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Sous Vide and Fiery Foods

I figured that I would just start a sous vide thread since I've been using the immersion circulator like crazy. It's no wonder that top chefs throughout the world are using this technique. The textures and flavors are that come out are amazing. Precision temperature cooking makes for predicable and repeatable results. It's great for infusing spices and herbs into foods as they're vacuum sealed inside.
 
If you're interested in trying it and don't want to buy any expensive equipment, all you need is a thermometer, a spare cooler and a ziplock freezer bag. This method works great for fish or tender cuts of beef. For fish heat the water to 125-130 degrees F and pour into the cooler. Place your fish in a ziplock bag and using the water immersion technique leave the top of the bag open while you submerge the fish so that the water pressure forces the air out of the bag. Once the air is out and you're nearing the top of the bag, close it up and clip it or tape it down to the side of the cooler and close the lid. For beef try water at 129 F (rare), 136 F(med rare), 140-150 F (medium to well). Sear in a very hot pan, or finish under a very hot broiler or grill.
 
Here's a few things I've done with it and I welcome anyone else's experiences, opinions, or ideas. 
 
Jamaican Jerk Turkey Breast with 'Rice and Peas' and Fried Plantains
 
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Miso Tilefish with Baby Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms
 
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Ribeye with the Perfect Egg Yolk
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Click to expand...
Been thinking today on natural smoke and sous vide and ways to do.  Trying this first.
 
I'm having a go at getting as much smoke into a bag as possible then sealing it.  PITA.  There will be an easy way or gadget to do it.  Mebbe a smoke gun :think: .
Got a small piece of hickory smoking, made a foil boat put it in and sealed the bag in a few seconds.  Def smoking away in there.
 
P7162513_zps7ipbf7rd.jpg

 
Dunno how long to bag it for.  Trying 30 minutes. Smoke should be flowing past the meat not trapped as far as I know.  I'll see how it turns out.  One plain chicken thigh, two jerked with different amounts of paste.  I'm worried that sous vide jerk will overpower the flavour of the chicken.  Gonna go 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp.  See how that pans out.
 
P7162514_zpsmozam2mi.jpg
 
I vote for a patty of rendered bacon fat from the wood-smoked bacon variety of your choice (applewood, hickory, mesquite etc) ...

I have a small Cameron's, works a treat:
http://www.cameronsproducts.com/smokers

I have an A-MAZE-N smoker tube, too:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/A-MAZE-N-PRODUCTS-TUBE-SMOKER/1878039.uts?productVariantId=3936822&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=40-62614010-2&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03957950&rid=20

I've been thinking about possibly trying putting the tube, a piece of meat, and a bag of ice into the kamado grill for cold smoking ... maybe I'm crazy, but it seems like it could work in my mind ...
 
Yup - a gadget I don't own, but am aware exists!

I'll await your review ...

Actually, I can tell you that I recall a cook early in the Top This Sandwich thread where that gun was used and the member spoke highly of it's efficacy if I recall ...
 
Just opened the smoke bag to rebag and seal plain, 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp Walkerswood jerk paste.  It smelt like hickory smoked bacon!  No off smells, gonna try an hour smoke soak next!
 
See how it tastes later.  Hope the smoke penetrates.
 
Just opened the smoke bag to rebag and seal plain, 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp Walkerswood jerk paste.  It smelt like hickory smoked bacon!  No off smells, gonna try an hour smoke soak next!
 
See how it tastes later.  Hope the smoke penetrates.


I'm feeling the fever now, I think ... I might have to do a cook in the sous vide tomorrow night ...
 
Cook over.  67.5 C @ 2 hours
 
Observations. 
 
Pronounced smoke flavour.  Big taste of bacon from the hickory.  Next smoke soak will be allspice for 1/2 an hour.  Gonna also try regular bacon with hickory smoke soak for an hour for another project.
 
P7162515_zpstybgwfdc.jpg

 
Plain, 30 minute smoke soak hickory: chicken bacon.  Yummo.  Needs a sauce to stop it drying out too quick.  Moisture loss to the atmposhpere.
 
1/2 tsp Walkerswood, same smoke: Mellow jerk, balanced flavours, smooth smoke.  This was the winner for me.
 
1 tsp above and same smoke:  Jerk up front, some smoke, some chicken at the end.
 
Top plain, left 1 tsp, right 1/2 tsp.
 
P7162516_zpssrhuictq.jpg

 
Ooops :D finished with a butane torch.
 
You are a little too high, too long.

You are coming in over 153F, for two full hours ...

I'd aim for 90 mins at 147F ... which is still a pretty full cook, from memory.

The sous vide chicken can have a faint pink quality that's OK ...

If you go too long w/ chicken it'll get the texture of wet cardboard, and all the flavor will be in bag juices ...

Love the side-by-side, though ...
 
grantmichaels said:
Yup - a gadget I don't own, but am aware exists!

I'll await your review ...

Actually, I can tell you that I recall a cook early in the Top This Sandwich thread where that gun was used and the member spoke highly of it's efficacy if I recall ...
Click to expand...
i have a 5$ fish tank water pump, put the tube in the bag and light the wood in a bowl and put the pump right above it to get the smoke in. It's the same exact thing lol
grantmichaels said:
The sous vide chicken can have a faint pink quality that's OK ...
 
Click to expand...
 
As a public health official, i do not recommend this lol pink chicken = uncooked chicken.  I'd use a thermometer to make sure it's at 165
 
yeah, that'd work too.

As a public health official, i do not recommend this lol pink chicken = uncooked chicken.  I'd use a thermometer to make sure it's at 165


No.

All killing is time at temp at pressure ...

You are pasteurizing in a sous vide, beyond cooking ...

You have extended time, which allows you lower temp ...

And pink meat means nothing, it's myoglobin ...

Chicken should have a faint pink quality out the sous vide, still ...

The whole no pink thing is just wrong, period. JUICES should run clear, meat color is not the right metric ...

1:30 at 147F is a good, safe place to start - especially for something that's going to take more heat for searing ...
 
grantmichaels said:
You are a little too high, too long.

You are coming in over 153F, for two full hours ...

I'd aim for 90 mins at 147F ... which is still a pretty full cook, from memory.

The sous vide chicken can have a faint pink quality that's OK ...

If you go too long w/ chicken it'll get the texture of wet cardboard, and all the flavor will be in bag juices ...

Love the side-by-side, though ...
Click to expand...
I agree with these temps. I typically use 148 for 90 minutes for white meat. For dark meat you can go higher if you want fall of the bone texture. People get so hung up on the 165 F thing, but it's really just because the public health organizations don't think consumers can handle more than one variable at once. Even at 136 F you can obtain a 7-log10 reduction (1 per 10,000,000) in salmonella after 64.5 minutes with 2% fat content according to tables published by the USDA. If you're interested in reading more about food safety and the science behind sous vide check out the review published by Douglas Baldwin at UC Boulder. One food safety tip that I would pass along is that if you're not planning on serving immediately, you should first transfer into an ice bath before longer storage in the refrigerator.  
 
USDA time-temperature tables for cooking ready to eat poultry products: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/9ab2e062-7ac8-49b7-aea1-f070048a113a/RTE_Poultry_Tables.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
 
Sous Vide Cooking: A Review: http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/Baldwin-IJGFS-Preprint.pdf
 
Thanks TRPV, I prefer to read peer reviewed articles backed up by science. I'll take my time to read this later tonight. I'm sure it has some great information, but could any of you guys shares some hints/tips/lessons learned that I should know before i embark on this sous vide adventure?
 
We showed the Aussies BBQ and they stole it from us. Now they are stealing sous vide. Can we have BBQ back now? You can have sous vide... :P
 
Seriously... yous guys master everything.
 
General tips:
- Don't salt meat prior to cooking but after it comes out of the bath 
- Add some olive oil, butter or another fat source to the bags prior to cooking but just enough to coat the meat
- Add herbs to the bag to infuse the meat with some flavor
- Use an insulated bath to save energy
- For long cooks always use a cover to prevent evaporation which not only causes water levels to drop but lowers the temperature slightly
- Use gentle settings when sealing fish so you don't deform the meat
- Brine or dust fish with salt and sugar, let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse prior to cooking for a firmer texture and to reduce albumin (white film you see on salmon for instance) seeping out of the meat 
- During long cooks, air will sometimes build up in the bag and it must be weighed down so it stays submerged
- When cooking thin cuts reduce the cooking temperature since the final sear will likely overcook the meat or use regular temperature for the cook and place in an ice bath to cool prior to the sear to bring the meat just back up to temperature. 
 
grantmichaels said:
You are a little too high, too long.

You are coming in over 153F, for two full hours ...

I'd aim for 90 mins at 147F ... which is still a pretty full cook, from memory.

The sous vide chicken can have a faint pink quality that's OK ...

If you go too long w/ chicken it'll get the texture of wet cardboard, and all the flavor will be in bag juices ...

Love the side-by-side, though ...
Click to expand...
 
 
Thanks GM.  This was done as a smoke and flavour experiment as I don't even have the Anova yet.  The courier was to drop it off yesterday but he got confused about my address.  Dimwit ;)
I simmered this on the stovetop on the lowest flame on the smallest burner.  Even then I had to turn it off and on.  Every 20 minutes i'd check with the thermometer.  Not so fussed on that cook about perfect temps.  But the smoke worked awesomely!  Gonna do some chicken maryland smoked soaked with allspice berries for half an hour and the right temps when I get the Anova in my itching hands.
 
A half an acorn squash, w/ the seed cavity spooned out and replaced with (les) butter + brown sugar makes quite a tasty treat out of the sous vide ...
 
If it was right in terms of diet, it's the custard-y bain marie type stuff (ice cream, brulee, hollandaise, flan) that I'd love to try sous vide ...
 
found this great website
 
http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/a-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-packaging

TRPV1 said:
- During long cooks, air will sometimes build up in the bag and it must be weighed down so it stays submerged
- When cooking thin cuts reduce the cooking temperature since the final sear will likely overcook the meat or use regular temperature for the cook and place in an ice bath to cool prior to the sear to bring the meat just back up to temperature. 
Click to expand...
 
I saw put a butter knife in the bag to weigh it down. But regarding the sear, i thought you sear first then sous vide?
 
 
And grant, you best bet i'm going to make custards in mason jars, maybe pate as well. On that website was a dank recipe for mushroom burgers formed by making a log in saran wrap then sliced and seared. looked great

grantmichaels said:
A half an acorn squash, w/ the seed cavity spooned out and replaced with (les) butter + brown sugar makes quite a tasty treat out of the sous vide ...
 
If it was right in terms of diet, it's the custard-y bain marie type stuff (ice cream, brulee, hollandaise, flan) that I'd love to try sous vide ...
Click to expand...
 
I read that ziplocks don't work well in 185F but you need that for the roots and vegetables like squash. Your experience?
 
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