Sous Vide = Cheating!?

[blieb]

Got a SV last week, a few friends have them and rave about them.  Amazon had them discounted... soooooo what the hell.

I fooled around with some soft boiled and scrambled eggs...

Then I tried it on a couple ribeyes.  Cooked at 120 (IIRC), 1 did 60 mins, 1 for 90 - I did this to compare texture.  They were the same to me.  After the bath, I used a skillet for about 1 minute per side.  Steaks were great.

So of course next I had to go big, 6.73 lb prime rib, 3 bone.  Prayed I wouldn't screw it up, big bucks for a screwup.

Final thoughts after pics...



Salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme.



After 24 hours at 130.  I read recipes saying anywhere from 6 to 24 hours... go big or go home, right!?




Gave it a pat down, added some salt, then out to the Plum SS for searing.



My heart sank a little, but trust in the process.



I probably should have trimmed the top a little, it didn't crust completely.




End result was perfection.  I didn't get a shot with the au jus.  The bag makes it easy to keep and pour all the juices, and without evaporation. Next time I may ice bath after SV, before sear.



The SV is neat.  It helps keep a LOT of moisture in the meat.  It provides an even cook without heat increase after removal.  The ends weren't well done, and there wasn't an overcooked ring around the exterior.  It allowed me to hit an exact serving time.  I could see using it for a lot of steaks to serve at once.

There's some guilt about cheating.  But it doesn't replace a good smoke and it doesn't provide a crust... another tool for the arsenal, lots more experimenting to do.

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[Mr.CPHo]

@blieb, I really appreciate the review and documenting your first use of the SV.  I'm on the fence personally, but can't argue that prime rib looks fantastic!


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[Travis]

That looks incredible,man.
I saw in @MrHoss thread that the steak was smoked first at a low temp, sv'd, then given an ice bath, finishing up with the sear. If your looking for some smoke flavor, might give it a go for another experiment.
I have to say I can see the benefit of using a SV in the respect of time for one example. Being able to set it before heading out the door for the day then coming home, throw in in a pan real quick or the grill for color and serve.


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[MrHoss]

"Next time I may ice bath after SV, before sear."

Don't do it too long. Maybe 4 to 8 minutes tops on a big roast. I did a one bone prime rib and did the ice bath for maybe 15 minutes....too long as after the sear the center was not hot enough for my liking. I did have hot au jus and fixed it that way. Thing is I should have gotten it right in the first place.

[blieb]

@MrHoss - good to know, thanks!  Also liked seeing that you did one too, as I logged on to post!

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[LightningBoldtz]

I love my sous vide, I am all about good food so when you get the results that you want in any fashion it is not cheating.......

[Darko]

That's what I was thinking.  Why would you consider sous vide cheating? It's just another method of cooking.

[blieb]

Don't tell my grill it's not cheating ... Can't even look it in the eye right now.  I promised I'd cook some pizza on it this weekend...

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[MikeRocksTheRed]

You know.....I bet you can smoke a pot of clarified butter on a slow-n-low cook, then use it in the food bags in place of EVOO for the Sous Vide portion of a cook and get some of the smokey flavor back that you lose with a typical Sous Vide cook!

[Travis]

You know.....I bet you can smoke a pot of clarified butter on a slow-n-low cook, then use it in the food bags in place of EVOO for the Sous Vide portion of a cook and get some of the smokey flavor back that you lose with a typical Sous Vide cook!

and.....bookmarked.


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[hawgheaven]

You know.....I bet you can smoke a pot of clarified butter on a slow-n-low cook, then use it in the food bags in place of EVOO for the Sous Vide portion of a cook and get some of the smokey flavor back that you lose with a typical Sous Vide cook!

Man, that looks great!

I like this smoky butter gig... great idea!

[Hybridtwin77]

You know.....I bet you can smoke a pot of clarified butter on a slow-n-low cook, then use it in the food bags in place of EVOO for the Sous Vide portion of a cook and get some of the smokey flavor back that you lose with a typical Sous Vide cook!

This! Great idea!

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