GrillingMontana Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 I have some pork shanks with no cure on them that I need to cook at some point soon. I was on a kick because our football bar sold "pork wings" and I tried to re-create it with a different batch a while back. Fast forward, I would like to do a combo SV-KK cook with these and am looking for advice. I have done 70+ hour short ribs before but for some reason this one is stumping me. Some thoughts are do do a 48-60 hour slow cook, then a hard sear on the KK followed by a broth-veggie braise in the KK in cast iron. I am open to any suggestions- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 I am open to any suggestions- This is one of my go to sites. It will help you more than me sending the recipe. Stefan does his reserch, but he cooks for 2 most times. http://stefangourmet.com/2014/01/21/smoked-ham-hock-sous-vide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrillingMontana Posted July 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 Thanks @bryan will check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallBBQr Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 Hmmm....just my opinion, but I am not sure what value SV has for pork shanks (or lamb shanks either). What is typical for those meats is to brown/sear and then braise for a long period in a reducing/thickening sauce/liquid, which when all said and done, completely makes the shanks fall-off-the-bone tender anyways and gives the shanks hours to soak up all the amazing braising liquid. If you SV them, you are just losing out on braising time IMO. I could be totally off on this though. I've just started playing around with SV with a slow-cooker and a PID controller (which works great BTW), but do shanks very often....I just don't see SV as a cooking improvement like it is with many other proteins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 I've just started playing around with SV with a slow-cooker and a PID controller (which works great BTW), Good way to get started, but it has its limitations - no water circulation, so temperature probe placement is critical, and limited cooking size, food has to fit in the crock pot. I have a Cambro box for doing larger SV cooks with my Anova. I've done 6 steaks at once for a dinner. And a whole rack of beef ribs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallBBQr Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Good way to get started, but it has its limitations - no water circulation, so temperature probe placement is critical, and limited cooking size, food has to fit in the crock pot. I have a Cambro box for doing larger SV cooks with my Anova. I've done 6 steaks at once for a dinner. And a whole rack of beef ribs. It certainly has a size limitation, but since there are two of us at home, really has not been an issue yet. It's a pretty large crock-pot. I just did two fist-sized lamb loin roasts and they came out amazing. For the odd time I will use it...perfectly adequate. Only cost me $25 to build. In terms of temperature/probe placement though, probe placement is NOT really important I have found because the entire pot is the heat source. I think this is a large ADVANTAGE over the Anova. Because the Anova has only a single point of heat, it HAS to circulate water or else there would be large temperature variances all over. But with the large mass of a ceramic slow-cooker, I add hot water, turn the pot to high and let the controller bring it to temp and let it stabilize. After that, it is rock-solid on temp anywhere you measure. Because the ceramic all stabilizes to the exact temp around the entire mass of water...heat is being stabilized from all sides and the bottom simultaneously. Just like a heat-soaked kamado!! I have measured temps all over and they are all within about .2 to .3 degrees - incredibly accurate/solid. I was completely amazed how well it worked. Really though, this is the same way the Sous Vide Supreme works as well. After dropping in a couple steaks for example, I will see a brief temperature drop in the water, but the ceramic and massive power of the heating element brings it all back to temp very quickly/accurately with no overshoot. I did a 3" thick rib-steak as my first test....was in for 3 hours. I was initially testing the water with my hand-held instant read and quickly realized I was wasting my time...water all came back to temp quickly and never moved after that. I took the steak temp immediately after pulling and it was exactly the same as the water/probe. To be honest, I almost find Sous Vide a bit "boring"...it's too easy - I mean that's a good thing...but for some reason, I think I just prefer "real" cooking...hard to explain...I think this will probably be one of those very intermittent things I get into and just pull out time to time and can say I tried it. If the Anova ever drops to $100-$120 in Canada I would probably pick one up purely for the capacity...but I can't find one anywhere near the sale prices I have seen in the US...but I'm watching. I have some larger Cambro containers as well so just watching for a sale.... I don't even have a vacuum sealer at this point - I've just used a gallon sized ziploc with water displacement and a straw (with my house vacuum helping suck the air out) to get the seal - worked perfectly - super tight vacuum. Hopefully I'll find a garage sale vacuum sealer at some point..but this works adequately for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 A straw and your lungs will do the job. Seal bag up to protuding straw, Suck out air while removing straw and finishing seal. If you want to circulate use an aquarium pump. That is where I started years ago. Never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallBBQr Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 A straw and your lungs will do the job. Seal bag up tp protuding straw, Suck out air while removing straw and finishing seal. If you want to circulate use an aquarium pump. That is where I started years ago. Never had a problem. Thanks for tips. At this point, I think circulation just is not needed. I have to figure out the largest roast I can get in there and that may be my next one.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Small - your forgetting that heat transfer to your roast in a turbulent medium is much, much, much more efficient than that in a stagnant medium. Furthermore, you'll have really problems with even temperature distributions in the SV medium, i.e. water. Near your element, temps will be much higher than on the far side of the roast. The reason you have a turbulent medium is because the equations of heat transfer demand such in a sous vide application. For a large roast, you're simply asking for trouble in a stagnant medium. I've seen folks try and do what you're proposing and it never ends well. Just a very little induced turbulence is the way to go. The only way to go. You're simply never going to fool Mother Nature! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallBBQr Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 CC...go take a look at how the Sous Vide Supreme works and get back to me...(Hint: no water circulation). Once the ceramic crock stabilizes in temp, it emulates the SVS very closely in function. Many commercial (very expensive) water ovens also do not circulate water - they just heat a liquid very evenly to a set temperature. Because they do not circulate the liquid it also provide a different advantage - many professional chefs are now using them to heat DIFFERENT liquids (such as oils or butter) and placing their food directly in the liquid, without a vacuum bag. i.e. I am going to try olive oil poached salmon using the temp controller to set an exact temperature for the olive oil in the pot, and then put the salmon directly in the oil. Proof is in the pudding as they say. I've only done two cooks so far, but each ended perfectly - a 3" thick rib steak done a perfect 120, and two lamb loin roasts done to 131. Other than limited capacity, it works AMAZINGLY well. It's that simple. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 You must have a different crock pot than me. Mine only heats on the bottom, as the crock is removable for serving and cleaning, and the side walls are thin metal - structural only. So, it naturally has a temperature gradient from bottom to top. If your's heats the walls as well as the bottom, I can easily see how it works well for you. A buddy of mine has a similar crock pot to me and tried the PID controller. Didn't like the results and went out and got the Anova. Loves it. BTW - I've slow poached shrimp and sea bass in butter using the water displacement method in a large Ziploc bag with the Anova. Works great. Eager to hear how your fish comes out. I'm looking for an excuse to splurge on some lobster tails and try those! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Small - thanks. I've only seen SV with circulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Sorry I can't help. I have done it both ways. What I call manual and automatic. I justified my choice each way at time of use. I now use the automatic way. Either will work for home use. First class just looks nicer, cost a nickle more and is less work. Tough meat will still be tender. Ride the bus that blows your skirt up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
