My second attempt at ‘Sous Vide’. My first use of my newly created ‘FrankenCooler’.
Coleman 15 litre cooler, filled with 12 litres of water. ‘Blade’ or is it ‘Chuck’ Roast, with a Pastrami Rub, 1kg = 2.2 lbs. Meat was 6cm high, 12cm wide, 18cm long.
I scrapped the rub and excess juices off the meat, prior to ‘vacuum sealing’. I didn’t want a boiled finish to the meat. The juices / rub, were saved in the fridge and was be used to create gravy.
I started with warm water from the tap. The Anova WiFi Precision is rated to 900 watts. My ‘Power Meter’ was displaying 1105 watts being drawn, during the 15 mins to bring water to 60oC = 140oF. Interesting ?
First 10 mins of cooking ; 120 – 350 watts ; which is higher than expected. Perhaps it was the cold meat, that the Anova was bringing ‘up to temperature’. It then settled down to 20 – 95 watts. It was left to cook for 2.5 to 3 hours at 60oC. Total cost of cooking was 22 cents. My power company charges 40 cents per kWh. ( I have seen some online recipes suggesting 1.5kg – 2 kg, unmarinated Chuck / Blade, will take 18 – 48 hours. I need to investigate why it takes so long. )
I am very happy to say the walls of the Esky are room temperature and only the lid is ‘warm to touch’. The vent on the back of the Anova is allowing air / pressure to release. There was also no hint of water evaporation or condensation on the outside of the cooler. I am VERY happy with my FrankenCooler design. ( I also have the option of ‘cracking the lid open a little’, as a form of steam vent when cooking at higher temperatures. )
I also used a metal rack to lift the meat off the bottom of the cooler, and to aid water circulation.
I removed Anova from the cooler. Placed a towel over the 60mm hole in the lid. 60 minutes later, and the water was still hot enough to be used for washing the dishes.
P.S. The meat was cooked to perfection. Juicy and melt-in-your-mouth soft. … I have Solar Panels on my roof, so the cost of cooking was ‘free’.
