Corned beef part 2, the experiment

OK, tried the sous vide thing in the slow cooker this weekend. Cooked it for 15 hours at 165º

The flavor of the corned beef was the best I've ever tasted. But the texture was a little dense, more like pastrami.

This would be perfect for thin slicing for corned beef deli sandwiches, but for ¼ inch slices I think I'd prefer it a little less dense.

Next weekend I am going to try it on my simmer setting (190º+) at around 6 to 8 hours and see if that fixes the texture. Hopefully it will still have that same intense “vacuum-seal” flavor.

Here are some pics.

















More pics and recipe here.

Thanks for the informative post and great photos. Hope your revised method turns out perfect.

Wonderful photos!

190 is close to the target temp for pulled pork, so if that is the texture that you are after that would work.

Looks excellent! Could you do this without a vacuum sealer?

Thanks again for sharing and as always amazing pictures. You have inspired me to not only convince the wife to buy a new camera (Canon T3i purchased last Black Friday) but also work on my overall picture taking skills.

UCChemE05 said:

Looks excellent! Could you do this without a vacuum sealer?

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Yes, ziplock sells a vacuum bag that does not need a vacuum sealer, or you can use a regular ziplock bag and try to force as much air out.

sw2geeks said:

Yes, ziplock sells a vacuum bag that does not need a vacuum sealer, or you can use a regular ziplock bag and try to force as much air out.

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Hold the ziploc upright and then submerge it in a pot of water to push all the air up out of the bag before sealing it. Or use a straw to suck out as much air as you can.

slowtyper said:

Hold the ziploc upright and then submerge it in a pot of water to push all the air up out of the bag before sealing it. Or use a straw to suck out as much air as you can.

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Really cool tips. Don't want to spring for a vacuum sealer right now with all my other purchases.

stereo.pete said:

Thanks again for sharing and as always amazing pictures. You have inspired me to not only convince the wife to buy a new camera (Canon T3i purchased last Black Friday) but also work on my overall picture taking skills.

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The T3i is a great camera, you should have fun with it. My wife has been great with both my camera a knife purchases.

I haven't had corned beef since a traumatic childhood incident with it, but that looks good enough to make me want to try it. Just beautiful photos--and delicious looking, too!

SpikeC said:

190 is close to the target temp for pulled pork, so if that is the texture that you are after that would work.

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+1 Since it looks like you're using the flat of a brisket, and it also looks like you have some collagen in that piece, cooking it to a higher temp may very well give you a softer, more luscious texture.