Sous Vide... In a Brewzilla

[Airborneguy]

My second wacky idea since getting this thing.

I have a 5lb rib roast that I was planning to smoke tomorrow. Unfortunately, the timing doesn't really work out for me between work and errands. It is still vacuum sealed from the store, awesome since I don't have any large bags.

I can't think of any reasons why this wouldn't work. I'll sit it on the false bottom, set it to 110F using the 500w element, and use the recirculating arm to move the water. I figure 5-6 hours, then pop it in the oven on broil for 10 minutes or so.

It's really just a giant sous vide, no?

Let's hear it!

 

[smcinco]

Exactly, I've used my RIMS wizard for big parties, piped into a huge cooler. Worked great. I'd be curious of your results. 110? That's awfully low...

 

[Airborneguy]

Exactly, I've used my RIMS wizard for big parties, piped into a huge cooler. Worked great. I'd be curious of your results. 110? That's awfully low...

I figure 110 then broil for a bit, then the rest. Should get me over 120. I'm a very, very red meat eater.

Maybe I'll go 115 to get closer to 130 finished.

 

[smcinco]

I would go 130 to get 130. Broiling won't do much. Anything under 130 and might as well go raw. It actually might be more dangerous than raw to be stewing at a lower temp. Just my $0.02.

 

[smcinco]

Actually most like serious eats say 132 to get 130...

 

[Airborneguy]

Hmm. I’ll consider higher. I have never sous vide something this large. I only had one for a few months. It was junk and broke on me.

 

[whoaru99]

Hmm. I’ll consider higher. I have never sous vide something this large. I only had one for a few months. It was junk and broke on me.

I have sous vide prime rib before. If all you are doing in the broiler is searing at high temp you will not get any material temp rise.

Also, maybe you already know, but for sear to develop you must dry off the roast. It will not get an appealing sear if you do not.

By the way, I typically use a butane or propane torch for the finishing sear. In that case too you still have to dry the roast/meat first.

 

[Airborneguy]

I have sous vide prime rib before. If all you are doing in the broiler is searing at high temp you will not get any material temp rise.

Also, maybe you already know, but for sear to develop you must dry off the roast. It will not get an appealing sear if you do not.

By the way, I typically use a butane or propane torch for the finishing sear. In that case too you still have to dry the roast/meat first.

Absolutely. I'll definitely dry it off after removing it from the sous vide bag. I typically dry brine my steak overnight, dry, then reverse sear. Obviously a full roast is a different animal but I'll use a similar process.

 

[Bobby_M]

I sous vide a bunch in my brew kettle. Any big roasts go at 135F for upwards of 24 hours, especially tough cuts like Chuck. Rib roasts are already tender as hell so I don't think I'd go longer than about 8-9 hours. Dry off well and sear hard in some bacon grease or ghee.

 

[JoeRedman]

I used the temperature controller I built for my freezer, but I used the heat side on my 'dumb crockpot'. It has high/low/warm/off. I set to high, put the sealed prime rib in at 130 and let it roll for several hours. Broil in oven or sear on kamado grill at around 700 to finish.

 

[whoaru99]

It's amazing what 18-24 hours sous vide does to a hunk of rump roast or bottom round.

I like the rump roast for slicing thin like sandwich meat or poor man's french dip.

 

[Spivey24]

110 degrees is called a Petri dish, not a sous vide. Minimum 130 really.
Not all vacuum bags are sous vide safe and may leach plastic if they are not.
I wouldn’t go over 4-5 hours for a rib roast - it may start to get a mushy texture.
And double check the temp with an accurate thermometer. I wouldn’t fully trust the kettle.

 

[whoaru99]

There are guides online to help with cooking time vs thickness vs temp and even cut.

 

[Airborneguy]

I decided not to sous vide. Did it in the oven instead:

 

[brewman !]

110 degrees is called a Petri dish, not a sous vide. Minimum 130 really.
Not all vacuum bags are sous vide safe and may leach plastic if they are not.
I wouldn’t go over 4-5 hours for a rib roast - it may start to get a mushy texture.
And double check the temp with an accurate thermometer. I wouldn’t fully trust the kettle.

We sous vide everything - ham, pork loin, pork chops, briskette, steaks, etc. It's a fantastic way to prepare meat. I finish these meats off (searing) in a BBQ or in an oven on high broil.

There are sous vide temp guides on the Internet. 130F min for beef, 145+F for pork. These guides usually explain why the temperature is chosen, how long, etc. They also explain what temp/time it takes to kill bacteria that might be on the meat. Follow these guides.

I wouldn’t go over 4-5 hours for a rib roast - it may start to get a mushy texture.

Depends on the temp and the texture of the piece of meat in question as well as the seasoning, finish and thickness. I've sous vided roasts at 132F for 12 hours that turned out excellent. I have a brisket in the sous vide right now that we'll serve for dinner tomorrow night. 48 hours @ 135F. I'll sear it on the BBQ for 20-30 minutes with a braze to give it some crust.

A high quality digital meat thermometer is essential with any meat cooking. The meat must attain a suitable internal temperature to be safe to eat.