Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I would also add that certain veggies, e.g., butternut squash, celery root, fennel and carrots are brilliant SV. They keep ALL of their flavor. It's hard to describe just how good they are.

Amy

I have 2 Costco flank steaks in the freezer. Going to use one for Ropa Vieja, but thinking of sous viding? the other. I always marinate it in olive oil, white wine, onions, fresh rosemary and sweet and regular soy. Question is do I drain it and pat it dry or put it in marinade and all. Second since they are not too thick, can I use the temp recommended for 1" steaks i.e. 126° for 1 hour? Then take out dry and sear on stove? Thanks.

PS, Steve loves it. Wants to get the smoking gun.

Has anyone done swordfish? The temp ranges seem to be from 122, which strikes me as low, to 133. Also, anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half. Glad to hear anyone's opinion.

Here's the setup Steve devised for our Sansaire. . The top did not want to stay closed hence the cans. We are going to get tiny clamps to replace the cans.

Steve did a London Broil tonight which was good, but not as tender as I would like. It was about 2" thick. He said he did it at 131 for about 50 minutes. Any thoughts?

Alina,

We did London Broil two weeks ago but we did a much longer cook. 126 for 48 hours. It was very, very tender and perfectly medium rare inside after a quick sear on a very hot grill for some grill marks.

I don't have much experience with short cooks other than for shellfish.

--Lisa

Alina,

Depending on which part of the country I have lived in, various cuts are marketed as London Broil. What cut of meat are you using?

I do a lot of short cooks, but only on pieces that are pretty tender to begin with, and under 1 1/2 inch thick. Tender steaks & chops, pork tenderloins, seafood, all reach temp in under an hour, and there's no need to cook any longer for tenderness. I can call home and ask someone to heat the sous vide, then just pop the bag in when I get there. During the short cook time, I can make the sides, then just sear & serve.

Thicker cuts of 2 inches or more can take longer to reach temp in the middle. Tougher cuts need a lot longer to tenderize. When I do corned beef, I leave it in the bath for a couple days. Technically, it will reach temp quickly, but it takes a while to break down into tender goodness.

For meat which wants to be more tender, I start at about 6 hours and go from there. It will be a function of the meat, and your preferences. For example, lots of people report flank steak is really good @ 24hrs+. I prefer about 8 hours, maybe 12; past that it is too tender for my liking.

8 hours is often a nice time, as you put it in the morning and take it out at serving time, and it will tenderize quite a bit. It is a good place to start, IMO.

On swordfish: My overwhelming urge to grill it means I have never SV'd it. I bought last bits at my fish monger last season and grilled it... need to find out when it comes back into season (in NS)!

Did the swordfish at 132 for an hour in olive oil, Lemon pepper, and salt and it was fabulous - moistest I've ever head (broiled it at the end to give it some color.

Yeah, what's up with that? Why is extreme tenderness the gold standard? The butcher is always telling me that the conventional meat is more tender that the grass-fed. I tell him, "It's okay, I still have my teeth."

JB,

It's a different kind of tender, and for some things I absolutely prefer it, and for others I don't. SV not only can enhance the texture of some foods, it also completely transforms the taste, so (for me) it's a combo of the two I look at. I love what it does for grass-fed beef, and not so much for things like chicken breast, although I've found that if I properly salt the chicken before it goes in the bag, it dissipates how tender it gets.

Amy