[drirene]

I picked up a 2 inch thick 2.32 lb. antibiotic and hormone free, etc. choice "Angus Boneless Chuck Roast" on sale tonight intending to use the Anova precision cooker with it.

But, that is not a cut of meat I could find in the Food Lab site! Ugh. I don't eat meat so buying a it is a challenge and learning experience.

I was hoping to cook it with onions and seasoning for about 2 hours at 130F aiming for medium-rare and then to sear it.

How does this sound?

Thanks in advance!

 

[teamfat]

Chuck is a tough cut. 2 hours is not nearly long enough. It should go at 155 - 165 F for like 18 - 20 hours. Last one I did for about 24 hours at 150F, then hot smoked for about an hour. It was quite tasty. Anova has a recipe where they smoke it first, then sous vide.

https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-smoked-chuck-roast-tacos

mjb.

 

[drirene]

Note to self: Do not listen to supermarket butchers who swear cut will be tender because it is Angus and well marbled.

I found a NYT recipe where you tie and sear it, bag it and cook at 131 for 24 hours. I have 18 hours. Then you cut into thick slices and season and sear both sides. Wish me luck. I will post results tomorrow. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/10/dining/how-to-sous-vide.html

 

[teamfat]

Properly prepared, chuck is quite tasty, good beefy flavor. Good luck!

mjb.

 

[french fries]

Then you cut into thick slices and season and sear both sides. Wish me luck.

Good luck! And let us know how that turns out. I've never had chuck served seared like a steak like that before. It sounds like a great application of the sous-vide technique!!

 

[drirene]

Experiment over. But it wasn't a fair test. The recipe required 24 hours. We had to take it out after 18 hours since we were feeding a couple friends. Husband tasted it and pronounced it "tough," so it never got cut and seared. It has become cat food. Kitties are very happy. Husband ran out to the market, got some fillets, and they cooked up beautifully in 50 minutes.

 

[someday]

Honestly try it at 133F for 48 hours. Season the roast aggressively first, lots of salt and pepper, let it sit overnight and then sous vide it.

24 hours might be too little time too. At that low temp, it takes a LONG time to break down. But the results are worth it. We do our short ribs (technically "chuck flap" but it is basically boneless short rib) for 72 hours at 133F, and they are amazing. Don't give up on it yet.

 

[teamfat]

Sorry to hear it did not go well. But as Someday said, don't give up yet. Plan ahead, take the time and you will be rewarded.

mjb.

 

[Pat Pat]

The first time I did it @ 136°F for 36 hours. Came out very tender but with a mealy mouthfeel.

The second time I did it @ 131°F for 48 hours. Came out tender and perfect.

Every time afterward, I did it like the second time.

 

[drirene]

Honestly try it at 133F for 48 hours. Season the roast aggressively first, lots of salt and pepper, let it sit overnight and then sous vide it.

24 hours might be too little time too. At that low temp, it takes a LONG time to break down. But the results are worth it. We do our short ribs (technically "chuck flap" but it is basically boneless short rib) for 72 hours at 133F, and they are amazing. Don't give up on it yet.

OK. Will continue experiment on this bag which has been in the fridge a couple days. I'll stick it back in at 133F for a day, maybe more after tasting, and let you know what happens. (Recall, it has already cooked for 18 hours.)

 

[mike9]

Honestly if you are delving into sous vid then you need to join this site - www.chefsteps.com

 

[drirene]

Honestly if you are delving into sous vid then you need to join this site - www.chefsteps.com

Done. Thanks!

 

[chefbuba]

We discussed this here. https://cheftalk.com/threads/first-sous-vide-experiment.95049/
I don't know what you are looking for as far as doneness. Are you looking for fall apart meat? You say you prefer well done. If so I would braise in the oven.
The one I did was perfect medium rare and fork tender.
The one you have should be about medium with the time and temp you have on it.

 

[drirene]

Chef, this is a sous vide experiment with a piece of meat bought on a whim. It would have been dinner with friends, but it was too tough, so at the suggestion of posters here, it's back in the cooker. Doesn't really matter how it comes out now; it will give me an idea of how sous vide works and what happens to this type of meat over (cooking time). So, I'm less interested in the dish than I am in playing with the new cooker.

If the meat tenderizes, maybe my husband will eat it. (He has a mental block since tasting it after the first 18-hour cook. It reminds him of the tough meat his mom used to make. Lol!) If he doesn't like it, the kitties get it. He prefers medium, hence the temp setting. So, if it tenderizes, I will either slice it and sear the "steaks" or slice and make sandwiches, or...something.

 

[Pat Pat]

He prefers medium, hence the temp setting.

In my experience, it's better to sous vide to rare/medium rare and cook to the doneness you want during the finishing. I find it tastes better this way. With some practice, you can even use the microwave raise the doneness quickly and easily.

 

[drirene]

The additional 24 hours at 133F turned out a tender, rare-looking piece of beef. Yay!

 

[RemoteFun]

I was doing sous vide chuck roast with herbs at 130F for 24hrs. I also tried 72hr, this lost a lot of moisture due to the long cook time. I also tried 48hr, it wasn't as dry, but still lost a good amount of moisture due to long cooking process. 24hrs was my go to when I was serving to guest. I also pre-seared it and other times, seared it right before serving.