Sous vide

[Chainsaw13]

Originally Posted by T.G

Greg, I wouldn't mind seeing that recipe if you have a link for it.

One of the reasons I made this though was that I wanted a shelf stable infused oil I could just pour back into bottle after straining. I can always sprinkle some salt into the oil once it's served on a small platter.

BTW, now that the oil has cooled off, the garlic flavor is coming though much better. Could have also just needed some aeration time.

Adam, does the time/temp make this shelf stable? I know it's not recommended to store garlic in olive oil, the risk of botulism being an anaerobic environment.

[T.G]

Thanks Greg.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13

Adam, does the time/temp make this shelf stable? I know it's not recommended to store garlic in olive oil, the risk of botulism being an anaerobic environment.

You bring up an interesting point, one I don't have a complete answer for at the moment.

One point to make is that I'm not storing the garlic cloves in the oil, they are being strained out. The cook temp of 190 will break down the toxin if present, but won't kill any spores.

That leaves me some options:
1) Keep the oil in the refrigerator to retard growth if present and count on that botulism from garlic is pretty rare.

2) Acidify the oil - In theory it's easy to do since I keep a few different powdered cooking acids on hand and I would just have to figure out the needed concentration. Unfortunately, bringing it down to about pH 4 where botulism would be prevented could change the flavor. Another complication here is that taking pH readings of oil is a special lab process since there is no water involved, you can't just jab a pH meter probe in there and get a reading to see what my starting point is, since it might not be the same as the listed pH of the oil due to the cooking and ingredients. In short, I'd be guessing on how much acid to add.

3) I could pack the oil into a mason jar and give it a 5-6 minute process in my pressure canner. USDA says 3 minutes at 250F will kill botulism, I always figure an increased margin is needed for home equipment. This temp is well below the smoke point, so the oil should be ok. Not sure what will happen to the flavor here though.

Other treatments like irradiation aren't going to be achievable in a home setting.


So right now, I'm going with #1 on this test batch. If people have been making garlic confit in their SV setups for years and safely storing the cooked cloves submerged in oil in the refrigerator and they haven't died yet, I figure my odds of not having a problem are pretty good. And you are correct, I should have said "refrigerator stable" and not "shelf stable".

I probably will test out #3 soon enough though. Would definitely do it if I were going to ship a bottle.

I'll get back to you on the flavors once I've pressure processed a batch.

[markem]

Originally Posted by T.G

Other treatments like irradiation aren't going to be achievable in a home setting.

I do believe that you are making excuses.

I have friends in Livermore and I suspect that you do as well...

[bonjing]

Sorrry spelled it wrong. Bana cauda

http://www.food.com/recipe/bagna-cau...y-sauce-114729

[Chainsaw13]

Thanks for the reply. It's a topic I have to keep in mind when making dry cured sausages.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by markem

I do believe that you are making excuses.

I have friends in Livermore and I suspect that you do as well...

LOL. I actually do know someone at Los Alamos.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13

Thanks for the reply. It's a topic I have to keep in mind when making dry cured sausages.

I've never made dry cured sausage. I do have a contact at the UC who teaches the meat processing program if you have any questions you want forwarded, PM them to me, it's no problem at all for me to pass them on.

[nutcracker]

Tried slow cooked egg today - 4 large eggs - 65C for 60 mins in the sous vide supreme.

Failed - the yolk was firm and white still loose.

Conflicting info out there - lower temp for longer?

[Chainsaw13]

Kinda surprising Neil, that the whites wouldn't set at that temp. You will always have some runny whites when doing sv eggs, in less you run a lot higher temp. Here's a great article that explains all the different times/temps for different consistencies.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/10/s...bout-eggs.html

Me, I do 145°f for 50 mins.

[T.G]

Did a test run of tri tip at 16 hour @ 132.5F sous vide, finished on the santa maria grill. Came out at the upper half of medium when sliced, but super tender, almost too tender, if I had run this on the meat slicer rather than hand cut, I think it might have been too soft.

Happy with the results overall, but thinking that I might drop the temp a degree for next time.

[Padron42]

Got an Anova about a month and a half ago, just saw this thread. Love it so far but can't wait to read through this and get some ideas/tips.

[T.G]

Anyone else with a searzall starting to see deterioration of the outer screen? I haven't even finished going through the first tank of propane and the outer screen already has a hole forming in it.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by T.G

Anyone else with a searzall starting to see deterioration of the outer screen? I haven't even finished going through the first tank of propane and the outer screen already has a hole forming in it.

Wow!

I will have o check when I get home.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by T.G

Anyone else with a searzall starting to see deterioration of the outer screen? I haven't even finished going through the first tank of propane and the outer screen already has a hole forming in it.

Checked my Searzall and there doesn't appear to be any hole forming.
There is a dent right in the center where the flame from the torch is, but it doesn't seem any weaker than the rest of the screen.

Those Tri-tips look fantastic!
Please tell me you seared one off with that weed burner.... You know, in the name of science.

I'm getting close to convincing my wife that she needs a Santa Maria grill. When she eventually caves expect a PM, Adam.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

Checked my Searzall and there doesn't appear to be any hole forming.
There is a dent right in the center where the flame from the torch is, but it doesn't seem any weaker than the rest of the screen.

Those Tri-tips look fantastic!
Please tell me you seared one off with that weed burner.... You know, in the name of science.

I'm getting close to convincing my wife that she needs a Santa Maria grill. When she eventually caves expect a PM, Adam.

Thanks for checking the searzall, Dom. Maybe the screen was just defective in the first one, the wires that failed were a distinctly different shade of blue/grey than the rest of the screen. Interesting about the dent, the screens on mine are bulged outward slightly. I've wondered about the tight spacing with the larger TS8000 torch.

I did not use the weed burner on the tri-tip. Too many witnesses.

Cool deal on the Santa Maria, lmk.

[T.G]

How to crank out 20lbs of tri-tip in less than 30 minutes on a grill that barely holds two at a time.

Not my preferred way to cook tri-tip, but hey, everyone there loved it, so whatever.

[CigarNut]

What seasonings/veggies did you include in the bags, Adam?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

What seasonings/veggies did you include in the bags, Adam?

Per bag:
A handful of coarse chopped peeled garlic (about 1/3 cup I would guess)
about half an onion, sliced
1/3 of a head of cilantro, whole, stems and all
2 serrano peppers, sliced
4 fresh bay leaves*
2 tiny sprigs of rosemary (about 1" long each - don't overdo, this stuff will take over)

Divide the materials evenly across both sides of the tri-tip roast.

After I pulled them from the bags and cleaned up the herbs, I coated them with Pappy's Tri-Tip seasoning and seared over mesquite lump.

*: I have a bay leaf tree, so fresh in unlimited quantities is pretty easy for me. If you're buying bay leaf, you can probably just use one leaf torn in half.

[T.G]

Oh, and the MAPP gas torch wasn't mine, I just grabbed it from the tool bench. The searzall that failed on me a week or two ago was only being run with propane.

[CigarNut]

FYI, Received an email from Anova -- the Precision Cooker is on sale for Mother's Day for $129 -- a $50 savings.

https://store.anovaculinary.com/2827...10a14-99716765

[bugmenot]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

FYI, Received an email from Anova -- the Precision Cooker is on sale for Mother's Day for $129 -- a $50 savings.

https://store.anovaculinary.com/2827...10a14-99716765

Picked one up and used if last night. No pics as I ate everything too fast, but turned out great! Did a NY and some tips. Seasoning wasn't quite what I am used to, but there's nothing left so that's a good sign.