Sous Vide question

[Lancer09]

Some of the absolute best food I have cooked has come out of cooking with sous vide. I've done some awesome pork belly, shanks, roasts, Filipino adobo and all kinds of stuff.

One thing has vexed me thus far.. the good sous vide steak.

I may be wrong but I think part of my issue is the thickness of my steaks. I cooked some nice KC strips on Sunday, somewhere in the normal grocery store steak thickness, half inch maybe? maybe an inch, but not those real good thick bad boys.

I have always worried that my sous vide cooked hotter than it was supposed to. It does, but not as drastically as I had thought. I had it set at 128, right at the output it was 130, other side of the sink was 129. Dropped it two degrees on the machine and had 128 all over.

2.5 hours, pulled, dried, and seared hard. Let them rest. When I cut into them they were medium well or well all the way through, but no differentiation between the edges so they had to have been that way before I seared them. They were super tender, tasted great, but still had a firmer texture than a rare steak.

Going to long? not a thick enough piece of meat? I hesitate to throw some duck in there for fear of overcooking it with about the same thickness as these steaks were. I want that rare, medium rare edge to edge but just can't get it...

thoughts?

[BilletHead]

       Only thing I could think of is too much at the searing stage Lancer. When i have goofed up that is where it is. Since I like a good sear I have adjusted my Sous Vide cooker a couple degrees lower that what is called for so I can sear longer.  Never had any problem with duck but I sear them real quick because of the thinner meat cross section. Thin meat is hard to cook period IMO. Our resident chef RPS I am sure can help you. Used to cut my deer back straps in steaks or butterfly them. Learned my lesson there. Now it is Roasts in three sections. Sous Vide, sear and then cut into steak slices. Oh My Gosh what a difference. Now you have me wanting to cook one!

  BilletHead

[ness]

I’ve always thought that as precise  as sous vide can be, the final sear is not. Like Marty said, that’s likely where the problem is. Supermarket  steaks can vary a lot, and they’re often pretty thin. Might take some experimentation to nail it. Sounds like you’re comfortable with the starting temp. I would think the final sear would be just seconds on a screaming hot cast iron skillet. For a thin steak, maybe set your starting temp 5 degrees lower. 

[Lancer09]

Interesting.

It wasn't a long sear but I guess with the meat already being 128 degrees it doesn't take much sear to push the inner temp up into that medium well range. 

Got a venison roast thawed to start some "roast beef" style lunch meat out of venison instead.

[tho1mas]

I love my sous vide for almost everything but steak. It seems to alter the texture some how. When I pop for kc strip I fire up my old Big Green Egg ( 18 years old & still going strong).

[ness]

If medium rare is 135 you’ve got a razor thin margin of error if it’s a thin steak starting at 128. I would think even more so on a duck breast. But, I’ve never used one of those confounded contraptions, so what do I know? 😄 Gimme Fire!

[BilletHead]

2 minutes ago, ness said:

 😄 Gimme Fire!

          Didn't you have the fire department show up once because you were cooking?  🔥 

BilletHead

[ness]

1 minute ago, BilletHead said:

          Didn't you have the fire department show up once because you were cooking?  🔥 

BilletHead

Sure did, but the steaks were perfect! 😄

[Terrierman]

I'm a fire person too.  Use a meat thermometer occasionally - but typically I rely on color, rebound texture and a lifetime - a surprisingly long lifetime by now - of experience.

[MOPanfisher]

7 minutes ago, Terrierman said:

I'm a fire person too.  Use a meat thermometer occasionally - but typically I rely on color, rebound texture and a lifetime - a surprisingly long lifetime by now - of experience.

Me too, although sometimes, beer, dogs or grandson distract me.  Plus one in my household think my perfect steak is only half cooked, I have converted my wife but after almost 86 years I don't think mom is gonna change.