For the uninitiated, sous vide is a cooking device that you place in water and it heats it up to a certain temperature.

You then place a food item, like a steak, in a vacuumed sealed plastic bag and place the bag in the water. After a few hours (or even days), you remove the steak and finish it by cooking it in an iron skillet or grill to get the color right and add some flavor.

For those familiar, any strong opinions one way or the other? I just got one and so far I'm mixed.

I love smoking and grilling. I have read up on this and people swear by it, just doesn't sound great to me.

Please let me know if you like it.

My dad has gone nuts on this...done everything from lobster to beef. My mother is about ready to shoot him...funny to hear them bicker about this on FaceTime.

Buddy of mine has a sous vide and to this day it was one of the best steaks I've ever had.

It's big on Top Chef.

So funny there is a thread on this subject because I was just looking at Sous Vide machines on Amazon. I've only done it once (borrrowed a friend's machine) and wasn't impressed so I never gave it another thought. But then I cam across this podcast and I am rethinking it again. If you have any interest in cooking, Chef Jacob Burton at Stella Culinary has a great series of podcasts and videos on a whole host of cooking subjects, including Sous Vide.

I take seasoned pecan limbs and cut them into disks with my table saw. At least one disk goes on the fire of everything I cook. I've heard a lot about this method of cooking but don't think it's something I'd ever try.

ugalee said:

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For the uninitiated, sous vide is a cooking device that you place in water and it heats it up to a certain temperature.

You then place a food item, like a steak, in a vacuumed sealed plastic bag and place the bag in the water. After a few hours (or even days), you remove the steak and finish it by cooking it in an iron skillet or grill to get the color right and add some flavor.

For those familiar, any strong opinions one way or the other? I just got one and so far I'm mixed.

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Takes all of the fun out of it. Grilling is an experience for me.

Keep experimenting with it man. Cooked some 1 inch thick rib eyes last weekend about 45 min's on the Joule. (App will tell you time & temp to use). Threw them on high heat propane grill about 2 min's per side. One of the best tasting most tender steaks I've ever eaten. A lot of Youtube videos out there for Sous Vide cooking.

ugakirk said:

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I hear a bunch of people rave about it. But I'm weird. I don't like using plastic more than I have to and I don't like heating up my food in it.

But everyone I hear that uses it loves it.

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https://www.stasherbag.com/blogs/stasher-life/how-to-cook-in-stasher-bag?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgJv4BRCrARIsAB17JI6y2TKG5wTajWJzsDMPgqaArW9fr13Wl-oa0_SzO7nTxSTZ8i7IsXoaAvtAEALw_wcB

It's used mostly in cooking for large numbers of people.
Weddings, banquets etc..
It helps get large quantities of food ready at one time.

It changes the texture of the red meat for me. More like a ribeye roast beef to me. Not that that is bad. Just different then a raw sear.
Chicken is chicken and it works great. Veggies as well.
Baby formula
A little more prep time but a great tool.

Think about boiled Ribs vs long and slow ribs???
That's about the best way to describe it.

I have one and it is interesting. Steak, for instance, def still needs a quick sear.... however, let's say you put a ribeye in with a twig of rosemary, 1 garlic clove and normal seasoning whatever you'd use - and sous vide for 1 hour at 220 degrees.... its actually insane how much the aromatics are seeped into the meat and how perfectly the temp is throughout the entire cut of meat. Sear on grill or cast iron for 30 seconds on each side and it's a delish way to go. The flavor is just permeats every bite. Its interesting.

I have a sous vide, a big green egg, a blackstone and also reverse sear steaks in the oven.. have to day sous vide def brings a different flavor to the table.

I did a sous vide brisket once for 55 hours. Hard to keep a temp that long with any other contraption.

I have done shrimp, meat & some veggies all were good. Chicken was rubbery and fish was not good. I plan on trying lobster soon...

Bottom line: for $100 it's worth it to use a handful of times a year.

Chuckwagon said:

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Think about boiled Ribs vs long and slow ribs???
That's about the best way to describe it.

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Not the same thing at all. The meat isn't being boiled at all. It's not even touching liquid.

One thing that I might try this weekend is the Smoke, Soak, Sear method...

Basically you smoke for about 30 minutes to get the flavor, soak it to get it tender, and sear it to seal it in.

Even if I can't figure out how to cook with it, it is much better at reheating a steak than the microwave, so it's worth it for that reason alone imho.

How did the brisket turn out? Been wanting to try it.

Dean Legge said:

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Oven to reheat a steak

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But you are cooking it more in the oven, which is fine, but I like mine rare. I can heat the whole thing up without cooking it anymore.

Maybe you can do that in the oven, but I can't

True. It's basically impossible to overcook since it maintains a consistent, constant temperature. Experimented with baby backs back on memorial day. Sous Vide'd ribs to internal temp of 145, then threw them on pellet grill @ 250 about 15 mins per side. Came out great.

Sous vide is definitely long and slow. Ryan is right, water doesnt touch the meat.

Also boiled ribs suck!

snuffy19 said:

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How did the brisket turn out? Been wanting to try it.

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Brisket turned out great just lacked the smoke flavor you're accustomed to tasting. Perfect cook otherwise.

I bought a 12 quart plastic container with a top made for the sous vide that keeps the water from evaporating during long cooks... for the 55 hour brisket I set it up on my worldbench in the garage and just left it.

It was good. Give a whirl

I usually put steak in skillet to reheat - is there a better way?
mainly, I try to avoid the microwave for that.
Does sous vide reheat?

thanks.

How do you even say this word? It sounds like water boarding for meat.

"Sue vee"

I will. Just wondering if you "topped it off" on grill etc. I was thinking sous vide brisket to about 180 internal, then finish off on pellet grill to about 210. Thnx for info!

Bulldawg1 said:

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I usually put steak in skillet to reheat - is there a better way?
mainly, I try to avoid the microwave for that.
Does sous vide reheat?

thanks.

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Probably.. but probably more trouble than it's worth. To reheat a steak I'd prob just use the toaster oven or skillet. It would be like heating up your smoker to reheat a steak that may only take a few mins in the oven.

Sous vide is really a money saver. Buy one and then go buy some of the cheaper cuts of meat from the butcher. It completely transforms them.

I was shown a trick for reheating a steak in the Microwave.
Put a single leftover steak in a freezer ziploc. and put in fridge.
The next day just put the ribeye sealed in ziploc in microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on size.

It really works. And I hate microwaves!

RyanJordan said:

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Chuckwagon said:

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Think about boiled Ribs vs long and slow ribs???
That's about the best way to describe it.

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Not the same thing at all. The meat isn't being boiled at all. It's not even touching liquid.

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Its being precooked. Boiled in a bag, steamed in the oven, boiled straight in water.....its all the same.
You've exposed yourself

I like mine. You can put your food in and go work on something not having to worry about overcooking it. I also use mine a lot to relatively quickly defrost things (soups, frozen meats, anything really)