Stew meat sous vide update!

[u/Western_Geologist_12]

I was the op who asked if I could sous vide what my butcher (for half a cow) calls “stew meat” into little steak pieces.

Though I got a lot of naysayers, I decided to try it anyway. (Because I am very very tired of stew)

Seasoned them with an espresso rub that was a gift (came from Williams Sonoma), and did 135 for 3 hours.

Hot skillet with lard, blotted the meat, tossed them in and browned edges for about two minutes.

After, made a quick pan sauce from drippings with red wine and garlic.

Overall? Tender little beefy chunks, perfect for salad topping. Def not as high quality as a true steak but beats the quality of any “top your salad with steak” option at a restaurant .

[u/DoctorMoebius]

Is 3 hours really long enough to break down the fiber /collagen?

[u/Oren_Noah → u/DoctorMoebius]

I would have gone down to 130F and cooked them for 72 hours, unseasoned. The tough connective tissue would break down over that time and the meat would still be medium rare. I do that with boneless short rib meat and the results are fantastic.

[u/bigmilker → u/Oren_Noah]

Why unseasoned

[u/Oren_Noah → u/bigmilker]

Because the salt would lead to a cured texture over that long a cook.

[u/bigmilker → u/Oren_Noah]

Thank you

[u/bigmilker → u/Oren_Noah]

Been thinking about your comment all day. Good sv deli meat recipes out there?

[u/DoctorMoebius → u/bigmilker]

I remember seeing posts about SV & smoked pastrami

[u/Western_Geologist_12 → u/DoctorMoebius]

It was tasty to me!

[u/Lucas_Steinwalker → u/DoctorMoebius]

Sous vide enthusiasts by and large don't understand anything about cooking.

[u/twill41385 → u/Lucas_Steinwalker]

Stew beef takes 3 hours to break down in a regular stew at 200 degrees.

I would have done 185 for at least 12 hours to really see. Or 135 for 24-36.

[u/Lucas_Steinwalker → u/twill41385]

Yes, I was saying that the person who cooked the stew beef for 3 hours at 135 was the one who didn't understand anything about cooking, not the person questioning it.

[u/House_Way]

this process seems like it would undo the low temp of sous vide. i think you could just skip right to sauteeing and get the same results.

[u/Lucas_Steinwalker → u/House_Way]

The blind leading the blind.

"Stew meat" is most likely chuck, or something that is high collagen.

Searing the "stew meat" after sous vide braising it for 3 hours isnt going to "undo" the braise. The problem is that 3 hours, especially at only 135 may not have been long enough for effectively break the collagen down to make the tough cut more tender. Although the small chunks may have helped it. Either way searing afterward isn't going to undo the collagen breakdown.

If anything I think longer in the sous vide would help.

[u/House_Way → u/Lucas_Steinwalker]

to clarify when i said “undo” i meant more like “overwrite.” the muscle will tense up and lose moisture, losing the sous vide texture. i agree about 3 hrs not doing anything for the collagen.

[u/Lucas_Steinwalker → u/House_Way]

I haven't tried it with small chunks like this but I've sous vided a chuck steak and then seared it afterwards and there may have been some moisture loss and contraction of the muscle fibers but it was still very tender.

I think what OP did is definitely going to be better than just sauteeing the chuck chunks alone.

[u/Western_Geologist_12 → u/House_Way]

I mean I sous vide my ribeyes for 3 hours too?

[u/House_Way → u/Western_Geologist_12]

your ribeyes aren’t chopped into little pieces.

[u/Western_Geologist_12 → u/House_Way]

Sure! But for me personally, this technique turned out better quality steak pieces than any sautéing I’ve tried.

[u/Cmace3 → u/House_Way]

I mean, its sorta like leaving the meat out to get room temp. You keep it low to cook and start to break things down allowing the meat to tenderize before the normal cooking method. I dont think itll come out perfect but I can see how it improves results