Show us your Sous Vide Cooker!

[jsguitar]

Do any of you have any experience with sous vide lobster tails? (I haven't made it through the whole thread so sorry if I missed it) I'm seeing recommendations for temp. and time all over the place. Some say 118, 120, 130 ect. Seems that most are at about 15 minutes. I don't have any experience with sous vide yet but I'm going to use my electric brewery to do some rib eyes and lobster tails for a special dinner tonight. Thanks!


Edit: Ok, just saw Revy's post on them at 133 for 40 minutes (yum). Still curious about other's experiences.

 

[FredTheNuke]

150 overdoes beef I can tell you that (wife required well done out of fear). next round we will do 132 or so.

 

[jsguitar]

Well, I ended up doing my ribeyes (just 1"ish thick) at 123F for about 2hrs and 45 minutes and did the lobster tails at the same temp. for about 45 minutes in the shells. I seared the steaks for about a minute per side and the lobster tails for maybe a minute and a half per side and it all came out very tender and tasty.

I accidentally started a small fire and smoked out the house from having the pan too hot with a bit of oil in it but at least it tasted good!

 

[Evan_L]

Thank you for this thread! Holy hell this is awesome. I boil with propane so I have no fancy electric equipment to use but the Igloo mash tun worked wonders last night! I preheated with hot tap. Filled with 5G tap and measured 126* so I used beersmith to calculate as a step mash. Input the weight of the steaks (prime ny strips) as the grain weight and added 10 cups of boiling water to get 135*, 45 minutes later they were unbelievable. Used an upside down colander to keep them centered in the tun.

Couple TBS olive oil in a hot ass pan with a few sprigs of rosemary thyme and sage, minute per side to sear. Best steaks ever. Sous-vide loses something compared to the grill but wins it back with perfect temp and evenly throughout!

The best part was leaving them in for a few more minutes (without changing doneness) to let the sweet potatoes finish baking. So easy to time a whole meal. I cant wait for the next time we cook for others, can even start the meal before anyone shows up.

 

[dinnerstick]

Do any of you have any experience with sous vide lobster tails? (I haven't made it through the whole thread so sorry if I missed it) I'm seeing recommendations for temp. and time all over the place. Some say 118, 120, 130 ect.

i haven't done this myself but a friend swears by it. it's for whole lobster, not tails. preheat the water bath to 55c, with low water level and a rack ABOVE the water. plunge the lobster in boiling water for one minute, then place on the rack, cover, leave to 'steam' for one hour.

 

[Temptd2]

Oooo, how fun to find this thread! I am a sous vide fanatic. I cook all kinds of stuff, including goat cheese, in mine!

I use a DorkFoods DSV sous vide controller. I use it in one of three appliances - a 2 quart non-digital crockpot, and 8 quart non-digital roaster oven, and a 22 quart non-digital roaster oven, depending on what size the food item is.

I bought my original DorkFoods controller and had lots of success with it, then DH absconded with it to use as a temp controller on the brew belt for his fermenting chamber.

I bought my second DorkFoods controller and used it for a while before DH absconded with it to use as a controller with a heat mat for his conditioning chamber for bottled beer. Sigh.

So last night I ordered my THIRD DorkFoods controller. Now I'm thinking I'd like to use it to control a seedling heat mat in a picnic cooler to keep my rice wine at a steady temp! LOL!

Man. I think I need one more controller. DorkFoods loves me.

AND I love THEM!

I have done leg of lamb, beef ribs, chicken breasts, steaks, fish, lemon curd, and all kinds of goodness with it. Hard to beat the thing as a great way to cook - throw in your vacuum-sealed (or otherwise appropriately sealed) food, leave it in there til it's been at least the minimum time/temp for the food, then just let it languish in that nice warm water bath til you're ready to eat. Brown it off however you like, in the case of meats, and eat.

I'm going to subscribe to this thread for sure! I'm not clever enough to build my own unit, but I sure like using the ones I've had, til they were put to other usage revolving around BEER. Harumph.

 

[FredTheNuke]

Oooo, how fun to find this thread! I am a sous vide fanatic. I cook all kinds of stuff, including goat cheese, in mine!

I use a DorkFoods DSV sous vide controller. I use it in one of three appliances - a 2 quart non-digital crockpot, and 8 quart non-digital roaster oven, and a 22 quart non-digital roaster oven, depending on what size the food item is.

I bought my original DorkFoods controller and had lots of success with it, then DH absconded with it to use as a temp controller on the brew belt for his fermenting chamber.

I bought my second DorkFoods controller and used it for a while before DH absconded with it to use as a controller with a heat mat for his conditioning chamber for bottled beer. Sigh.

So last night I ordered my THIRD DorkFoods controller. Now I'm thinking I'd like to use it to control a seedling heat mat in a picnic cooler to keep my rice wine at a steady temp! LOL!

Man. I think I need one more controller. DorkFoods loves me.

AND I love THEM!

I have done leg of lamb, beef ribs, chicken breasts, steaks, fish, lemon curd, and all kinds of goodness with it. Hard to beat the thing as a great way to cook - throw in your vacuum-sealed (or otherwise appropriately sealed) food, leave it in there til it's been at least the minimum time/temp for the food, then just let it languish in that nice warm water bath til you're ready to eat. Brown it off however you like, in the case of meats, and eat.

I'm going to subscribe to this thread for sure! I'm not clever enough to build my own unit, but I sure like using the ones I've had, til they were put to other usage revolving around BEER. Harumph.

You can get the same control (actually better) for half the price with a Ranco and a $10 extension cord from Lowe's...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015NV5BE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20




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[Drizzt]

Ok once again I am going to lean on the wonderful people at HBT. I have a 110 volt 3500 watt ebiab system with a pid. I currently do not have a pump however I have one that will be here Tuesday. And the questions are....

Do I need a vacuum sealer and do I need the pump.

What is the best way to sear I have a crappy electric stove will that get hot enough? I also have a smoker charcoal grill and gas grill. I like man toys.

What is a good recipe to start with?




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[Rhumbline]

I've been watching this thread for a while, kicking around the idea of experimenting with this method of cooking.

I just did a test, took the largest cast iron pot I've got and filled it with warm water. set it on the stove covered and played around with the settings for a few hours. I found I can easily hold temps as low as 100 steadily.

I've got a NY strip loin dry aging and this will be my test.

Thanks for everyone's input on this, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Do I need a vacuum sealer and do I need the pump.

No and maybe. Search "ziplock water displacement method" instead of the vacuum sealer. As for a pump, it's generally agreed that some sort of circulation is important for sous vide. However, I think most brewing pumps are very much overkill for the task, and I'm not sure I'd want to leave my March 809 pumps running 24+ hours for long cooks.

However, a cheap submersible pump or aquarium bubbler will do enough. Just look for ones that are rated for the heat.

What is the best way to sear I have a crappy electric stove will that get hot enough? I also have a smoker charcoal grill and gas grill. I like man toys.

If you want a man toy, check this out. Searing it with a blowtorch is always fun

If you don't want to go that route, either the charcoal or the gas grill would work, whichever you can get hotter. You want insane heat for a short time, so my guess would be the charcoal grill with the grate set nearly on top of the coals.

What is a good recipe to start with?

My first was tri-tip, which I think is pretty good as it's a large hunk of meat, not OVERLY expensive, and relatively forgiving. I went ~6.5 hours at 133 degrees. I think a pork tenderloin would also be a good option, especially as you'll want pork up in the 140 degree range, so you'll have an extra safety band if your temp controller isn't properly calibrated.

 

[Drizzt]

Thank you very much I hope to take this information and do a pork loin next week.


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[betarhoalphadelta]

My wife doesn't eat tri-tip because it's "too tough".

18 hours at 133, though, and she says "I'm sold on sous vide, babe."

Score!

 

[Temptd2]

Nice job! Pretty amazing how it tenderizes those tough cuts. Makes beef ribs something succulent and if you crispy them up on the grill or in a hot oven - Mama mia! Even KotC will eat them, when he has always turned his nose up at them before. Now I can serve dinosaur bones and he'll eat them too!

 

[TonyG]

I did the cooler bit this weekend with a steak, and I will definitely be cooking with this method in the future. Things to ponder, my hot water comes out of the bathtub faucet at 167*F, and can I place a temperature controller inline with my electric stove.

 

[Revvy]

Anyone into fiddling with Arduino, there's an instructable today for a setup using a crock pot and arduino controller.

Instructable.

 

[Huaco]

Love Me some instructables!
Thanks Revy

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Finally got the Anova configured into a Cambro with retractable lid... much easier than the 32 qt stock pot.

Two slabs of ribs cooking at 143 for ~44 hours, will be ready for tomorrow night's dinner.

 

[banesong]

So just received an Anova, and raring to try it out. I have a bunch of Top Sirloin steaks - how would you suggest cooking them?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

So just received an Anova, and raring to try it out. I have a bunch of Top Sirloin steaks - how would you suggest cooking them?

Sirloin can be a bit on the tough side, so I'd go about 131 deg F, and anywhere between 4-8 hours. Then sear on an ultra-hot grill or in a cast iron pan. Should end up beautifully tender.

 

[banesong]

Roger, thanks. Not a weeknight meal then.

 

[Huaco]

Roger, thanks. Not a weeknight meal then.

Of course it can be a weeknight meal. Set it up before you leave for work. Come home sear the meat and eat!

 

[banesong]

Just curious... The steaks are 1" thick... Does that make a difference in your estimated cook time?

 

[Huaco]

I think of my set up more like a crock pot, not a microwave. I know I'll be leaving my steaks in there for quite a while. It's more than just heat soaking the meat. It's about letting the fats render over time too!

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Just curious... The steaks are 1" thick... Does that make a difference in your estimated cook time?

Thickness can make a big difference in *minimum* cook time. You need to have enough time for the center of the meat to come up to the water bath temperature, which is obviously dependent on thickness of the meat.

This is important for items that are already tender, like filet mignon, or chicken, or pork loin, etc. Getting the center up to temp (and leaving it long enough to pasteurize) is important, and it's not necessary to leave it one minute longer.

However, for longer cooks where you're trying to use temp+time to tenderize, the thickness doesn't matter as much. If you're going to be cooking something 8 hours in the sous vide, a 1" steak vs. a 2" steak won't really matter. Both will get up to temp LONG before you pull them out.

 

[banesong]

I think of my set up more like a crock pot, not a microwave. I know I'll be leaving my steaks in there for quite a while. It's more than just heat soaking the meat. It's about letting the fats render over time too!

Gotcha... Different mindset.

Thickness can make a big difference in *minimum* cook time. You need to have enough time for the center of the meat to come up to the water bath temperature, which is obviously dependent on thickness of the meat.

This is important for items that are already tender, like filet mignon, or chicken, or pork loin, etc. Getting the center up to temp (and leaving it long enough to pasteurize) is important, and it's not necessary to leave it one minute longer.

However, for longer cooks where you're trying to use temp+time to tenderize, the thickness doesn't matter as much. If you're going to be cooking something 8 hours in the sous vide, a 1" steak vs. a 2" steak won't really matter. Both will get up to temp LONG before you pull them out.

Roger. Great explanation.

 

[Revvy]

The biggest issue about steak thickness and timing seems to be not how long it takes to get to temp, but how long you're planning to hold the meat at temp past that point. I had an insightful facebook conversation with Jason Logsdon, the author of Modernist Cuisine at Home, and I think he's also the owner of Modernist Pantry. I was trying to plot out a dinner menu where the beef would be in the bath for about 12 hours. I was looking at various cuts including a 1 1/2 inch Porterhouse, but his recommendation was to go with a tough cut of meat, like an English Roast and slice thin after browning. I went with that and the meat was like butter, amazing.

I think he actually said that the porterhouse would after 12 hours at 130 have the mouthfeel of sawdust, since the connective tissue would more than likely all break down by the end.

The nice thing about sous-vide is that you can hold at temp for a long time, but you will get tissue breakdown, just like any low and slow cooking methods, which is great for tough cuts after a long bath, but not so good for smaller cuts if it is too long.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I think he actually said that the porterhouse would after 12 hours at 130 have the mouthfeel of sawdust, since the connective tissue would more than likely all break down by the end.

A friend of mine did an experiment with filet at 24 hours, just to see what it would do. He said at that point it could be served with a spoon. And that wasn't a good thing!

 

[sasky7777]

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[Airplanedoc]

A friend of mine did an experiment with filet at 24 hours, just to see what it would do. He said at that point it could be served with a spoon. And that wasn't a good thing!

Beef Fillet Pudding --- MMM, MMM, Not Good.

 

[banesong]

Well, 10 hours might be a but much for ribeye. Although it was tender, is was definitely dry. I would also say that at 131, it was medium well.