# Bottom round - smoking then sous vide



## shyzabrau

Bottom round roast is one of the cheapest cuts, so it is worth looking into ways to make it palatable.

I have a 2.5 pound roast. I figured that I would simply season it with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Smoke it for about four hours for some flavor, and then put it in the sous vide at 135 for 24 hours.

Comments?


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## crankybuzzard

No clue about the SV portion of the idea, but 4 hours of hot smoke would be good I would think.


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## SmokinAl

Sounds like a plan!

Just don't let the IT of the roast get above 135 in the smoke portion.

I think I would run the smoker at 225 or below  pull it out of the smoker at 130.

Four hours will give you plenty of smoke flavor, if you can keep the IT down below 135 for 4 hours.

Good luck!

Al


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## shyzabrau

SmokinAl said:


> I think I would run the smoker at 225 or below  pull it out of the smoker at 130.
> 
> Four hours will give you plenty of smoke flavor, if you can keep the IT down below 135 for 4 hours.


Hmm. I'll run the smoker at 200.


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## shyzabrau

Here we are with the SPOG rub before going into the smoker...













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 24, 2017






I pulled it when it hit 130. It was only on the smoke for about 2.5 hours. I think I should've smoked it at a lower temp so I could get more smoke flavor...













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 24, 2017






Had to have a bit of a taste, of course. Definitely not enough smoke!













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 24, 2017






Vacuum sealed and in the sous vide until tomorrow...













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 24, 2017


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## browneyesvictim

I like where you are headed with this! Although you would be pushing the 40-140 in 4 hours rule, then further held in SV under 140 for another 24 hours.... Yeah, its whole muscle, and so fourth... but I would suggest adding cure would be a safe move and then you could cold smoke to your hearts content. Would come out tasting more like a pastrami though which might be a really good thing.


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## shyzabrau

Browneyesvictim said:


> I like where you are headed with this! Although you would be pushing the 40-140 in 4 hours rule, then further held in SV under 140 for another 24 hours.... Yeah, its whole muscle, and so fourth... but I would suggest adding cure would be a safe move and then you could cold smoke to your hearts content. Would come out tasting more like a pastrami though which might be a really good thing.


As I understand it, intact beef is pasturized when it is held at 135 deg. F for at least 36 min.

Long sous vide baths for tough cuts at these temperatures is very common. In fact, it may be the most common use of sous vide.


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## dls1

Shyzabrau said:


> As I understand it, intact beef is pasturized when it is held at 135 deg. F for at least 36 min.
> 
> Long sous vide baths for tough cuts at these temperatures is very common. In fact, it may be the most common use of sous vide.


You're somewhat correct, but temperatures are not based upon what your SV device is held at or set on, they pertain to the core or center temperature of the piece being cooked. That brings in another factor which pertains to the thickness of the piece of meat being cooked. Obviously, a large roast will take longer than a thin steak.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but what is the thickness of the piece that you're doing?


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## dirtsailor2003

I've smoked a ton of top and bottom round roasts. When I smoke them I run my pit around 180. 

I have Sous Vide cooked both also. So far the texture I liked best was 133 temp for 12 hours. 24!hours was too long. 4 hours didn't really make any difference over just cooking it normally. 

As for the 40-140 rule. if you didn't poke it or prod it or cut a sample piece off it....


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## browneyesvictim

I like where you are headed with this! Although you would be pushing the 40-140 in 4 hours rule, then further held in SV under 140 for another 24 hours.... Yeah, its whole muscle, and so fourth... but I would suggest adding cure would be a safe move and then you could cold smoke to your hearts content. Would come out tasting more like a pastrami though which might be a really good thing.


Shyzabrau said:


> As I understand it, intact beef is pasturized when it is held at 135 deg. F for at least 36 min.
> 
> Long sous vide baths for tough cuts at these temperatures is very common. In fact, it may be the most common use of sous vide.


I'm not sure if you missed my point...That's why I made the disclaimer acknowledging it is whole muscle and so fourth. I wasn't suggesting it cant be done. I am well aware of the principles of SV cooking. We are talking about mitigating risks. Just offering an idea that may benefit you to add more smoke time before it hits 135.

Good luck with the next one. That one you did looks pretty good to me.


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## shyzabrau

dls1 said:


> You're somewhat correct, but temperatures are not based upon what your SV device is held at or set on, they pertain to the core or center temperature of the piece being cooked. That brings in another factor which pertains to the thickness of the piece of meat being cooked. Obviously, a large roast will take longer than a thin steak.
> 
> It's hard to tell from the photo, but what is the thickness of the piece that you're doing?


It's not that thick - only 2.5 pounds.

By the time that I heard the alarm, the center temperature had gotten to 135, and I'm sure I had carry-over heating, probably up to 140 (unfortunately). So, the meat was hotter than the SV bath when put in.


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## SmokinAl

So is it done yet?

How did it turn out?

Al


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## shyzabrau

SmokinAl said:


> So is it done yet?
> 
> How did it turn out?
> 
> Al


I'll pull it out around 1 pm (Eastern) for a total of 24 hours in the sous vide. (Which is kind of arbitrary anyway...)

I will ice it down and then try very thin slices (for sandwiches) and some thicker slices for dinner. I'll use the bag juices to make a sauce.


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## shyzabrau

Alrighty, folks... the verdict is IN!

First, a bit of preliminary...

One of tonight's sides was twice baked potatoes. Instead of using bacon bits, I used andouille bits. I had diced and fried some of my andouille sausage (thread here) for smoked deviled eggs that did not happen (not a one of the 20 eggs would peel - perhaps because I did a cold water bath instead of an ice bath due to a lack of ice).

Here is the diced andouille before and after frying...













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 25, 2017





  













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 25, 2017






Back to the bottom round...

After 24 hours in the sous vide bath, I put it in an ice bath then popped it in the freezer for half an hour. (I would've preferred longer in the freezer, but danged if real life didn't interrupt!)

This is my first attempt at slicing roast beef on my (relatively) new LEM slicer (not impressed, to be honest), so it took a few passes to dial in the thickness that I wanted. I confess to eating several of the slices as I worked...













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 25, 2017






I cut a couple thicker slices (1/2") for dinner. I put those, soaking in the bag juices, into the fridge while I took care of real world stuff for a couple hours. 

Once I got home, I made a small sous vide bath, put the two slices into a zip lock bag and let them warm up to 135 (and sit there for awhile) as I prepared the rest of the meal. I took the bag juices, added more beef stock, and made a "pan" sauce.

Here's the money shot...













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__ shyzabrau
__ Apr 25, 2017






What's the verdict? The dinner slice was very tender - not quite butter knife tender, but far more tender than I expected. I probably could've extended the sous vide to 30 hours. (It wasn't even slightly mushy or dried out.) The flavor was primarily driven by the pan sauce, of course, and it was very good. (Smoky, beefy and rich, albeit a bit too salty - I used a beef stock that had 400 mg of sodium per one cup, which isn't good for reducing.)

The roast beef slices were very good. The hint of the smoke was a very nice accent. These will make excellent sandwiches. (I've vacuum-sealed them for later when I'm not skipping lunch due to weight control attempts...)

This was an excellent way to make a very tough (and not so flavorful) cut of meat into an excellent meal. The wife and boy both agreed that I should do it again. (Although they both questioned my sanity taking 30+ hours to make dinner...) Is it as good as a quality steak? Of course not. But at $2.79 per pound, it is an affordable substitute!


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## SmokinAl

Gotta give you a point for this one!

Great thread & fantastic looking meal!

Al


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## shyzabrau

Thanks, Al!

I really enjoyed it!

I especially like using the sous vide for a thick boneless pork loin chop - it is so easy to dry out normally. Matter of fact, I think I'll do that tonight...


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## xray

Tasty looking plate!


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## shyzabrau

Xray said:


> Tasty looking plate!


Thanks! Even the riced cauliflower was tasty (garlic-infused olive oil, salt, pepper, grape tomatoes and fresh basil). Very pleased...


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## xray

Shyzabrau said:


> Thanks! Even the riced cauliflower was tasty (garlic-infused olive oil, salt, pepper, grape tomatoes and fresh basil). Very pleased...



I thought that was cauliflower rice, I love making it! So much better than plain white rice.


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## shyzabrau

Xray said:


> I thought that was cauliflower rice, I love making it! So much better than plain white rice.


Trying to get my weight down, so riced cauliflower is a great substitute for real rice. My teenaged son refuses to eat it though, so I don't serve it as much as I'd like.


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## sportgd

Looks great, point! My next toy will be a SV I think.

Might I be spying a can from the alchemist brewery there?


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## nearthegrove

Focal Banger with bottom round, I like it.


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## shyzabrau

sportgd said:


> Looks great, point! My next toy will be a SV I think.
> 
> Might I be spying a can from the alchemist brewery there?


Thanks!

I confess that I just threw the can in for proper "ambiance". I didn't drink any beer last night (with the meal or otherwise). I may have had a few too many over the weekend and my weight shot up a few pounds. I had a weight target set for tomorrow, which is when I leave for a brief vacation with the wife to St. John, USVI, so I've been living the austere life this week...

I like the "Focal Banger" more than I do the "Heady Topper". (Is that sacrilege?) My boss picked up a four pack of each (along with Pappy's Porter) when he was up in Vermont. Good guy!


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## sportgd

Noble confession! I actually haven't had the focal banger, the heady is the only one I can get here on a semi-regular basis with some free-spirited traveling friends.  Have a great trip!


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## shyzabrau

Just had the leftovers. I popped the vacuum-sealed bag in the sous vide to warm up, and served them with an onion gravy. So tender and delicious! Sorry. No pix...


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## old bones

Just got to reading this post.   Very good information.  You can put that plate in front of me any time..  

Some are saying SV first - Cold Shock and then cold smoke - sear for color  

I was interested in your posting.. Looks Good.


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## shyzabrau

Thanks!


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