Brand new user here. Started with pork chops last night. 145 degrees for one hour, then finished with nice seer in hot pan. Tasted good and evenly cooked throughout, but rather than the expected meltingly soft texture, was rather tough and chewy. Did I do something wrong? Any suggestions? A disappointing start to my sous vide journey.
The chops might do better with a longer time, but first try letting the meat rest in the bag for a few minutes. I have found that lean cuts will re-absorb given the chance.
Were these cut thick or thin?
The chops were about 3/4" thick. I did wonder about a lower temp (maybe 135?) for a longer time. Good point about resting. Thanks!
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Hey there @VermontGary welcome to the community! 
@RichardOL has a very good tip. I’ve done chops too and they were about the same thickness as yours. I had them cooking for 140 degrees, 1 hour. Also were your chops on the leaner side, or did they have some fat in them?
What cut of chop were they?
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Can’t find the discarded package but I think center cut, bone-in. Some fat on them, so not too lean.
I think big mistake was, I forgot about wife having to run to a meeting so did not have time to let them rest between cooking and searing. I suspect this may be the culprit, perhaps also with too high a cooking temp.
Thanks for responses!
Some animals are just tougher than others.
I’ve made pork chops twice now and I do believe it comes down to quality of the meat and consistency. The first time I made it it was perfect, the most delicious pork Chop I’ve ever made. Second time I used a cheaper quality and also seared it a bit longer than I should’ve and it was awful. Not dry just chewy. It was also too thin.
So as others have mentioned, use a thicker piece of pork. I’ve been using my SV for about 8 months now but it does take some time to experiment. With my pork chops I used the following recipe:
- 140f (60c) for 1 hour
- Season with salt, pepper, rosemary springs. Crushed garlic. Drizzle bag with olive oil
- Sear 30-45 seconds each side in a hot pain with olive oil.
- Pour remaining oil over it afterwards if you have any left!
Don’t sear it for too long! Good luck!
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