jclarkhpa Posted January 1, 2015 Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 Aloha and Happy New Year everyone! My wife and I are going to host a BBQ on Friday and one of the things I'll be doing is Tri-Tip. I'm planning on putting it in the sous vide and then searing it. The question I have is whether I should season the tri-tip before I vacuum pack and put it in the sous vide or after? I don't want the salt to dry out the meat if there is a chance that would happen in the sous vide, but I also want it to have maximum flavor and wasn't sure if spicing it during sous vide helps. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 1, 2015 Report Share Posted January 1, 2015 I always season before vacuum sealing for sous vide - steak, pork chops, salmon, whatever. You might want to dust it again after you take it out of the bath before searing. Does 2 things, helps with crust development during the sear, and will help absorb some of the moisture on the surface of the meat, which will promote the Maillard reaction (too much moisture and you just steam the meat = no crust). I also like to save the juice in the vacuum bag for making a nice pan sauce or to deglaze the pan after sauteing mushrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 I just did two Sous Vide trip tips.. First I cut small slits parallel to the meat grain.. after it's cooked these will help you see/remember the grain direction that can be difficult to see later after the cook.. Then I put some worcestershire powder, dried parsley, granulated garlic (as you can't use fresh garlic because the cooking temp is too low) and black pepper on the meat. Tossed them into a zip lock bag, dipped them into the water and sucked the remaining air out of the bag with a straw.. LOL Works great.. Cooked them at 128 for about 6-8 hours.. pulled them and tossed them into my chest freezer and covered them with a big bag of ice to quickly cool them. After about 20 minutes I tossed them into the fridge. Later that day I took them out and completely dried them with a cotton dish rag. I then salted them with salt and about a peanut worth of charcoal ground up. Then wet them with grape seed oil and more ground black pepper and dried parsley.. I then threw them on the upper flipped over down low at about 650º and flipped and turned until blackened. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Please explain adding the charcoal to the rub?? As I recall, Tatonka Dust has it, too. I've tried it, don't get the hype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Please explain adding the charcoal to the rub?? As I recall, Tatonka Dust has it, too. I've tried it, don't get the hype. Ditto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 I know! I know! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 I know! I know! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk And ... Don't hold me in suspense! Spill the beans Big Guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Well, not to hijack, and only because Dennis mentioned this in our last conversation, but, Adam Perry Lang mentioned this, one way to get a charred flavor is to crush a bit of charcoal and sprinkle it on like a seasoning, carbon is carbon. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted January 2, 2015 Report Share Posted January 2, 2015 Well, not to hijack, and only because Dennis mentioned this in our last conversation, but, Adam Perry Lang mentioned this, one way to get a charred flavor is to crush a bit of charcoal and sprinkle it on like a seasoning, carbon is carbon. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Doh! Now I remember reading that in one of APLs books! Thanks for the refresher course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 That was it.. We are used to tasting the carbon/blackened flavor.. This way if you only brown something you still get it.. The Tri Tip was a 5-6 wagyu so it dripped a lot of fat and ended up blackened by the flames.. But if only browned which I prefer I like a little "charred" / blackened flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Sorry, but I'd rather do it the "old fashioned way." Kind of like adding liquid smoke to a crock pot butt and calling it Q - cheating in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Sorry, but I'd rather do it the "old fashioned way." Kind of like adding liquid smoke to a crock pot butt and calling it Q - cheating in my book. Tony - I understand about the liquid smoke. BBBLLLLEEEEECCCCCHHHHHH! However, I'm an old baseball player and to me, if you ain't cheating you ain't trying to win! I loved Gaylord Perry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 There is some logic to the madness.. The temp necessary to blacken/char the meat will over cook the outside layer to well done. You can reduce the thickness of the most cooked outer layer and increase the percentage of uniformly cooked meat using this technique. (organic) carbon is carbon.. It tastes the same because it is the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 Understand the science, and as a fan of molecular gastronomy, I applaud OTB thinking, but this one's still a "crutch" in my book. Lots of tools in the box to get a good crusted steak that is uniformly rare - sous vide and frozen. Both have worked well for me. Here's a reverse sous vide steak (sear first, then into the bath) that I did back in October. Also back in October, I did the frozen steak cook - straight out of the freezer and onto the grill. I think the frozen steak has almost none of that "well done zone" under the crust and the sous vide one is pretty small, too! I know that Doc's another fan of "roasting" his steaks, so I will try it sometime, just to compare. That's the beauty and the fun of this adventure, trying new things (OTB, baby!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducaticraig Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 Dennis, that tri tip of yours looks amazing. I just got my Sous Vide toy and will have to give a try soon in my KK. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 Craig, did you get the ANOVA? Great tool for both the kitchen and the brew room in my case. I use it to get my strike water to the exact temperature that I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 I got the Anova and love it..I think the most amazing cook so far has been shrimp.. Crunchy and even squeak on your teeth.. Awesome.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
