Show us your Sous Vide Cooker!

[TacoBrew]

Here is my ghetto sous vide. It's a crock pot which is controlled by my fermentation temp. controller and the fountain pump that I used for recirculating ice water in the summer is recirculating the water in the pot. This was just a test run to see if I wanted to build a more permanent solution. F'ing delicious!

 

[pabloj13]

Here is my ghetto sous vide. It's a crock pot which is controlled by my fermentation temp. controller and the fountain pump that I used for recirculating ice water in the summer is recirculating the water in the pot. This was just a test run to see if I wanted to build a more permanent solution. F'ing delicious!

This is what I want to do. I have a crock pot, but it is programmable, so if the power shuts off it never comes back on until you reprogram it. I need to just go to Salvation Army and pick up one like this for $4.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

This is what I want to do. I have a crock pot, but it is programmable, so if the power shuts off it never comes back on until you reprogram it. I need to just go to Salvation Army and pick up one like this for $4.

Mine was $5 at goodwill. We too have a fancy digital crockpot that wouldn't work.

 

[Huaco]

Sometimes simple is better!
Lots of guys try using fancy space heaters to heat their ferm chambers... only to find out the little 10 dollar job at wally-world actually do the job best. For the exact same reason. Just a manual on-off switch.

 

[pabloj13]

Sometimes simple is better!
Lots of guys try using fancy space heaters to heat their ferm chambers... only to find out the little 10 dollar job at wally-world actually do the job best. For the exact same reason. Just a manual on-off switch.

I do like the programmable one for normal food because we can cook on high for a few hours and then just keep warm until we get home from work, etc. But yeah for this simple is way better.

 

[TacoBrew]

Definitely the best steak I've ever cooked in my life, and so incredibly easy!

 

[headbanger]

Does anybody use their Brutus 10 or recirc setup for sous-vide? Was thinking of trying it on my B-10 but the temp does fluctuate a few degrees.

 

[Huaco]

Does anybody use their Brutus 10 or recirc setup for sous-vide? Was thinking of trying it on my B-10 but the temp does fluctuate a few degrees.

I bet it would hold close enough to do the job. Try it out and see if it works. It's not like you are losing any major investment by just trying it. After all... you still get to eat a steak in the end! lol...

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I bet it would hold close enough to do the job. Try it out and see if it works. It's not like you are losing any major investment by just trying it. After all... you still get to eat a steak in the end! lol...

Very true. So you like steak Med Rare? So what if its Med Rare + 3 degrees?

 

[headbanger]

I bet it would hold close enough to do the job. Try it out and see if it works. It's not like you are losing any major investment by just trying it. After all... you still get to eat a steak in the end! lol...

Right on, I'll give it a go.

 

[TacoBrew]

See, there could be a use for doing it in your brew hardware like on one of the earlier posts where he was cooking up multiple racks of ribs. But, otherwise, it seems terribly efficient to use the whole setup for a steak or two.

 

[MidTNJasonF]

So this thread inspired me to break out the homebrew gear and try Sous Vide. I have not been brewing as I rebuild my brewery so the old temp control panel and the aeration pump were not getting any use.

Grab a nice fresh top sirloin to try for a first outing. Salt, pepper, a small bit of garlic powder, just a light mix of seasoning I put on all red meat, and I planned on throwing just a bit of fresh rosemary in the pouches.

Broke out the Hopsaver, I mean foodsaver, and sealed them up.

Slipped them into the crock pot filled with preheated water held at 131 degrees.

Temp dropped with I put the pouches in of course. Setup is my old temp and pump control panel set at 131, crock pot plugged into that on high, and my aeration pump bubbling in the pot for water circulation.

75 minutes later I had a perfect mid rare edge to edge. I pulled them from the pouches and tossed them in a near smoking preheated cast iron skillet to finish

Made a quick pan sauce/saute of baby portabella mushroom slices and served it with a baked potato and broccoli.

Final verdict... One of the best steaks I have ever made, very good first attempts. Nearly perfectly cooked, very tender, and very flavorful. I missed a little on the seasoning/herb/aromatics blend as the rosemary was just a bit too strong. Next time I will try a different blend and possibly a different cut of meat. I am sold on the method even after just this first attempt. I just need to dial in the recipe and flavor profile. Tomorrow I think it will be chicken for lunch.

Most importantly the wife loved it.

 

[Revvy]

J Kenzie Lopez-Alt at foodlab has done a lot of interesting experiments with sous-vide in terms of searing first vs searing after, using fats in the pouches to flavor transfer herbs, use of aromatics, etc. This article I linked is his primer on steaks, but search his blog for sous vide and you'll find he's done a lot of interesting things.

 

[TacoBrew]

J Kenzie Lopez-Alt at foodlab has done a lot of interesting experiments with sous-vide in terms of searing first vs searing after, using fats in the pouches to flavor transfer herbs, use of aromatics, etc. This article I linked is his primer on steaks, but search his blog for sous vide and you'll find he's done a lot of interesting things.

Ya, I found that site very helpful when I did mine. I chose to no fat in the pouch and sear after. Think I'm going to try again tonight and do a skirt steak.

 

[Revvy]

I've got a pork loin I'm going to do sous vide tomorrow. I just made sort of a "pesto/tapanade" stuffing for it by beating the heck out of some anchovies, rosemary, green onions, roasted garlic, raw garlic, parsley, allspice berries, black olives sea salt, and juniper berries in a mortar and pestle til it was a green and amazingly fragrant paste. I butterflied the loin, spread the paste over the surface, rolled it and tied it up. I stuffed it into a vacuum bag and sealed it up. Tomorrow I'll do it for 2-3 hours at medium rare, then brown it up. Should be incredible.

 

[dinnerstick]

I've got a pork loin I'm going to do sous vide tomorrow. I just made sort of a "pesto/tapanade" stuffing for it by beating the heck out of some anchovies, rosemary, green onions, roasted garlic, raw garlic, parsley, allspice berries, black olives sea salt, and juniper berries in a mortar and pestle til it was a green and amazingly fragrant paste. I butterflied the loin, spread the paste over the surface, rolled it and tied it up. I stuffed it into a vacuum bag and sealed it up. Tomorrow I'll do it for 2-3 hours at medium rare, then brown it up. Should be incredible.

what time are you serving this, and what's the closest airport?

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Well dangit. I've had luck drilling holes in glass bottles before. I guess this lid was under some sort of tension? I had only started the edge of my hole when it popped. Anybody have an idea for a replacement lid? Super cheap. DIY is an option.

 

[Evets]

I thought this would be a fun mid-winter project. I built a clone of Revvy's timer and am at this moment trying it out with a London Broil in a big crock pot.

 

[Revvy]

Be careful with the ziplocks they have failed on occassion. Some folks double bag.

But ziplocks aren't the only ones. I actually had a foodsaver go after an hour in the bath on Sunday. The only reason I noticed was that I started to actually something cooking, which in a sealed bag in a water bath, you shouldn't smell anything. But I started to notice a garlic/rosemary steam smell. I caught it in time and the dish came out fine.

 

[Evets]

Cool. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Evets]

Well, I must say I'm impressed with how well this turned out. Nothing but beautiful medium rare juicy beefy melt in your mouth goodness! I can't wait to try this again. I know I have some boneless chicken breast in the freezer.
Sorry for the crappy pictures.

 

[Revvy]

Doesn't look crappy to me, it look exquisite!!!

 

[ChefRex]

Dam, this forum is expensive! As an avid cook i have read up on Sous Vide but have not attempted, tonight i ordered up a bunch of stuff to build a ghetto rig. I have a circulation pump coming on a slow boat from China so i have some time to work out a design and dig up a cooler.
Will post up a build as i go.

 

[Revvy]

So has anyone played around with adding a layer of ping-pong balls as an insulator atop their sous vide? I keep seeing this show up on a few blogs and videos. This pic is from Nathan Myhrvold, the author of Modernist Cuisine's food lab;

The Water Circulator
A circulator from Polyscience designed to maintain a water bath temperature to within a tenth of a degree. The ping pong balls floating on top serve as an insulator, helping the bath to maintain its temperature.

Oh yeah, if you want a cooking nerd woody, check out the entire slide show of their food "playground."

 

[jeepinjeepin]

So has anyone played around with adding a layer of ping-pong balls as an insulator atop their sous vide? I keep seeing this show up on a few blogs and videos. This pic is from Nathan Myhrvold, the author of Modernist Cuisine's food lab;

Oh yeah, if you want a cooking nerd woody, check out the entire slide show of their food "playground."

Well, since I broke my lid this may be an option.

 

[dinnerstick]

Oh yeah, if you want a cooking nerd woody, check out the entire slide show of their food "playground."

sometimes i think maybe i too should become a billionaire and devote all my time to mucking around with food in the best equipped chefs playground in the world...

 

[Revvy]

sometimes i think maybe i too should become a billionaire and devote all my time to mucking around with food in the best equipped chefs playground in the world...

Gee, and to think I thought I was the only one who had that fantasy!!!!

 

[Evets]

I made boneless chicken breast in my sv a couple times now. So moist and tender. Just fantastic.
I just now put a 4 lb. rump roast in for a 24 hr. soak. Can't wait!

 

[dataz722]

So has anyone played around with adding a layer of ping-pong balls as an insulator atop their sous vide? I keep seeing this show up on a few blogs and videos. This pic is from Nathan Myhrvold, the author of Modernist Cuisine's food lab;

Oh yeah, if you want a cooking nerd woody, check out the entire slide show of their food "playground."

That seems a bit excessive to me. I mean really what difference would it make if the temp flucuated a degree or two. No one would ever be able to tell a difference.

 

[Revvy]

That seems a bit excessive to me. I mean really what difference would it make if the temp flucuated a degree or two. No one would ever be able to tell a difference.

Evidently one of it's main functions is to limit evaporation of the water in long cooking times. Having done 24-48 hour sessions, I can attest to losing a lot of water every 6-8 hours, if cooking a large piece of protein it can be a problem, especially in my coffee urn setup. I've woken up and found only have the roast still submerged. I'm interested in trying it.