Sous Vide First attempt at sous vide....

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deker

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So I just fired up my completely ghetto sous vide rig (nope, no pictures...) that I made from a crock pot and an Auber Instruments PID I had lying around.

I figure go big or go home, so for the first run I'm doing short ribs 3 ways. I had 6 ribs in the package so I went with two in each Foodsaver bag. First one has salt, pepper, and garlic. Second is Chili Garlic paste (from the Sriracha folks), cheap-ass soy sauce, and a little sugar. Third is salt, pepper, and pumpkin blossom honey from The Bee Folks.

I'm thinking I'll let these cook until tomorrow night, or possibly Tuesday night, we'll see how patient I am. :lol2: Currently set at 135F and I'll probably bump it up to ~140 about 12 hours before I pull them. the plan is then to finish them in a skillet with a little oil to put a nice crust on the outside. I'll probably stretch these into 3 meals since my wife doesn't care for short ribs. More for me! :D

More in a couple days.....

-d
 
I did my first sous vide yesterday as well! Didn't have a lot of time before service, so I just did some red bliss potatoes with thyme, garlic clove and pork fat in the bag for a steak special we were running. They were awfully good potatoes.
 
I did my first sous vide yesterday as well! Didn't have a lot of time before service, so I just did some red bliss potatoes with thyme, garlic clove and pork fat in the bag for a steak special we were running. They were awfully good potatoes.

What temp and for how long?

-d
 
I believe it was 185 F for 20 minutes. I could be wrong, I don't have my notes in front of me so I cannot be sure. The potatoes were sliced about 1/4" thick. Nice easy thinkg to do because you can do it ahead of time. Cut them out of the bags and cool them, then just heat them up in a cast iron pan with some more pork or duck fat. They get nice and crisp but the inside texture is perfect and they do not break apart.
 
I'm thinking I'll let these cook until tomorrow night, or possibly Tuesday night, we'll see how patient I am. :lol2: Currently set at 135F and I'll probably bump it up to ~140 about 12 hours before I pull them. the plan is then to finish them in a skillet with a little oil to put a nice crust on the outside. I'll probably stretch these into 3 meals since my wife doesn't care for short ribs. More for me! :D

More in a couple days.....

-d

I do my short ribs @ 130* for 3 days or 72 hours for medium rare and they come out perfect!!!:cook:Best of luck with yours, I'm sure you will enjoy them.....
 
Thomas keller recipe ftw!! There's a 48 hr short rib recipe as well I forget which book it's in but I believe it's 135*.

I do most veggies at 185 for about 30-45 minutes depending upon thickness/density. Unless they are like beets or something which take longer.
 
So, my thermocouple/PID were a bit off on temperature (to the low side. verified with a meat thermometer and a candy thermometer), so I bumped things after the first couple of hours and it's been at 135 since. Just about 24 hours in and I'm hungry damnit! :D

-d
 
Totally worth the wait :) We settled on 140 degrees as our temp! We found hat in the 131-137 range it was delicious, but more steaklike than braiselike, anything above 150 seemed a bit much for extended (over 24 hour cooking), and at 140 we got a good compromise between pink and juicy and falling apart tender with the connective tissues gelatinizing in the process! YMMV though, our tests were in no means controlled or scientific. Here is what you can look forward to seeing:
5927160838_040f81fb1f_b.jpg
 
Totally worth the wait :) We settled on 140 degrees as our temp! We found hat in the 131-137 range it was delicious, but more steaklike than braiselike, anything above 150 seemed a bit much for extended (over 24 hour cooking), and at 140 we got a good compromise between pink and juicy and falling apart tender with the connective tissues gelatinizing in the process! YMMV though, our tests were in no means controlled or scientific. Here is what you can look forward to seeing:

I definitely want that collagen conversion and falling apart tastyness, that's my favorite part. Maybe I should bump it up 5 degrees....I hate waiting...

-d
 

I do my short ribs @ 130* for 3 days or 72 hours for medium rare and they come out perfect!!!:cook:Best of luck with yours, I'm sure you will enjoy them.....

we do them at 56 C for 48 hours
 
Pulled at about 50 hours and opened the salt/pepper/garlic and seared them off. Flavor was great, but collagen conversion just wasn't there. Put the other two back in and bumped the temp 10F. Will try again tomorrow. On a good note, the dogs will be getting some great scraps in their bowls tonight! :)

-d
 
I don't mean to hijack this thread but I just started my first batch of sous vide flank stank. My question is that when I'm done cooking with the water bath can I put them straight into the fridge for searing later or do I need to let them come down to room temperature before I stash them in the fridge? Thanks.
 
It is suggested that you let the meat "relax" for 10-15 minutes before you speed chill in an ice bath. At home you are allowed to do whatever you like, but commercially its best to chill as fast as possible after the rest. The less time the meat spends hanging out at hotter temps the longer it will maintain its integrity, or so we are told to believe :p
 
I don't mean to hijack this thread but I just started my first batch of sous vide flank stank. My question is that when I'm done cooking with the water bath can I put them straight into the fridge for searing later or do I need to let them come down to room temperature before I stash them in the fridge? Thanks.


It depends...if you are using zip locks you can go in hot because you are not limiting the oxygen in the bag...if you are sealing with a Vacuum sealer you have to chill your proteins or risk poisioning your guest with botulisum and listeria....with that being said and for the sake of good practice you should always start with cold proteins and always throughly chill cooked product in a ice bath before storage ...I don't have my notes handy or else I would offer you more specific temps
 
Thanks for the info guys. I am using vacuum sealed pouches so I will definitely chill in an ice bath before placing in the fridge.
 
Salty did your local health department get guidelines set up and let you get back to it?
 
So I have to update you guys on my flank steak venture. The flank steak was cooked to perfection (thanks Scotty) and it was absolutely fantastic. Thanks again for the storage info, everything turned out safe and tasty.
 

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