# SV Help/Advice



## oldsmokerdude (Aug 19, 2019)

I've been cooking, smoking, and grilling for many years, so I'm not without some experience and such. However, I can't seem to wrap my head around Sous Vide. I've tried it a handful of times with mixed, but mostly mediocre results.

Yesterday I had some thick cut (about an inch) pork chops and wanted to give this SV thing one more go. I marinated the chops for about an hour in a mixture of Worcestershire Sauce and steak sauce. I then put in the SV bath at 140 for about 2 hours. After pulling from the bath I seasoned the chops and onto the sear station of my grill for a few moments.

When I pulled the chops out of the SV bath, the internal temp was 139 as expected. However, the meat seemed a bit "tough" to me as the probe had quite a bit of resistance going in.

After about one minute per side at the sear station, the chops had a nice char, internal temp about 149. However, the meat still seamed tough.

Final product had great taste as a result of the marinade and seasonings, but was rather chewy. No where near "fall off the bone" tender.

That pretty much sums up my SV experiences. Taste is good, but meat still a bit on the tough side. Which leads me to some questions that some of you SV pros might be able to help me with.

How do you know how long to keep the meat in the SV? Most "recipes" I've seen say put it in for X amount of time. If I'm not using a recipe, how would I know if that is 1 hour or 14 hours? Doesn't overcooking in the SV bath make the meat mushy?
Do I have to take the meat out of SV bath and the bag it's in to take an internal temp, then re-bag again?
Sous Vide is kind of fun and new, and I really want to like this method of cooking. I'm just not there yet. Maybe I just need more practice as in everything else in life.


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## Bearcarver (Aug 19, 2019)

You can get Douglas Baldwin's book for all the technical info you can stand.

Or you could follow some of the paths that are out there:
I got his book, but I get more info on YouTube, by watching 6 or 8 videos of the item I wanted to cook, and picking an average of the important things, like Time & Temp, and taking Notes.
I also go to the Sous Vide Supreme Web Site & check out their Recipe section (See Below):
https://blog.sousvidesupreme.com/category/all-recipes/

You can also go to my Step by Step Index (Link below) & scroll down to Sous Vide, and check out any of the ones I've been cooking & posting.

Bear


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## chopsaw (Aug 19, 2019)

Bearcarver said:


> You can get Douglas Baldwin's book for all the technical info you can stand.


I don't have the book , but I do use the charts . Mostly for doing sausage . 
The chart gives you time for thickness of meat and water temp to be safe to eat , and for pasteurized . Two different things . 
I suggest you follow Bears lead on something , so you will have some success under your belt . Will help you get the feel for it .


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## biteme7951 (Aug 19, 2019)

Book or charts is a good place to start. I don't think you will get fall off the bone pork chops because there just isn't any connective tissue to help them "fall apart". SV helps the thicker, low end cuts become tender but it takes a lot longer than a couple of hours. You might get what you are looking for in fall apart if you use pork steaks instead of chops as they have the connective tissue.  The nice thing about SV is you put the marinade in with the meat then SV....no marinating time other than cooking time. I SV'd a low cost t-bone last week with some very very teriyaki sauce for 2 hours at 130 degrees and it fell apart trying to get it from the bag to the fry pan to sear it off, so it can be done with the right cuts of meat.

Barry.


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## daveomak (Aug 24, 2019)

http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

Follow advice in Baldwin's tutorial....

..


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## rbnice1 (Aug 25, 2019)

With chops I have found that the sous vide does not help with tenderness.  It does make it a easy meal but nothing great.


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## Bearcarver (Aug 25, 2019)

rbnice1 said:


> With chops I have found that the sous vide does not help with tenderness.  It does make it a easy meal but nothing great.



Yup---Nothing there to break down.
However I found if you cut a Pork Loin in 1" Thick or less slices, it will cut with a fork after SV.

Bear


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## oldsmokerdude (Aug 26, 2019)

Thanks everyone. As usual, your advice and opinions are invaluable. I appreciate it.


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## cfarley (Aug 27, 2019)

I did some chops the other day. I prefer to usually cook my meat naked, meaning no spices until after you shock it. Steaks, and chops and chicken breasts I usually cook @129 for 4 hours. This typically depending on cut will both be tenderized and pasteurized. So you can leave your protein vac sealed in your fridge for a few weeks. I then sear\grill, or however I want to finish the product. It makes for easy weeknight meals for the family. You can also start mixing SousVide and BBQ. I have done some really tasty brisket's using both techniques.


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## daveomak (Aug 27, 2019)

cfarley said:


> I did some chops the other day. I prefer to usually cook my meat naked, meaning no spices until after you shock it. Steaks, and chops and chicken breasts I usually cook @129 for 4 hours. This typically depending on cut will both be tenderized and pasteurized. So you can leave your protein vac sealed in your fridge for a few weeks. I then sear\grill, or however I want to finish the product. It makes for easy weeknight meals for the family. You can also start mixing SousVide and BBQ. I have done some really tasty brisket's using both techniques.



Baldwin's Tutorial on SV

I looked at Baldwin's cooking temps and times for poultry...  I could be wrong but it seems his recommended lower temp for poultry is ~134.5F...  

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## pushok2018 (Aug 27, 2019)

daveomak said:


> I looked at Baldwin's cooking temps and times for poultry... I could be wrong but it seems his recommended lower temp for poultry is ~134.5F...


Dave, yes you are absolutely correct - lower temp for poultry is ~134.5F. Personally, I cook chicken breast at 140F for 2.5 hours and it always has a nice chew to it and is very juicy.


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## daveomak (Aug 27, 2019)

pushok2018 said:


> Dave, yes you are absolutely correct - lower temp for poultry is ~134.5F. Personally, I cook chicken breast at 140F for 2.5 hours and it always has a nice chew to it and is very juicy.



I've settled on 146 for ~4+/- hours...  I prefer the texture at that temp...  I like to super pasteurize the bird so it will be good in the refer for weeks... no questions asked...  I like to cook up a bunch so I have fast chow time... 
I can't afford to get sick...  Maybe it's paranoia but...  Makes me feel better...

From Baldwin's tutorial...
While keeping your food sealed in plastic pouches prevents recontamination after cooking, spores of _Clostridium botulinum_, _C. perfringens_, and _B. cereus_ can all survive the mild heat treatment of pasteurization. Therefore, after rapid chilling, the food must either be frozen or held at

below 36.5°F (2.5°C) for up to 90 days,
below 38°F (3.3°C) for less than 31 days,
below 41°F (5°C) for less than 10 days, or
below 44.5°F (7°C) for less than 5 days
to prevent spores of non-proteolytic _C. botulinum_ from outgrowing and producing deadly neurotoxin (Gould, 1999; Peck, 1997).
.


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## cfarley (Aug 27, 2019)

The chicken breasts are cooked just to pasteurize. They get finished on the grill or oven. I have thrown out way too many packs of $8-10 chicken breasts because I didn't get to them before they spoiled.


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## cfarley (Aug 27, 2019)

I finish all in some other fashion. This isn't out of the tank then eat. Yes his recommended temp is 134 for poultry. I have been SV'ing chicken for a few years now and have not had any issues at 129. Starting out please adhere to the tables listed.
https://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Cooking


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## dr k (Aug 27, 2019)

Bacillus Cereus is facultative anaerobe (growth with or without oxygen) spore former that has a max growth temp of 131•F. So at 129 they may be vegetative and still growing, incubating or becoming spores. Most all foodbourne pathogens are dormant before 120 except another at 122. So this hardy B. Cereus bacteria gets me to use the minimun baldwin pasteurizing temp and duration but still I'm one degree over the minimum pasteurizing temp. I haven't done SV poultry below 147 yet or beef, lamb and pork below 131.


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## bmudd14474 (Aug 27, 2019)

This is a great dialog that you guys are having here. As always we stress safety when cooking anything on this forum. I know there are people that go below 134° on chicken but we recommend using USDA approved temps. If you choose to do it differently that is your decision but please try to be safe we do not want anyone getting a food illness because of this.


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## Bearcarver (Aug 27, 2019)

Douglas Baldwin (in his book) Recommends Chicken Breasts @ 140° for 2 to 3 hours.
And Drums & Thighs @ 160° for 8 to 12 hours (Slow)
Or Drums & Thighs @ 175° for 4 to 6 hours (Fast)

Bear


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## daveomak (Aug 27, 2019)

Bear, evening....  There are different directions for pasteurizing and cooking..  Seems you are in the cooking section...


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## Bearcarver (Aug 28, 2019)

daveomak said:


> Bear, evening....  There are different directions for pasteurizing and cooking..  Seems you are in the cooking section...




The Times & Temps I stated above are in the front of the book, in the "Times & Temperatures" section.
This "Sous Vide for the Home Cook", by Douglas Baldwin doesn't have an actual "Pasteurization" section, however any Times & Temps I state on this forum would be sufficiently beyond Pasteurization.
I don't post anything even close to "Unsafe".

Bear


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