sous vide

[KenK]

French for boil in a bag. : ) I bet ya'll have seen it on some of the cooking shows.

A lot of times if I vacum seal something already cooked I will reheat by just tossing the bag in some simmering water. We had some venison burgers for lunch today that I did that way and while I was eating it had a thought.

What about taking some venison round steak I have and cubing it up, brown in oil (or bacon grease), toss in a vacum seal bag with barbeque sauce, seal. Simmer the bag for several hours to tenderize.

Thoughts?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

sounds great I have been reading about that since someone on here suggested it . . . maybe you?
I can't afford the darn machine but I have been thinking that I could make my own boil bags like you are saying, then boil seasoning and all

 

[maizey]

It's a quick way to do "omlettes" too...throw all the ingredients in a bag, mush it around and toss it in. I wonder about the nasty plastic chemicals leeching into the food though, it should be ok once in a while I expect.

 

[TheRealTimShady]

i am a chef myself by profession, and have worked with alot of poaching, sous vide and the like

the bag wont cause anything, taste, chemicals w/e

honestly, i'd put the food in the bag raw, it will absorb the flavor instead of just sitting in it

 

[KenK]

Today my plan came to fruition. We grilled hamburgers for the Fourth of July and I had a couple of venison steaks ready to go. I threw a few chunks of pecan wood on the charcoal to get some smoke and just grilled the steaks well done. After they were cool I cubed it up and put in the bags with sauce and froze.

First thing this morning I put a bag in a sauce pan full of water and let it simmer on the back of the stove for four hours.

The tenderizing effect was only moderate and less than I had expected. I ate a couple bites of the steak when I took it off the grill and it was surprisingly tender for venison round. It was a very fat yearling doe.

Still, imo, it is a "worth doing" kind of deal. If starting with some seriously whip leather tough meat it would need a considerably longer cook in the bag.