the surface of the meat to dry which is ideal for searing anyway. If anything is cooking well-done, it would happen during searing if you leave it on too long. Same for sous-vide. Grill vs skillet searing is the next varying result.

Sous-vide is simpler but all I was ever saying was you can reverse sear on a grill and how its done.

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I never said you couldn't bring the temp of the meat up to 130 on the grill. However, I did say that the meat itself would not all be at 130 all the way through due to the fact that the temperature is significantly higher than 130 (at least 200 and that's on the conservative side). I don't care how good you are, if you are cooking something at 200 or higher, there is no way the meat will cook the same all the way through to the exact same doneness throughout the meat. Like I said, it can come close, but it will not be all the same.

FaCe-LeE-uS said:

Doesn't sous-vide take a long time to complete?

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About an hour and a half for steak and 2 hours for chicken. However, all you have to do is put it in and set a timer. I usually just put it in when I get home and it's ready at supper time.

4down20 said:

Question: I like my steak medium rare.

Why do I want the temperature to be the same throughout? What's the difference? More red area?

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You want it the same all the way throughout because then it's the same texture all the way through. If you cook your steak other ways, the center of your steak will be medium rare, but as you get closer to the outside of the steak, the more done it will be. Having it the same temperature all the way through means you have the same texture, that melt in your mouth like butter texture.

I've had some damn good steaks prepared sous vide, but honestly, I see it as a soulless way to cook. That's just my two cents.

nolehusker said:

I never said you couldn't bring the temp of the meat up to 130 on the grill. However, I did say that the meat itself would not all be at 130 all the way through due to the fact that the temperature is significantly higher than 130 (at least 200 and that's on the conservative side). I don't care how good you are, if you are cooking something at 200 or higher, there is no way the meat will cook the same all the way through to the exact same doneness throughout the meat. Like I said, it can come close, but it will not be all the same.

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That's where we are disagreeing. You CAN get a grill down to 200 or less. Just not the entire grill. The cover doesn't have to stay closed to reach 130. Its not going to be exactly as perfect as sous-vide but that's obvious but IMO its the next closest thing.

I would think that a sous-vide well-done steak would be much more tender/juicy than pretty much any other way of cooking. Also, cooking with the steak in a vacuum like that has to mean the flavor from the seasoning goes much deeper than traditional ways. Ideal for a huge porterhouse for sure.

Gooch1034 said:

That's where we are disagreeing. You CAN get a grill down to 200 or less. Just not the entire grill. The cover doesn't have to stay closed to reach 130. Its not going to be exactly as perfect as sous-vide but that's obvious but IMO its the next closest thing.

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I've got Weber's flagship gas grill that has a smoker box with a dedicated burner. I actually use it to smoke salmon - with the far left grill burner and the smoker box burner (far right) both set on low, I can maintain 170 degrees in the center of my grill for hours.

SlinkyRedfoot said:

I've got Weber's flagship gas grill that has a smoker box with a dedicated burner. I actually use it to smoke salmon - with the far left grill burner and the smoker box burner (far right) both set on low, I can maintain 170 degrees in the center of my grill for hours.

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Damn good grill to hold consistent like that. I'm sure anyone who lives near you when smoking/grilling is extra neighborly when you fire that thing up!

Gooch1034 said:

Damn good grill to hold consistent like that. I'm sure anyone who lives near you when smoking/grilling is extra neighborly when you fire that thing up!

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It sounds crazy, but some folks went in together and bought the grill for me as a present. A damn nice present.

Honestly, when I heard it was a Weber, I was kind of disappointed because I wasn't sure of the Weber brand. I knew they were the kings of the kettle grills, but I didn't know much about their gas grills.

I've cooked on my share of high-end grills and I have to tell you, I would not trade a single one of them for my Weber. Seems to me like Weber took their kettle grill fortunes and dumped it into gas grill R&D. Some of it's features are just amazing.

Gooch1034 said:

Damn good grill to hold consistent like that. I'm sure anyone who lives near you when smoking/grilling is extra neighborly when you fire that thing up!

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And, yes, I get a lot of "gottam, what were you cooking last night?" comments.

SlinkyRedfoot said:

It sounds crazy, but some folks went in together and bought the grill for me as a present. A damn nice present.

Honestly, when I heard it was a Weber, I was kind of disappointed because I wasn't sure of the Weber brand. I knew they were the kings of the kettle grills, but I didn't know much about their gas grills.

I've cooked on my share of high-end grills and I have to tell you, I would not trade a single one of them for my Weber. Seems to me like Weber took their kettle grill fortunes and dumped it into gas grill R&D. Some of it's features are just amazing.

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Wow you cant beat that present! Best thing about a grill like that is you know right away if you have a good or bad one. Its not easy to find a good grill these days unless you spend top dollar.

Gooch1034 said:

That's where we are disagreeing. You CAN get a grill down to 200 or less. Just not the entire grill. The cover doesn't have to stay closed to reach 130. Its not going to be exactly as perfect as sous-vide but that's obvious but IMO its the next closest thing.

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Well, I was thinking more along the lines of the air in the grill, not just the grate itself.

However, I thinking were saying the same thing, just differently.

nolehusker said:

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of the air in the grill, not just the grate itself.

However, I thinking were saying the same thing, just differently.

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Yeah if you want it rare, you have to keep the lid open. Also to keep the grate from getting too hot, you remove one between the hot and cool side so heat transfer doesn't over cook your meat. A lot of shit to have to deal with but without an immersion circulator, its the next best way.

Wow. Not sure how I missed this thread.

I have had a sous-vide for about 6 years now. First I had the Sous Vide Supreme but last year I moved on to the Anova mostly for space considerations.

Gooch is certainly right that you CAN cook a protein to be cook all the way to the proper temp on the grill but it actually takes longer than a sous vide does since air has a much worse convection rate than water. You also really need to keep an eye on the temp.

I've cooked just about every kind of protein you can think of using the sous vide and it really is pretty remarkable how good the food comes out. Lots of people start off cook thick cut steaks but I find that, while very good, the payoff isn't nearly as good with a steak as it is with other proteins. A few examples.

1. Chicken breast - A complete game changer. It is like an entirely new protein unrelated to traditionally cooked chicken. Not only is it extremely moist but the texture is far less stringy which gives a vastly better mouth feel. Chicken breast needs to be cooked a little longer than just cooking to temp. I find your standard breast should be cooked about 90 minutes to ensure it is properly pastuerized. I recommend organize chickens.

2. Swordfish - I generally have loathed swordfish for most of my life. Dry, chalking and flavorless. Sous Vide swordfish is an entirely different concept. The sous vide is excellent for all seafood but swordfish really stands out. Monkfish is another big winner. Fish just needs to be cooked to temp so it takes about 30 minutes.

3. Pork Chop/Loin - Once again, so much juicier than traditional methods.

4. Short rib - Long and slow. 2 days at 130 degrees. Comes out looking red and juicy but super tender.

I've tried brisket and I've found a lot of variability based on the specific cut. It can range from very good to ok. Pork Belly comes out fine but I don't think it is necessary. Octopus and squid come out great and simplify the cooking process. Eggs are great as well if you like poached. Lots of variations on cook times.

SlinkyRedfoot said:

I've had some damn good steaks prepared sous vide, but honestly, I see it as a soulless way to cook. That's just my two cents.

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I was given an Anova sous vide machine for Christmas. Left it in the box for nearly two weeks thinking I was going to return it. After a fair amount of research I decided to keep it. I cooked a couple of steaks in it Tuesday night. Pretty damn good.

While I still am not sold on its artistic merits, it's definitely a useful enough tool to be in any serious home cook's arsenal.

Pretty much any dickbag could cook a steak perfectly with this thing, so I value the ability to make a damn good steak with a grill or pan more so than this, but it's a pretty neat deal.

One thing I'm pretty sure it will help me achieve: true pittsburg rare on a filet. I do believe I'll have to use a pan and a torch, but it will finally get the results I've been seeking from my kitchen. A charred crust with a truly rare inside from edge to edge.

speaking of torches, I've always used the standard deal from Berzomatic in my kitchen, but I've recently heard about a searzall attachment. Anyone have any experience with one of these?

FWIW,

I'm looking forward to trying the following with the sous vide:

pittsburgh rare filets

chicken wings - I've heard these are amazing if you flash fry them afterwards

brisket - it'll spend a couple hours smoking on my grill after the water

SlinkyRedfoot said:

FWIW,

I'm looking forward to trying the following with the sous vide:

pittsburgh rare filets

chicken wings - I've heard these are amazing if you flash fry them afterwards

brisket - it'll spend a couple hours smoking on my grill after the water

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Wings are ALWAYS amazing when you "pre-cook" them in a way...either sous vide or poach in a flavorful broth and then fry them...