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[Hank D Thoreau]

Welcome to the party. I just got a sous vide machine and it is a real game changer.

We had a couple of chef friends visit just after Thanksgiving. We needed to reheat turkey and rib roast so they set up a manual sous vide using our gas stove.

It worked out nicely but got me thinking that I should finally get myself a sous vide setup. I ended up buying an Anova since it was rated number one on a review site I visited.

It also got good reviews as a home sous vide from our chef friends.

I have now done three test runs: steak and lamb chops to 140, steak and lamb chops to 135, and green beans.

There is no doubt that sous vide is the way to go with steaks. You can dial in the exact doneness you desire.

I was always afraid of killing good steaks by over cooking. Now I can cook them to the doneness I am looking for and then quick sear to get a nice maillard reaction.

I was running 2 hours with the steaks. They were the best steaks I have ever cooked at home, and it just standard Aldi beef.

I cooked the green beans at 182.5 for just short of an hour. They were not nearly as good, lacking flavor and needing a little more time to soften.

As I learn I will start to figure out how to integrate sous vide with smoking. There should be some synergy there.

The pictures show: 1) the setup, 2) completed steaks before unbagging, 3) seared steaks, and 4) cut steaks. The steaks pictures are from the 135 cook.

My wife likes her meat fairly well done. We had to put her steak and lamb chops in the oven. That will be our game plan. Cook to the lowest internal temperature and use the oven to fine tune for folks that like theirs more done.

Now when our friends come back they will have a new toy to play with, and will be able to teach me how to better use it.

And finally, I got the wifi unit. It works for me.

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[BigDave83]

You will use it a lot.

 I bought a sous vide supreme years ago, also one of the first or second anova circulators, and a cheap gramercy kitchen circulator.

If you have a known accurate thermometer or better yet 2 of them, double check the temps you are using. they are sometimes off and need adjusted.

If you like shredded chicken I do 140 for 4 to 6 hours. it shreds nice for quesadillas or buffalo chicken dip. Great for doing eggs also.

[urnmor]

Quite honestly I have more than what I know what to do with them.  I love them for steaks however seldom use them for other foods.  I guess because it takes awhile to cook other foods.  If I do not plan well the food won't be done on time.  They make great eggs but it takes so long.  Also I just don't have the space to leave pans of water sitting around.  Now this is just me and I guess I really have to use them more to fully get their benifit.   

[elenis]

I think I am a lot like you urnmor. When I first got it I tried to come up with different ways to use it, but it can take a while and I don't leave it filled or anything and all my various kitchen gadgets are stored in the basement so I don't use it a ton. I just got a new circulator, a Breville Joule, because on my older one the plastic got brittle and  the clip broke. I got a frozen 15 pound rib roast that was marked down for quick sale from GFS that will be sous vide for Christmas. I just got the stainless steel blades for my saw in the mail to cut it into 3 pieces to reshrink wrap since there will only be 6 of us eating it together potentially.

[hughver]

One of the best Sous Vide uses that I've found it is for cooking tough cuts of meat. Trimmed Chuck roast for 48 hours at 135° and reheated to desired IT on the smoker. I also do brisket and pork butts with long cooks. IMHO, close trimming is essential because the fat does not render very well at 135° but the tough inter connective tissues start melting at 130°. I also smoke a lot of things before I Sous Vide. 

[Hank D Thoreau]

One of the best Sous Vide uses that I've found it is for cooking tough cuts of meat. Trimmed Chuck roast for 48 hours at 135° and reheated to desired IT on the smoker. I also do brisket and pork butts with long cooks. IMHO, close trimming is essential because the fat does not render very well at 135° but the tough inter connective tissues start melting at 130°. I also smoke a lot of things before I Sous Vide. 

What are some examples for how you smoke prior to sous vide?

[hughver]

Like I've stated before, I know that I'm a bit weird, but I believe that fat prevents seasoning and smoke from reaching the meat, so I normally trim all visible fat from all my meats. As for Sous Vide, I don't do anything special, I just prepare, (season, inject, marinate, etc.), as if I were going to only smoke, but I smoke at low temps. until IT reaches 120-130°   then vacuum pack and Sous Vide. I have an Anova steam oven that also does Sous Vide without the vacuum bagging.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Like I've stated before, I know that I'm a bit weird, but I believe that fat prevents seasoning and smoke from reaching the meat, so I normally trim all visible fat from all my meats. As for Sous Vide, I don't do anything special, I just prepare, (season, inject, marinate, etc.), as if I were going to only smoke, but I smoke at low temps. until IT reaches 120-130°   then vacuum pack and Sous Vide. I have an Anova steam oven that also does Sous Vide without the vacuum bagging.

I've done the same thing with rib roasts.  Results were great flavor and tenderness after slicing thin for sandwiches.

[Bentley]

They are really spectacular if you have some meat goo and want to do something like a chicken cordon bleu or a Kiev.  Anything that you really want to keep the stuffing, butter, cheese, etc...and do not have the patience to do it right without it!

[Bar-B-Lew]

Bentley, what was your finish to the outside of the cordon bleu?

[BigDave83]

Bentley, be careful with your counter top, I have read many times about people sitting the pot on their granite top and it cracking or pitting from the long period of heat in one area. Most just put a folded bath towel under the pot.

If I could swap the cheese in that for something other than swiss I would eat that and look for more.

[Bentley]

A little to high heat of a fry!

Bentley, what was your finish to the outside of the cordon bleu?

[urnmor]

Always be sure to place the pot on a rubber mat or something else to keep it of the counters.

[hughver]

I have had granite counter tops since the early 80s and have never damaged one from heat.  I read that granite can withstand temps as high as 1200°. Cracking danger occurs when there is a rapid change of temp., say setting a very hot pan on a freezing cold counter. 

[BigDave83]

I have had granite counter tops since the early 80s and have never damaged one from heat.  I read that granite can withstand temps as high as 1200°. Cracking danger occurs when there is a rapid change of temp., say setting a very hot pan on a freezing cold counter. 

I have never had granite tops, but only have seen and heard from people (granted mostly in online forums and such.) that have mentioned and shown some pictures of damage due to sitting the metal pot directly on the counter. That is why I mentioned it.