Basics

     So the basic idea is that you're going to use this to set the temp to the exact temp you want your food to be. So if you want your steak to be 132º, then you'd set the circulator to 132º. Most recipes you'll see will be in Celsius, so that's what we'll be using here. The beauty of this technique is that things slowly develop over time. So if you leave it in the tank for an extra 10 minutes, there usually won't be much of a difference. The food will never get hotter than the temperature of the water, so it's pretty hard to overcook something. What will happen is the texture of the food will be affected. 

 

 

Pork

 

Pork Loin Chop / Porterhouse Chop

• Season (optional)
• Add 1oz chicken or pork stock to bag
• Vacuum seal
• Tank at 54°C for 1 hour
• Remove from bag and pat dry
• Season with kosher salt
• Sear in cast iron for 15-30 seconds per side depending on thickness
• Rest for 5 minutes

 

 

Pork cheeks

• Pre-sear is optional here. I wouldn't recommend it unless they're thick and meaty.
• 85° for 12hrs
• Fall apart tender, like a braised short rib

 

 

Pork Tenderloin

• Season before bagging. No sear. 
• Add 1oz of chicken or pork stock to the bag. 
• Sous vide 54° C for 1 hour
• Remove from bag and reserve liquid. 
• Hard sear in cast iron. 30 seconds per side.
• Rest for 5 mins on a rack
• Slice
• Perfection. 

 

 

Boneless Pork Loin

• Seasoned prior to bagging
• Touch of oil, salt and onion powder  
• Vacuum seal it
• Tanked for 4 hours @ 55°C. If it's smaller, you can also try 54°C
• Removed from tank, dry off well with paper towel 
• Seasoned again with kosher salt
• Hard sear in cast iron for 30ish seconds on all sides 
• Rested for 5-8 minutes 
• Sliced and served
• Absolute perfection. Super juicy and tender. 

 

 

Beef

 

Top Sirloin (Chateaubriand)

• Let meat rest at room temperature for 20 minutes
• Pre-seared for 30 seconds on each side
• Transfer to fridge for at least 30 minutes or longer if possible
• Vacuum seal (you can add a pat of butter and fresh herbs here if desired)
• Tanked it for 1 hour @ 54°C
• Remove from bag and pat dry
• Sear in cast iron for 15-30 seconds each side
• Rest for 10 minutes (if it's a larger cut that is thicker than 2 inches, otherwise at least 5 minutes)

 

Bavette (flap meat)

• Season and sear
• Chill
• Vacuum seal
• Tank at 54°C for 2 hours
• Season and sear before serving

 

New York / Ribeye / Hanger / Skirt

• Season (optional)
• Add a pat of butter and fresh herbs (optional)
• Vacuum seal
• Tank at 54°C for 1 hour
• Remove from bag and pat dry
• Season with kosher salt
• Sear in cast iron for 15-30 seconds per side depending on thickness -OR- you can butter baste the steak. Check the steak guide for instructions.
• Rest for 5 minutes

 

Chicken and Turkey

Turkey tenderloin

• Brine the meat (optional)
• 63°C for 90 minutes
• Remove from bag and pat dry
• Season and sear in a cast iron pan for 15 seconds per side over medium high heat.

 

Chicken breasts

• Brine the meat (optional)
• 63°C for 90 minutes
• For skin on breasts, cook as stated, and then give it a quick sear in the pan for color. 

 

Chicken Thighs

• Brine the meat (optional)
• 64°C for 90 minutes
• Remove from bag and dry
• Season (be careful that you don't over-season if already brined)
• Sear in pan over medium-high heat until golden brown. Just cooking for color here.

 

Duck

• 53°C for 30 minutes
• Also need to try 53°C per Chef Falcon's recommendation

 

 

Fish

Tip: set vacuum sealer to 'gentle and 'moist food' (or whatever the equivalent setting would be on your machine) so it doesn't smoosh the fish.

 

Sturgeon

• Season fish
• Add 1oz of chicken stock to the bag
• Sous vide 61°C for exactly 16 minutes
• Remove from bag and pat dry
• Rest for 5 minutes
• Pinch of salt then hard sear for 30 seconds each side. 
• Serve

 

Monkfish

• Seasoned and bagged with 1tbsp of chicken stock 
• Sous vide 59.5°C For 15 minutes
• Rest for 4 mins out of bag 
• Season and hard sear in cast iron 
• Slice and serve
• Amazing. 
• Could also try 60°C for 14 mins next (Cruz method). Might improve texture. Not sure. 

 

Ling Cod

• 53.4°C for 30 mins to get it to 128° F
• Skinless filets, roughly 8oz each
• Seasoned, added a little evoo to bag and some fresh thyme 
• Vac'd on 'gentle' and 'moist food' (much better for fish since it doesn't smoosh it, nor does it make a mess from all of the liquid coming out)

 

Salmon

• First attempt was okay
• Vacuum sealed a probe in the bag.  Super helpful. 
• The manual stated cooking salmon at 50°C for 15-22 minutes 
• Mine took 51 minutes at 50°C to hit an internal target temperature of 122°F
• The cooking speed slowed down exponentially as time went on. The first 15 minutes showed a huge jump, but once it got into the 80° range it drastically slowed. 
• Next time try 53.4°C

 

Veggies

 

General Rule of Thumb for all Veg

• 85°C between 30-90 minutes

 

Cauliflower (sous vide then roasted)

• 85°C between 30-90 minutes
• Cut in half
• Sear bottom
• Vac on gentle 
• 85°C for 30 mins
• Roast under broiler until charred
• Result: not bad. Could've cooked in tank for longer. Try 45-1hr next. The pan sear really developed flavor. The charring, not so much