Sous vide question

[GParkins]

Has anyone here in the automation forum used their rig as a sous vide cooker? I picked up a couple of bunches of really nice-looking carrots on my way home from work tonight to use as a first experiment.

 

[CxRxExAxM]

I see no reason why it wouldn’t work as long as the bags aren’t on the element and there is some water circulation happening.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Do you have a steamer basket or a false bottom? You could also seal up the bags with some air at the top to keep them floating, or clip them to the rim of the pot so they don't float about. My setup is essentially an 11 gallon sous vide, I have yet to use it for anything but beer but the thought has definitely crossed my mind! If it is insulated and you keep the lid on, you don't really need circulation. +-0.5 degrees is nice, but +-3.0 degrees can work too, depending on what you want to cook that is.

Make sure you post photos!

 

[CxRxExAxM]

You don’t want any air in the bags. They need to be submerged. Doing it with a basket would be ideal.

 

[GParkins]

I think my kettles are big enough for almost anything short of a side of beef. The false bottom in my mash tun has handles that would be good for anchoring the bag, and since it's a HERMS system, the bags won't be in the same kettle as an element.

 

[CxRxExAxM]

Yeah that was my first thought (mash tun) but the amount of water needed would presumably be doubled.

Sous vide is an amazing tool. Good luck with the tests.

 

[GParkins]

the amount of water needed would presumably be doubled.

My kettles are 30 gallons. It takes about 10-12 gallons to completely submerge the HERMS coil, but I can get away with as little as 5 gallons in the mash tun. If my brewing experience carries over, I should be able to hold the temp at +/- 0.5 ℉.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I've been cooking with sous vide for several years. With a lid on the bath, bags that hover near the surface due to a bit of residual air will cook just fine. Most foods are near neutral in buoyancy so it doesn't take much to keep them near the surface. On the other hand, ensuring they sink can be a challenge. I like to either clip butter knives to the bottom of the bag or seal them to the bottom in their own little pouch if they will be cooking for several days.

 

[GParkins]

I've been cooking with sous vide for several years. With a lid on the bath, bags that hover near the surface due to a bit of residual air will cook just fine. Most foods are near neutral in buoyancy so it doesn't take much to keep them near the surface. On the other hand, ensuring they sink can be a challenge. I like to either clip butter knives to the bottom of the bag or seal them to the bottom in their own little pouch if they will be cooking for several days.

Funny you should mention that. From the Serious Eats website: "So how do you get a persistently floating bag to sink? All you've got to do is clamp a large binder clip (like these ACCO clips) on the bottom of the bag, then slip a heavy spoon into the mouth of the clip. The head of the spoon will keep it from falling out, and the weight should keep your food submerged. For especially stubborn bags, you can add a few spoons."

The guy that wrote that piece also writes the Food Lab blog, and has a ginormous cookbook out with the same title. Kenji Lopez-Alt, I think is his name. The dude really gets into the science of cooking.

Serious Eats

 

[CxRxExAxM]

I've been cooking with sous vide for several years. With a lid on the bath, bags that hover near the surface due to a bit of residual air will cook just fine. Most foods are near neutral in buoyancy so it doesn't take much to keep them near the surface. On the other hand, ensuring they sink can be a challenge. I like to either clip butter knives to the bottom of the bag or seal them to the bottom in their own little pouch if they will be cooking for several days.

yeah no doubt it works with some floating but it’s not ideal. Getting a good vacuum on the bags helps too. Even if I’m cooking at home I’ll use the chamber sealer at work to seal my bags.

I usually use a stainless steel resting rack grate on top of the bags. It’s enough to keep them submerged but not enough to press them down or restrict any water flow.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Funny you should mention that. From the Serious Eats website: "So how do you get a persistently floating bag to sink? All you've got to do is clamp a large binder clip (like these ACCO clips) on the bottom of the bag, then slip a heavy spoon into the mouth of the clip. The head of the spoon will keep it from falling out, and the weight should keep your food submerged. For especially stubborn bags, you can add a few spoons."

The guy that wrote that piece also writes the Food Lab blog, and has a ginormous cookbook out with the same title. Kenji Lopez-Alt, I think is his name. The dude really gets into the science of cooking.

Serious Eats

Yeah I have read his recipes, probably where where I saw it. For a while I was dropping butter knives in the bag with the food and then I decided that I didn't trust the metal not to leech over the course of a few days in an acidic liquid so I started dropping them in first, sealing above them and then adding food to the pouch above the knives. But either way, a little air does no harm at all.

 

[CxRxExAxM]

But either way, a little air does no harm at all.

In the actual cooking process i totally agree.

If you use the seal for long term storage or retherm at a later date, that's when it gets sketchy to have any in the bag.

One of the best parts of sous vide cooking is storage under pressure.

 

[Jtvann]

I nearly exclusively sous vide beef in my 20 gallon brew boss system. Ribeye, prime rib, whole brisket, tri tip, T-bone, the list goes on.

Use a vacuum sealer bag, no air. I use my recirculation manifold to hold the bag down.

Ribeye cooked 2-3 hours on 128, then seared in a cast iron pan on the stove top in butter ... doesnt get any better. Well not really, the prime rib for Christmas was better.

The juice that cooks out makes a great sauce.

I did the whole brisket for about 72 hours in combination with my smoker.

 

[GParkins]

I did the whole brisket for about 72 hours in combination with my smoker.

Niiice.

 

[CxRxExAxM]

I did the whole brisket for about 72 hours in combination with my smoker.

I want to try this again soon. last time i did a pork butt and it turned out overly smokey as if i had white smoke the whole time or something.

If i had to guess i must have screwed up the smoking part first and then the circulation intensified the off flavors? Have any pointers on the brisket?

 

[Jayjay1976]

Yeah we figured out a couple of weeks ago that a long, low ~10 hour smoke followed by 24 hours sous vide @150 makes for a tender brisket. Doesn't have the ubiquitous 'bark' on the outside and the smoke ring went all the way through, but we charred the outside with a searzall and it turned out really good.

I know its blasphemy but I really want to add a bit of liquid hickory smoke to the mop sauce, just to punch it up a bit since the smoke density isn't that great at the lower temps. I'm about to ditch my big easy elec. and build myself a trash can electric smoker.

 

[GParkins]

build myself a trash can electric smoker.

Automate that ****!!!

 

[GParkins]

Wow, did I get edited....

 

[CxRxExAxM]

I'm about to ditch my big easy elec. and build myself a trash can electric smoker.

I'm finally getting the hang of my smokey mountain.

I just started toying around with RasPi and sensors so that had me thinking of the smoker possibilities. Any online resources you'd recommend for building one?

 

[GParkins]

Not to bang a drum too loudly or anything, but all I have to do is add on a couple of temp sensors and a valve to my BruControl rig, and I can incorporate a propane smoker to what I already have. At that point, it's just a new script, with modifications depending on the profile I want in the smoker.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I'm finally getting the hang of my smokey mountain.

I just started toying around with RasPi and sensors so that had me thinking of the smoker possibilities. Any online resources you'd recommend for building one?

I've really just been watching youtube videos. The UDS (ugly drum smoker) looks like a good route if you want to use charcoal. I want the precise temp control and lower energy costs of electric so I'm going to build a simple PID temp controller and plug a hot plate into it to heat the trash can and generate the smoke. Also check out the smoking meats forum here on HBT. A lot of folks have had good results with the flower pot smoker that works somewhat like a big green egg in its temp holding abilities. I get a kick out of delivering great results on the cheap via DIY. My brother has a fancy traeger (actually I read that the new ones are crappy) but since he doesn't know what he's doing the food he has made so far has been mediocre. I was gifted a used big easy elec. and though it has its drawbacks, we have enjoyed some really good meals from that little thing. The trash can will accomodate much larger cuts and more predictable smoke levels.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Automate that ****!!!

Automate? I haven't messed around with automation yet, what do you have in mind? Links?
SORRY FOR DERAILING YOUR THREAD!!!

 

[GParkins]

The hero we need is the guy that can brew a stout while smoking a brisket and cooking a tomahawk ribeye sous vide. Goals.

 

[CxRxExAxM]

Not to bang a drum too loudly or anything, but all I have to do is add on a couple of temp sensors and a valve to my BruControl rig, and I can incorporate a propane smoker to what I already have. At that point, it's just a new script, with modifications depending on the profile I want in the smoker.

cant wait to see that happen! your build thread was a great read.

 

[Jayjay1976]

The hero we need is the guy that can brew a stout while smoking a brisket and cooking a tomahawk ribeye sous vide. Goals.

^^THIS^^

I thought I was cool last Sunday, brewing a Kölsch in the garage while I had a brisket smoking on the back patio. We did play some washers in the yard while everything was cooking tho...

 

[Jayjay1976]

cant wait to see that happen! your build thread was a great read.

Sauce?!?!

 

[GParkins]

I haven't messed around with automation yet, what do you have in mind? Links?

Automation would give you the ability to plug in a temperature and a duration, and the joy of walking away from the rig, knowing that the temp will be spot-on and an alarm will sound when the time has elapsed. Plenty of time to dig into the carburetor on the Chevelle or the Adirondack benches in the woodshop instead of fussing over the sous vide cooker.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Plenty of time to dig into the carburetor on the Chevelle or the Adirondack benches in the woodshop instead of fussing over the sous vide cooker.

Well yeah, it's a '63 orange hatchback with a brown door and a bean bag chair, but I get your drift

 

[GParkins]

cant wait to see that happen! your build thread was a great read.

Challenge accepted.

 

[GParkins]

Well yeah, it's a '63 orange hatchback with a brown door,

Swedish Pinto? (Volvo P1800)

 

[CxRxExAxM]

Sauce?!?!

?

bbq sauce? im partial to kansas city or carolina style if im using any

Automation would give you the ability to plug in a temperature and a duration, and the joy of walking away from the rig, knowing that the temp will be spot-on and an alarm will sound when the time has elapsed. Plenty of time to dig into the carburetor on the Chevelle or the Adirondack benches in the woodshop instead of fussing over the sous vide cooker.

See... my garage is my brewery which also is my woodshop and my chevelle is a VW...so i totally get where you are coming from

 

[Jayjay1976]

?

bbq sauce? im partial to kansas city or carolina style if im using any




See... my garage is my brewery which also is my woodshop and my chevelle is a VW...so i totally get where you are coming from

Ah sorry, internet lingo. You mentioned @GParkins build thread, can you link it here?

 

[GParkins]

my garage is my brewery which also is my woodshop and my chevelle is a VW...so i totally get where you are coming from

Add in the wife's garden tools and the household laundry and the kitchen trash and the kid's baseball clobber and you're getting close to my level of clutter.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I brew in my garage too. The last ******* painted it pink like strawberry ice cream. I really hate it but I have so much crap in there and all the shelves would have to come down so I just pinned a bunch of empty malt sacks and beer posters to the walls. Its still pink AF but I'm confident in my manliness so I can deal...

 

[CxRxExAxM]

@Jayjay1976
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/new-brucontrol-build.637406/

 

[CxRxExAxM]

I brew in my garage too. The last ******* painted it pink like strawberry ice cream. I really hate it but I have so much crap in there and all the shelves would have to come down so I just pinned a bunch of empty malt sacks and beer posters to the walls. Its still pink AF but I'm confident in my manliness so I can deal...

yeah i feel the garage is too far gone down the woodshop path to save. i'm currently trying to figure out how to relocate the brewing inside.

 

[GParkins]

Damn...It took me a while to find my own thread.

 

[GParkins]

i'm currently trying to figure out how to relocate the brewing inside.

There are some interesting steam condensers available. Big hoods aren't really necessary.

 

[CxRxExAxM]

There are some interesting steam condensers available. Big hoods aren't really necessary.

yeah im looking at the brewhardware one or opening up my keggle hole a bit more to accept the new spike one.

If you wouldn't mind @GParkins i posted a thread maybe 4 down from this in automated about what i've been thinking. its super rudimentary but i'd love to hear some criticism on it.

 

[GParkins]

There is better stuff than Brewhardware.