Got a story for ya Aggies! What? Actually some Sous Vide Questions from a RANK newbie!

1. First Sous Vide Cook with Anova.

2. Vacuum packed, frozen, bone in, pork chops, 1" thick.

3. Of course, did not read instructions (I am a grown man and DO NOT need instructions LOL), put the bag with the frozen chops into the water bath prior to firing up the Anova. Turned on the Anova and set at 140 per temperature requirement for P Chops. Is this a No No to thaw/cook meat this way? Will we eat them and die?

4. Bag reversal, do y'all turn your bags over while cooking to insure all sides are getting correct heat? I can see the water circulation, but my bad of chops hangs near, does not touch, the side of container. Is there enough circulation to cook without reversing the bags?

5. It is not hard to put a brisket on the smoker for hours at 250, for some reason I want to keep checking the Sous Vide setup to see if the chops are over cooking, which intellectually I know they cannot. Humans have quirks, also quarks, but that is for the next sub atomic particle lesson.

Pork chops are my favorite quick thing to sous vide. I set mine at 135deg and forget about them for 2ish hours. Then sear in cast iron and eat. I buy them in bulk at HEB when the thick cuts are on special and season then vac seal and freeze in single serve portions for easy use during the week. Per a very well known former prof at A&M, now teaching at Iowa State, modern pork can be cooked to medium and still be food safe. No need to over cook like our grandparents did.

Actually that's what's for dinner, tonight.

Earl:

1. Thanks!

2. Your recommendations on P Chop seasonings?

3. Searing: What oil? Do you add dollop of butter? Sear time?

4. Your other Sous Vide favorites, if may ask?

5. What container do you use. I used 5 gal bucket with styrofoam liner, was old but clean bait bucket, is that too deep. I know water down to 4 inches is 140 but my electronic temp gauge will not reach bottom of bucket, but circulation seems strong enough to heat this amount of water and bag is not much deeper than bottom of Anova.

Mark Fairchild said:

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Earl:

1. Thanks!

2. Your recommendations on P Chop seasonings? I dust mine with yellow curry powder, season-all, and coarse black pepper

3. Searing: What oil? Do you add dollop of butter? Sear time?I use plain old butter and go about 2min per side. I try to get the skillet around 400-450, putt butter in and then toss chop in once the butter is starting to brown.(doesn't take long)

4. Your other Sous Vide favorites, if may ask?
salmon is ridiculously good(115ish for like 45 min), deer back strap wrap in bacon(125 for 2hrs), fajitas (125 for 2hrs or longer if you've got the time), strawberries foster at whatever temp I'm cooking the protein at for about 45 min, AggieChem's jerk chicken for 3hrs at 140, chicken breasts at 140 for 2hrs. Tons of stuff.
5. What container do you use. I used 5 gal bucket with styrofoam liner, was old but clean bait bucket, is that too deep. I know water down to 4 inches is 140 but my electronic temp gauge will not reach bottom of bucket, but circulation seems strong enough to heat this amount of water and bag is not much deeper than bottom of Anova.
I have a clear 4.75gal Cambro container that I cut the top to fit the controller in, it helps with the worry about "is it cooking?"

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I put almost everything in my Anova frozen without the water coming to temp first. You probably won't die. And you don't need to turn the bag for longer cooks. I have tested this theory extensively with my Thermapen.

Our Anova gets most of its use not for cooking food but for reheating BGE smoked or grilled leftovers. I grill and smoke specifically for leftovers.

My usual container is a 6-quart food service container like this: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/6-qt-clear-square-polycarbonate-food-storage-container-with-red-graduations/407S006PC.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI84qe0fDv2wIVBRBpCh1jVA2_EAQYBCABEgK_0fD_BwE

*Not endorsing that site or container, just the first similar product Google brought up.

How'd yours end up?

Earl: Just finished. Were good, not quite great. I did them at 140 and not your 135, next time, 135 they were truly medium, we like ours a bit rarer. But the main thing, this WORKS, going to keep experimenting finding things we like. My biggest problem is my wife, she is NOT into new things. Left to her we would watch TV by candlelight. So there is a cultural battle to do. The 135 thing for P Chops is next, as stated, these were perfectly done, just done to a degree that is a little more DONE than we like. Thanks again for all of the advice!!!

Yeah, you can really tweak it to your preferred done'ness. Those bone-ins were a bit thinner than what I cut loin chops when I catch them on special, so they finished a tiny bit past what I like them, but not by much. Also, a guilty pleasure is having a sip of the rendered fat from the cook that's left over in the bag.

Dr. Sterle?

Mark Fairchild said:

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2. Your recommendations on P Chop seasonings? I use Lawys 30 marinades and let em sit overnight. Pull em out, seal, and bathe

3. Searing: What oil? Do you add dollop of butter? Sear time? I use canola oil because of it's high smoke point and/or butter. I get my cast iron pan white hot for it's only maybe 60 secs per side

4. Your other Sous Vide favorites, if may ask? Pork tenderloins and chicken breasts are phenomonal. We buy the preseasoned tenderloins from HEB and since they're already sealed you can take them from the fridge and drop them straight in. Briskets are awesome too. It's great to get a good brisket only have to leave it on the smoker for 3 hours.

5. What container do you use. I used 5 gal bucket with styrofoam liner, was old but clean bait bucket, is that too deep. I know water down to 4 inches is 140 but my electronic temp gauge will not reach bottom of bucket, but circulation seems strong enough to heat this amount of water and bag is not much deeper than bottom of Anova. I use a 5 gallon plastic food container for everyday cooking and an ice chest setup for briskets.

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When I bought mine wife thought I was nuts and was bltching about what I bought this time. Now she loves it and preaches about as much as anyone.

Here's the last brisket I did with my Anova

TxAgg07 said:

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Dr. Sterle?

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Yep

Ag 07, hope to win wife over, she is still *****ing about this NEW method. This is going to be an uphill battle!!!!

Was one of my favorite professors in school.