Cooked a tri tip roast. 3.25 lb about 1 1/2 inch thick at thickest part in a zip lock bag. Used a small sprig of rosmary, very little soy sauce, little amount of salt and pepper. Cooked at 133 f for 9 hrs. Did the sear in a cast iron skillet Looked good. Not fork tender but tender enough. Did come out a little more tender than putting on a grill. But grill has good flavors.
Note; My opinion is that most meats are as good as their grading. This was select rated. If you have choice, it will take a shorter period of time to tenderize. If you can get a prime, then you don’t have to use this method unless you want to be sure its cooked to perfection and no guess work. Lots of $$ there.
Not sure how to post a pic. It was medium rare. Just as we like it.
It’s been my experience that paying more attention to the seasoning you apply before searing results in superior flavour development.
If you miss the charred flavour from the grill, use it. Crank up the heat, dry the meat, season liberally on a light clarified butter, ghee, or mayo base and you will enjoy those distinctive grill flavours. Flip frequently to prevent overcooking.
Frank, have you done any testing or seen articles on the differences between the same cuts of meat graded select, choice and prime prepared using sous vide then seared? I thought marbling like you see in a prime steak results in more flavor but the tenderness is determined by the amount of connective tissue that is present. This is why you can use sous vide to make a tougher cut very tender as time and temperature breaks down the connective tissue. I would think you could make a select steak very tender but the flavor would not measure up to the same steak graded prime. I do not eat much beef anymore as my wife does not do well with it. I have been getting hanger steaks or making hamburgers for the most part lately.
I’m mostly off beef too, except for dinner parties. Corn producers have too much influence on what we consume. Besides, at this time of year my garden produce is just too good not to be enjoyed every day.
Back in the last century when i was just starting to use the SV technique we did a lot of cutting tests on various grades and cuts from various vendors. Generally, 28-day USDA Top Choice had the best outcomes for unit cost with both roasts and steaks. We would add up to a week of further in-house dry aging. Back then, only the specialty packers in major cities segmented grades that finely. Longer aging results in flavours that a lot of people (particularly Canadians) find unpleasant unless they regularly dine at high end steak houses, - Charlies, Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris, etc. There’s a lot of trim waste with Prime that’s paid for but unconsumed.
Mouth feel and surface flavours are particularly important to the guest’s taste experience. It’s that first bite that’s most important. A pinch of Maldon salt applied to a steak over a shine of butter just before service always impresses.
There’s a lot of psychological impact attached to the name Prime and the Japanese specialty beef which really is unique. Predisposition to enjoy can overpower real experiences. That’s why plating is so important.
Pricing is also powerful influencer. When i was in the restaurant business i made certain we had the highest prices in the city.
Always busy.
I feel like I have Tri Tip dialed in. And IMPO, 9 hrs is not long enough. 16-18 at 133 is perfect for my tastes. Did one for 24 hours and it was almost too fall apart tender.
I’ve been using a generous amount of granulated garlic and black pepper, and marinading it for a day or two prior to SV in Kikomans low sodium soy sauce. No salt needed then. If I don’t have much time to marinade the meat ahead of time, I will just leave it in the bag during SV, but it gets better penetration if it soaks on it a day or two before.
What you are seeing with the marinade is the salt that is in the soy sauce penetrating the meat and helping it maintain moisture. Long marinades do not penetrate over an 1/8 of an inch except for the salt. I try and lightly salt my beef and pork about a day ahead for thick pieces just a few hours for steaks in what is called a dry brine. So simple but the results are great. 130°-135° is the range where I like my beef. I am with you I don’t want everything to feel like pulled pork when biting into it. The only beef I marinade is thinly sliced for jerky.