Sous Vide Cook time for bavette/flap?

A little help please...

I cooked a NY strip loin at 130 F/ 1.5 hours and it came out beautifully. I tried cooking a bavette steak using the same temperature/time, and it came out chewy and flavourless.

Afterwards, I read online that some people extend the cooking time to 24-48 hours for tougher cuts of meat, but isn't that beyond the "safe window" for cooking, so to speak? What would be the ideal temperature/time for medium-rare on tougher cuts like bavette/flap, flank, flat iron, etc.? Or are these cuts best cooked over the grill?

And while I'm here, is it really necessary to sear before SV cooking? I always have, just curious...

I give hangar steak around 6 hours if I'm not pan frying it straight.

I never sear before cooking.

DamageInc said:

I give hangar steak around 6 hours if I'm not pan frying it straight.

I never sear before cooking.

Click to expand...

Good to know I won't die if I triple the cook time. Much obliged!

I've done 10 hour prime rib... 10 hour pork belly and 72 hour beef short ribs.

Provided you are holding at a temp above bacteria killing point (it is a sliding scale, so for instance at 50°C it may need to be there for 5 hours and at 75°C it is instantaneous*)

Also I always sear after SV (reverse sear method).

*note these temps and times are for demonstration only and are not correct. Can't remember the specifics. Also note that for this to work the whole product has to be brought up to the required temp. So at the upper temp you still can't just dunk in and all is ok.

Bacterial kill times do seem to be temp dependent as Alex has suggested.

I did read one Heston beef ribs SV recipee where a "sterilizing" cycle was used. 8 min at (IIRC) 80C at the start of the cook then into cooler (I think 57C) water for the remainder of the cook. Dunno if this is of any benefit or just being cautious. My guess is that given the absence of large numbers of SV related food poioning, probably the latter.

AFAIK a pre-sear or 80C dunk à la Heston is just to pasteurise the surface of the meat as that is where any bacteria are likely to be located. I've done a few 24-36 hr cooks and I've never bothered with it and lived to tell the tale. Even a long cook is going to be near or over 60C and any bacteria are going to be killed instantly or at least long before they have time to multiply to dangerous levels. IMHO.