Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation teach me about sous vide cooking

I've read the recent thread here on cooking antelope sous vide LINK to Thread and learned quite a bit (thanks Pugs, Edm, Sitka Deer, super_T and others!).

I've been thinking abut getting into sous vide cooking for a while, and now several sources here in Sweden have the Anova Precision sous vide stuff on sale.

My question is: Do I have to also budget for a vacuum sealer and those expensive bags too?

Is it possible to use "normal" plastic bags and suck the air out with a straw? I do this when freezing stuff and it has been OK for that - not sure if this would be satisfactory with prolonged sitting in hot water... so I ask for the opinion of the 'Fire now!

John

I use regular zip lock bags all the time, 2 gallon is my most used size. I use bigger than I need because I don’t like submersing the seal part of the bag, I don’t trust it.

I take the air out by submersing it under water, working from the bottom up just like I’d sit it in my water container. When I use ziplocks I use a regular pot, not a tub like I’d use with vacuum bags. I also use a stainless ball that weighs around a pound, I’ll double bag and put it in the bottom of the second bag to keep things from floating, especially pork.

So a sealer isn’t necessary, but I’d recommend getting one.

Try souse vide potatoes with cream cheese sometime, there’s a lot of recipes out there.

A picnic ham I have going for Sunday

Does it work for lutefisk?

https://modernistcuisine.com/2013/03/is-it-safe-cook-plastic/

Most bags are fine. As was mentioned, I do use some marbles sometimes especially birds where there is a big cavity that you can't really get the air out and they'll float. Works well with quail.

I like the vacuum bags for the better seal. Vacuum bags are also great for planning ahead. I will buy alot of meat when it is on sale and have extra time to deal with it.. Seal in vacuum bags with all my seasonings and such. Simple to pull whatever it may be out drop it in the water and you got a real meal going in just a few minutes. You don't even need to defrost if you don't have the time. Just add about hour to the cook time depending on what your cooking.

Just got done packing up a pile of roast and steaks. All portioned out seasoned and ready for their bath.

Does anything? I mean besides drowning it in cream sauce.

Don't think I have the patience for sous vide. Besides it reminds me of stories of spring on the Missouri. Winter kill would float down the Missouri River on ice-out until drifting into shallows where the sun would warm the water. There it would percolate until some lucky Sioux found it. No plastic bags but I expect the hide was good enough.

Good advice so far. When your beef, pork, chicken, etc. come out of the water bath, it won't look too great so you must sear it. This can be done in several ways, in a skillet, on a grill, or with a torch. The important thing is that it must be done hot and fast. You are not trying to cook it further. Another thought is generally the amount of time the food stays in the water bath past the minimum time to bring it up to temperature is not critical unless you are trying to tenderize a tough cut of meat, then I longer can be called for. Today I'm going to do a top sirloin for six hours at 130 degrees and then sear it over a bed of roaring hot oak coals. It will be as tender as fillet, but with more flavor and perfectly medium-rare.

Lower quality beef roasts are my favorite for sous vide. Been getting sirloin tip and rump for around 3 bucks a pound quite often in my area. Cheaper than hamburger as good as tenderloin when sous vided..

Thanks to all!

...and keep the info coming! I have a lot to learn.

John

To repeat myself, it often turns a messy job into a perfectly clean operation with virtually no fuss.

Local higher end grocery had beef tenderloin on sale. Never been a big fan. Too expensive at a restaurant and never much luck cooking it at home. As a thin sandwich steak fine but never good results with a real thick filet type cut. They were just restocking the case with some beautifully marbled fillets about two inches thick and about ten ounces. Too nice looking to pass up at 6.99 a pound and cheap enough to screw up.

Never tried them sous vide before. Simple salt and pepper hour and a half at 127. About three and half minutes a side on a very hot natural lump charcoal fire. I amazed myself. It was the most perfect cooked filet I ever had. Perfectly even, low side of med rare. From edge to edge top to bottom all the way to the center it was done exactly the same. It had perfect texture. In the past too often it has been mushy unless I cook til around a solid med. Now it is still not my favorite cut,but tenderloin will now be in the rotation if the price is right. Most night and day difference of anything I have tried sous vide.

My favorite way to cook fillet is to season salt, pepper, garlic and cook in the smoker set at 225 with apple wood until not quite up to rare. Sear on a grill as hot as you can get it for a nice char. And a little longer if someone wants medium. The point of a fillet is you don't have to cook it to make it tender, so best rare. With a good burgundy.