Whats cooking? **** Making something fine and fancy?** Just plain good? Show us!

[ptolemy]

FirstLight Farms American Wagyu Steak. 100% grass fed. Great minerality with the wonderful flinty grey stone mineral notes, richness, but completely absent of the typical mutton taste profile of any grass fed and finished animal. This was truly an epic steak experience. I haven't had pleasant experiences in the past with pure grass fed beef, but I do want to push myself, since it's better in terms of agriculture and resource utilization versus grain-fed (which I love). This steak was still well marbled, but perhaps more coarsely marbled than the upper echelon of grain finished prime grade beef I'm more accustomed to.

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No trimming required, just seasoned with Killer Hogs Steak Rub generously, then stored in the fridge for about 8 hours with one turn in the middle. I wasn't concerned about any evaporation at this time, and actually welcomed it.

Cooked sous vide at 130 degrees for 90-ish minutes, then removed and rubbed with a special steak blend (for color appearance and flavor) of equal parts sugar, sweet Hungarian paprika and mono-sodium glutamate. A very important approach is to sprinkle whatever rub and flavoring spices in a consistent, delicate manner. Not missing the thick, nearly 2 inch sides either.

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I pre-heated my Grill-Grates on my crappy apartment electric stovetop, and seared the steak after sprinkling a light coating of the rub noted above, mainly for color. If you pay attention to most YouTube videos of fancy steak preparation, you end up with a steak that has nice sear marks, but a very pale and unappetizing color between. I chose to fix that flaw by adding a last minute rub that would rapidly develop beautiful dark brown maiiard compounds, using simple sugar, paprika and MSG for color and flavor intensity. I'd encourage you to try this.

Served with a 2015 Haut-Medoc Bordeaux wine, this is likely the finest steak I've ever consumed, and I've been dry aging steaks for many, many years. This steak was close to 70 ounces, so there's no chance I'll finish it in one setting. I'll save the other half and cook it a tad further in the next few days.

This steak is incredibly rare. But it's delicious and intensely flavored and tender. It'll survive re-heating down the line. But if it were a smaller steak, I'd target 135ºF which will yield more pink, less translucent garnet color. I personally tend to prefer the later, with a bit more development and less rareness.

BTW, this is one of the best bang-for-the buck Bordeaux wines I've come across for quite some time.

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Nice write up. I do have a question. It looks to me that it's basically raw on the inside (perhaps weird camera color). I think 90min is likely just not enough to get to the your target temp? If you took it from fridge to the bath, you probably needed 3hrs to get it to 130f inside. It may have remained below 100f.

But, what a beast at 70oz!

 

[Kgp]

Perfect day for soup. You know it has to be good with whole stick of butter and a pound of Velveeta "cheese"!

 

[big_adventure]

Perfect day for soup. You know it has to be good with whole stick of butter and a pound of Velveeta "cheese"!
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What knife is that in the photos?

 

[Kgp]

What knife is that in the photos?

It's one that Taylor Edgington made. One of my favorites. He does great work for the money.

 

[big_adventure]

It's one that Taylor Edgington made. One of my favorites. He does great work for the money.

That is what it looked like, based on other photos, and that's what I hoped you would say. I'm happy about that, as he's making one for me soon.

 

[rgriffeath]

Having some fun with my riff on Super Bowl wings this year

Iranian Fesenjan inspired Sticky Pomegranate and Black Pepper Wings

And

Vietnamese Sticky Fish Sauce Wings With finished with Peanuts, Cilantro and Mint

 

[coxhaus]

This is off the top of my head. We don't have Italian sausage available around here, so that's why I made my own.
Sweat some onion and garlic until soft. Add the sausage meat and break it up. Cook until the sausage is lightly browned.
Add some tomato(I used canned whole peeled tomatoes that I crushed by hand) and a splash of Brandy. Cook for 10 minutes.
Finish with a bit of cream or creme fraiche, mix with the pasta of your choice and garnish with parsley or basil. Grate over some cheese and serve

So, I made your dish and it was good. We worked in garden this afternoon and brought in some spinach so we also made a spinach salad. The salad was simple just spinach, purple onion, mushrooms and the dressings are in the picture.

What I did for your recipe right or wrong is we sweated 1/2 of a small onion and 2 large cloves of garlic. I cut the Italian sausage out of the casing and browned it. I then added a can of whole tomatoes squeezed into the pan plus the juice. I cooked it down for 15 minutes and added heavy splash of brandy cooked for another 2 minutes. We dumped the pasta in the bowl added the sausage mixture to the bowl also. Then we stirred it as we added some cream. Then topped with parmesan cheese and curly parsley. I am limited on Italian parsley to only sometimes at my local grocery. My wife wanted it a little chunkier than your picture.

We drank a nice Pinot wine with it all.

 

[aboynamedsuita]

Aussie wagyu sousvide at 52°C then seared on cast iron.

 

[Chips]

Nice write up. I do have a question. It looks to me that it's basically raw on the inside (perhaps weird camera color). I think 90min is likely just not enough to get to the your target temp? If you took it from fridge to the bath, you probably needed 3hrs to get it to 130f inside. It may have remained below 100f.

But, what a beast at 70oz!

Yeah I didn't check the temp. I should have, but I blame the beer and wine.

 

[RDalman]

Perch that I fished yesterday, saltrubbed overnight, smoked on alder 1h to 50c. Look forward to lunch. Scaled one to compare if worth the effort.

 

[DamageInc]

Sliced roast pork belly, parsley sauce, roast potatoes, carrots, and onions. A bit heavy but nice in the winter.

 

[valgard]

Mac and cheese with smoked ribs

 

[waxy]

So, I made your dish and it was good. We worked in garden this afternoon and brought in some spinach so we also made a spinach salad. The salad was simple just spinach, purple onion, mushrooms and the dressings are in the picture.

What I did for your recipe right or wrong is we sweated 1/2 of a small onion and 2 large cloves of garlic. I cut the Italian sausage out of the casing and browned it. I then added a can of whole tomatoes squeezed into the pan plus the juice. I cooked it down for 15 minutes and added heavy splash of brandy cooked for another 2 minutes. We dumped the pasta in the bowl added the sausage mixture to the bowl also. Then we stirred it as we added some cream. Then topped with parmesan cheese and curly parsley. I am limited on Italian parsley to only sometimes at my local grocery. My wife wanted it a little chunkier than your picture.

We drank a nice Pinot wine with it all.

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Weird question, what kind of bowl is that? Wood? Pre-seasoned, waxed or oiled?
I have nightmares serving anything acidic on a wooden bowl unless it was fully seasoned.
Great looking dish, but a wooden bowl to hold that sauce without leaving a stain from the acid is pretty good.

Thanks!

 

[ptolemy]

Yeah I didn't check the temp. I should have, but I blame the beer and wine.

haha!

when you see me sell obscure stuff, that's why as well!

 

[coxhaus]

Weird question, what kind of bowl is that? Wood? Pre-seasoned, waxed or oiled?
I have nightmares serving anything acidic on a wooden bowl unless it was fully seasoned.
Great looking dish, but a wooden bowl to hold that sauce without leaving a stain from the acid is pretty good.

Thanks!

It is a wooden bowl we have had for 20 years or more. I oil every so often with mineral oil. We bought it to use with a shrimp and pasta dish we made up until Spice Islands quit making the main spice around 8 years ago that we used in the dish. It has never stained. What kind of problem do you see?

 

[Michi]

I have a whole bunch of wooden bowls made of Kauri, teak, and various other woods. They get oiled periodically, and they hold up just fine to acids.

 

[therealtiojaime]

Food prep for the week (and beyond). Turkey meatloaf, quinoa with veggies, breakfast smoothies, Daikon-Onion soup, Brussels sprouts, salad. Trying out my Takeda stainless Nakiri. Cut well through all the veggies, really sharp. Stuck in the board a few times. Tried cutting a red pepper in thin slices - 52 on one section, 70 on the other. Then I thought I’d re-try Katsuramuki with my Usuba, but on a cuke this time. (The cold Daikon attempt was pretty rough.). The cucumber was somewhat more successful. But the Usuba will take practice.

 

[Slk707]

Made some beef wellington, mashed potatoes and gravy

 

[boomchakabowwow]

i made Salisbury steak. once finished i couldnt help myself and turned it into a Moco Loco. they Hawaiian favorite is suppose to be a simple dish, but a stepped up beef patty of the Salisbury steak worked amazing.

 

[btbyrd]

I am no expert in food science but I always assumed that collagen only starts to break down after 160f, so at 120f (which is the usual temp I cook mine at, but these were 1.5"+ thick, so I did a bit higher) it could sit for hours and not do anything?

Nah, collagen starts to break down at 50C or a bit under (the 120F you cook at). I usually go 48 for tender meats, and 49/50 for slightly tougher ones. Then just leave them as long as it takes. Meat doesn't go bad when sous vide, "this meat is too tender" is rarely something one hears.

I learned most of what I know from Modernist Cuisine, the heaviest thing I own.

I know this is a few days late, but I thought it would still be worthwhile to chime in. While collagen will denature at lower temperatures, the speed at which it breaks down depends highly on temperature. Roughly speaking, the reaction will happen twice as fast for every 10C difference. This is why people end up cooking short ribs for 72 hours at 130F -- it takes that long to break down collagen at that temperature. If you're cooking at 120F, there's no way to convert collagen to gelatin within safe cooking times. You're limited to a few hours in the bath to begin with (since the temp is in the danger zone) and the collagen is going to stay collagen with those times/temps.

Meat most definitely can "go bad" when cooking sous vide. Cooking below 129F for extended periods is a recipe for foodborne illness. And pathogens aside, meat can become unpalatable and have a weird texture when cooked for too long via SV. Beef tenderloin is a good example; it becomes fibrous (not tough, but fibrous), pappy, and mushy if cooked too long. "Too tender" is a common complaint about protein improperly cooked SV. I've seen judges on Top Chef complain about it on multiple occasions, even when they didn't know in advance that SV was involved. "Did you cook this SV? It has that texture..."

 

[DavidPF]

Made some beef wellington, mashed potatoes and gravy

The food is perfect, but also the colour of the plate caught my eye. Such a plate may require a house remodel, including shag carpet, a fridge the same colour as the plate, and some lovely polyester items in the closet.

 

[big_adventure]

I know this is a few days late, but I thought it would still be worthwhile to chime in. While collagen will denature at lower temperatures, the speed at which it breaks down depends highly on temperature. Roughly speaking, the reaction will happen twice as fast for every 10C difference. This is why people end up cooking short ribs for 72 hours at 130F -- it takes that long to break down collagen at that temperature. If you're cooking at 120F, there's no way to convert collagen to gelatin within safe cooking times. You're limited to a few hours in the bath to begin with (since the temp is in the danger zone) and the collagen is going to stay collagen with those times/temps.

Meat most definitely can "go bad" when cooking sous vide. Cooking below 129F for extended periods is a recipe for foodborne illness. And pathogens aside, meat can become unpalatable and have a weird texture when cooked for too long via SV. Beef tenderloin is a good example; it becomes fibrous (not tough, but fibrous), pappy, and mushy if cooked too long. "Too tender" is a common complaint about protein improperly cooked SV. I've seen judges on Top Chef complain about it on multiple occasions, even when they didn't know in advance that SV was involved. "Did you cook this SV? It has that texture..."

OK, fair enough as far as too long on tender cuts, and that's true to an extent, but it's also entirely a cause of over breaking collagen. And 120f would be roughly too low, but I don't go that low. Going 48-50c depending on cut, leaving for a couple hours (enough to attain temp) then searing (cast iron, torch, broiler, whatever) works a treat, and keeps the center rare.

 

[DavidPF]

Cooking below 129F for extended periods is a recipe for foodborne illness.

Is it really as specific as 129°F (54°C)? I mean is there something special that suddenly happens at 129.1?

 

[big_adventure]

Is it really as specific as 129°F (54°C)? I mean is there something special that suddenly happens at 129.1?

Nah, there isnt. Below 40c is too cool, it's in the sweet spot for stuff that hurts humans. But 48 is fine to pasteurize if you give it enough time. With meat, you do, as the @btbyrd posted, need to weigh pasteurization time against overdoing the collagens, especially in tender cuts. Leave a tenderloin at 48 for 18 hours and it's likely to have a less then desirable texture, but it'll be 10 sigma or more pasteurized so perfectly safe.

 

[btbyrd]

It's a rough lower boundary, and typically 130F is listed as the recommended lower temperature floor for extended cook times. Most foodborne pathogens die off around 122F, but clostridium perfringens can reproduce at temperatures slightly higher than 126F (52.3C). Contrary to what big_adventure writes above, 48C is not a safe temperature for extended cooks and the resulting product will not be pasteurized.

 

[big_adventure]

It's a rough lower boundary, and typically 130F is listed as the recommended lower temperature floor for extended cook times. Most foodborne pathogens die off around 122F, but clostridium perfringens can reproduce at temperatures slightly higher than 126F (52.3C). Contrary to what big_adventure writes above, 48C is not a safe temperature for extended cooks and the resulting product will not be pasteurized.

Sure, except:

1. That's higher than "rare" in every beef. Proper handling of meat is a given once we're discussing edge cases, like cooking it rare.

2. I was not suggesting doing an extended cook at 48c. I rarely eat red meat at home these days, but when I did, I'd do tenderloins or entrecôtes or whatever for just long enough to attain core temp then sear them. I wouldn't want to leave cuts like that for 12 hours or whatever.

3. Long cooks on beef are generally done on otherwise very tough cuts, cooking them over 130f is more desirable there.

 

[btbyrd]

It wasn't really clear from your posts above. You did suggest that 48C was hot enough to pasteurize product (which it isn't) and you advised cooking "slightly tougher cuts" (whichever those are) at 49-50C for "as long as it takes" the collagen to break down (which isn't going to happen appreciably at those very low temps for short times). Tenderization effects achieved by SV temps below 130F are primarily the result of proteolytic enzymes like calpain and cathepsin.

All I was trying to get across was that it's a bad idea to cook below 130F for extended periods of time.

 

[DavidPF]

All I was trying to get across was that it's a bad idea to cook below 130F for extended periods of time.

Is there ever much sense in cooking below 130F for a short period of time?
Imagining a recipe instructing me to cook at 110 for ten minutes, thinking I'll just stick it out the window and hope it's a warm day

 

[Slk707]

Made some tacos with the trimmings from the tenderloin from the beef wellington. Some homemade salsa on there, I also melted some cheese on each tortilla then flipped them over and got the cheese crispy

 

[big_adventure]

It wasn't really clear from your posts above. You did suggest that 48C was hot enough to pasteurize product (which it isn't) and you advised cooking "slightly tougher cuts" (whichever those are) at 49-50C for "as long as it takes" the collagen to break down (which isn't going to happen appreciably at those very low temps for short times). Tenderization effects achieved by SV temps below 130F are primarily the result of proteolytic enzymes like calpain and cathepsin.

All I was trying to get across was that it's a bad idea to cook below 130F for extended periods of time.

"As long as it takes" was never meant to mean what most of us define as "long." I specifically meant "to obtain desired core temp," which, admittedly, I didn't state. Another poster mentioned that he thought collagen wouldn't break down at less than 160F, I just stated that wasn't correct. In any case, cuts meriting that legit "long" treatment would want a higher temp anyway.

I'm afraid I disagree somewhat with the statement "Tenderization effects achieved by SV temps below 130F are primarily the result of proteolytic enzymes like calpain and cathepsin." Collagen definitely starts breaking down at less than 50C. It's slow, but it's there, and you don't want to break down much with tenderloin or such, as you point out yourself. But that's OK, you do it your way, which by all means isn't "wrong", and I'll do mine. Mine would be: well treated, properly handled, tender meats cooked to 48 or so max sous vide, because, not using liquid nitrogen to flash-freeze the meat before searing, I'm going to gain some more heat searing and I like my good cuts very rare indeed. If I found a steak in the garbage, I would not eat it after this preparation, and I wouldn't expect anyone else to either.

I would absolutely take that meat cooked to 48, chill it, freeze it, then heat, open and sear a month later, and be just fine. I would not leave it out on the counter for a month, then eat it.

In any case, you are absolutely correct that no cooking at temps like that are going to yield guaranteed completely microbe-free meat, and I'm guilty of exaggerating above (I'm sorry, I thought it was clear that "cook a tenderloin for 18 hours at 48" was a simply terrible idea, I was using it as an example of what not to do, but speaking of what happens to the texture of the meat): eating raw or scantly cooked protein is a risk, and everyone should know that. When I eat meat, I eat steak carpaccio, steak tartare, sashimi, raw oysters, etc. without hesitation if I "trust" the source. I put trust in quotes, because I've eaten some dodgy sushi more than once.