Fixing a RibEye Roast

Anova Precision® Cooker First Cook Essentials
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Hi! Just got my Anova for Christmas and I need help…

I smoked a ribeye roast for Christmas lunch and I only got it to 120 before searing it… A little too raw for my taste… I should’ve pulled it at 130… not sure what I was thinking.

I was going to put the leftover roast in the oven but am wondering… can I SV it from the fridge and bring it to around 130? Or can I only reheat it to the temperature it was originally cooked at for safety reasons?

In other words… can I fix my roast with my Anova? Get it past the original temperature and up to a new one?

Thanks in advance!

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There is no reason you cannot reheat it at your desired temperature.

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Sweet! Just wanted to make sure. I just got the Anova yesterday and decided this will be my first go with it…

How long do you think I should go for?

So i smoked it to 120… seared it… it got to maybe 125ish… less in some parts…

I want to get it to 133 I think and then re-sear it… any food safety tips I should be aware of? I was thinking of doing 133 for 3 - 4 hours to be safe…

Appreciate your help!

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CSR, let’s address the food safety matters first because that where you could be exposed to some potential harm. As you now realize, thinking is critical to your wellbeing. Detailed planning before cooking will keep you safe.

Are you aware of the Food Danger Zone between 40ᴼF and 140ᴼF where pathogens can multiply significantly over time? Competent cooks restrict the cumulative time meat is in the Food Danger Zone to a cumulative maximum of 4 hours.

Common food pathogens can stop multiplying about 126ᴼF and by cooking we want to reduce the more dangerous Salmonella, Listeria, and E. Coii species to a safe level. None of them are detectable by sight or smell. Safe SV cooking requires a blended calculation using time and temperature where thickness of the product is critical. A roast is challenging because of it’s thickness and the time it takes for heat to difuse to its core. In low temperature SV cooking it is generally accepted the lowest safe temperature you SV cook at is 131ᴼF for cook times approaching 4 hours or longer.

Now, for how long did you have that smoked roast sitting at 120ᴼF, or somewhat higher?
And where is it now? In your refrigerator after an ice bath deep chilling?
And at what core temperture is it now and how long did it take to get below 40ᴼF.

Your other questions:
Yes, reheat vacuum packaged meat using SV at 131ᴼF for Medium-Rare directly from fridge to heated water bath.

For food safety reasons reheat at 131ᴼF or higher, 133ᴼF will be just fine if that’s what you want. You need to be more precise in thinking of cook times. Thickness is critical.

Your experience with this RibEye roast illustrates the challenges of mixing cooking techniques without careful planning. I understand it’s fashonable, but you should understand the risks may negate the benefits.

You may find it useful to learn about SV Pasteurzation techniques at the following site:

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

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Hi!

So I smoked it at 250 for 3 hours plus… took it off at 120. It rested for 10 - 15 min. Then I seared it for a minute each side.

Then we ate. It sat out while we ate and then I put it in the fridge as I was cleaning up.

I was hoping to reheat it and also get it to a better temperature but now I’m worried that’s a bad idea.

Thoughts?

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I was hoping I could go from fridge to SV at 133 and leave it for 4 hours.

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The point that Frank is trying to make is that it will take time for the core of your roast to come up to temperature. Until it gets there it is sitting in the danger zone.

You still have not told us the thickness of this piece of beef so that we know how long it is likely to take to get up to your desired point.

Personally, I would not do it. If you want that meat served hot and cooked further then slice it and sear it in a hot frying pan or skillet as you would a minute steak.

Otherwise enjoy a cold, rare beef sandwich.

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Ember’s correct. And you are economical with important details.
Slice and sear or serve cold, and soon.
This is not a piece of meat you want to have hanging around for long.

I was wrong about SV reheating if you had not ice-bath chilled sufficiently to get the core temperature to 40ᴼF or lower. You don’t mention that important step. My mistake.

In case you are going to ask, fot the typical 3-inch thick RibEye roast it requires up to 3 1/2 to 4 hours in a 50% ice bath to chill to the center (depending on how much was left.) Since you planned to reheat for another meal it may be a substantial amount. Going from kitchen temperature to refrigerator isn’t smart because that mass of warm meat may cause your refrigerator’s contents to be in the FDZ too.

CSR really needs to understand the basics of food safety which is always paying close attention to time and temperature. Keep in mind the maximum 4-hours in the FDZ rule.

If you get around to reading Baldwin you’ll learn about toxins and spores from the active bacteria you have slowly brewing in your refrigerator that could make you painfully ill. A 133ᴼF reheat will not eliminate them.

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Sorry… still new at all this… Just measured what I have left and it’s 7.5" long, 2.25" thick.

So when we talk about these rules and guidelines, are you just talking about SV or am I facing the same dangers in an oven? There’s no way to reheat the entire rib and be 100% safe? I am better off just slicing and heating quickly?

I have read about ice baths because I intend on using my new SV to batch cook chicken breasts and then the ones I am not eating, I putting right into an ice bath for 30 - 45 minutes before refrigerating them… and each night I will be taking one out and SVing it back up to 150 for 2 hours… did I at least get that part right?

And for future reference, when you make a dinner like a roast… how long do you have before you need to ice bath it? Obviously I can’t rush people into eating so people might go up and take one slice to start and then want a second, third, etc. How long can it be out before I need to ice bath it? And if I had ice bathed it and then stored it, are you saying it would have been OK to heat up via SV?

Sorry for all the questions. Between Youtube and Google I am seeing so much info and trying to process it all.

Thanks!

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CSR, wow! About 15 expenxive portions left!

When using the SV cooking technique only the meat’s thickness is of critical importance because that’s what the heat has to difuse through. Length doesn’t matter other than to amaze this cook at how much you have left.

When it comes to food safety; rules are rules, meat is meat.
No rules difference when cooking in an oven.
However roasting or heating meat in an oven is at a higher temperature and quicker, thus usually safer.

So you are contemplating bringing the roast up through the FDZ again somewhat quicker than SV in an oven. Hmmmm.

Thinking back, about just how long has that roast been in the FDZ?
While prepping for smoking?
While smoking?
While resting?
While searing and portioning?
While sitting out during dinner?
And while in the refrigerator hopefully in the coldest area at the back on the bottom shelf loosely covered, maybe even on a wire rack allowing ample cold air circulation, - or not? ( I’d estimate 3 hours for that step alone.)
OK, you do the addition.
See my concern?
Likely too long, - so slice and sear.
And ASAP.

On to Chicken cooking now.
Please reconsider your plan as there appears to be a few inconsistencies in it.
Think about it. Heat flowing in or out of meat is not too different. It’s basicly energy moving through matter.
You are going to cook chicken breasts with your new circulator for an undisclosed time and temperature. And then chill them for 30 to 45 minutes.
If the chicken breasts are an inch thick or less, 45 minutes will chill them throughout. Inch and a half thick breasts need 90 minutes to be thoroughly chilled. You likely know poultry comes with some special hazzards. To be safe please read Baldwin on Pasteurization.

And you’re right, 1 1/2-inch thick breasts require 2 hours to reheat.

For future planning use the 4-hour rule.
You have ample time, particularly if you warm-hold duing dinner in order to offer your guests second and third helpings as good as their first. After dinner, make your priority to vacuum package and get the meat in the ice bath promptly before starting any clean up tasks. They can wait.

If i were to make a dinner like a Rib Eye roast i wouldn’t consider using the SV technique. I don’t need to, but out of habit i would be aware of time spent in the FDZ. My preferred technique is low temperature steam-assisted oven roasting, but that’s for another forum.

Afford yourself the basic SV knowledge Baildwin provides. Then you can build on that to become a more skilled cook achieving consistently superior outcomes.