# Tenderizing a Tough Ribeye (Sous Vide Temp Warning)



## Bearcarver

*Tenderizing a Tough Ribeye *(Sous Vide Temp Warning)​


I SV all my Beef at 131° IT or higher, therefore I don’t have to sear it before doing the SV:

*A Few Words From The Pros:*
With enough time, most food pathogens are killed at 130°F/54.5°C, according to the FDA and Douglas Baldwin. For our sous vide recipes, *this is our magic number*. We cook almost everything either at or above that temperature. (When cooking in a water bath set to 130°F/54.5°C, the food will eventually become that temperature as well.) As an extra precaution, if we plan to cook meat below our magic temperature, the first thing we do is sear it in a hot pan in order to kill off any bacteria on the surface before we Sous Vide it.

Source & the rest:








						Is Cooking Sous Vide Safe?
					

In one word, yes. But to make you feel better, here's what you should know about cooking in plastic, what equipment to use, and ensuring food safety.




					www.cooksillustrated.com
				





*Now Back to the Steak:*​This will be the Third and final Steak I had cut from a 5 pound Standing Rib Roast.
It was from a shopping time where the store picks your roast with all your other things, and you just come & pick it up, so I had no control over the fact that this one was “Select”. I’ve had Select before, and I couldn’t tell it from Choice, but this one was different.

I did the first one in my Ninja Grill, and it was very tough.

Then I experimented with the second one by cutting it in 1” strips, and Grilling them on my Ninja Grill.
That one tasted Great, but was still tough! When I posted those 2 I told you guys I had a plan for the last one.

So this one is getting more of a Work-out:
First I thawed it out, in the vacuum bag I had put it in back in December.
I set my Sous Vide Supreme at 131° & put it in.
After 30 hours, I removed the Ribeye from the SV  & from the bag, and cut it into strips.
Then I put them in a Hot Pan & seared all 4 sides of each strip quickly, so I didn’t change the inside Temp.
I’ll explain the rest in the Captions above each Picture Below.
This Steak turned out Great tasting & Nice & Tender too!!

BTW: I would never do this to a Ribeye, because they are already very Tender, however this one (select) was an exception. It's a shame you don't really know ahead of time.

Thanks For Looking,

Bear


Third & Final Ribeye from a "Tough" Select Rib Roast I got last Christmas Week:







In the rack, ready to go in my Sous Vide Supreme:






Fresh out of Sous Vide:






Gonna slice it in 4 pieces for searing:






Love the inside color:






Gonna sear all 4 sides of each piece:






Searing:






Bear's first Supper, with Spanish Rice:






Last of Leftovers---Ribeye, Chicken Drum, and Spanish Rice:






Cut up the Drum & Steak, and add the last of the Spanish Rice:


----------



## smokerjim

looks good bear, i really need start using my sv a whole lot more!


----------



## indaswamp

Yep. I like to sous vide steaks below 130*F so I sear them first....

Great post...good looking steaks!


----------



## Bearcarver

smokerjim said:


> looks good bear, i really need start using my sv a whole lot more!




Thank You Jim!!!
Is that a Recording? 
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## chopsaw

Love a SV steak time and again . I'm over due for one , but trying to wait for the price to come down . Good meals right there .


----------



## gmc2003

Looks real good John, Imma betting it tasted great also

Point for sure
Chris


----------



## MJB05615

Looks great, John.  Do you season it before Vac Sealing and freezing?  Love that inside color too!  Great job.


----------



## idahopz

Looks great Bear! 

I'm sure folks already know this, but the sous vide sticks are great for taking along on RV trips. Very compact, and you can set your food in the morning, do your daily activities, and almost have dinner ready when you return home.


----------



## Bearcarver

indaswamp said:


> Yep. I like to sous vide steaks below 130*F so I sear them first....
> 
> Great post...good looking steaks!




Yup---I was thinking of You when I was typing that.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## disco

A big like for the sultan of sous vide!


----------



## Bearcarver

chopsaw said:


> Love a SV steak time and again . I'm over due for one , but trying to wait for the price to come down . Good meals right there .




Thank You Rich!!
Yeah, they don't go on sale as often as they used to.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

gmc2003 said:


> Looks real good John, Imma betting it tasted great also
> 
> Point for sure
> Chris




Thank You Chris!!
Yup Very Tasty & Tender!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

MJB05615 said:


> Looks great, John.  Do you season it before Vac Sealing and freezing?  Love that inside color too!  Great job.




Thank You Mike!!
I don't usually. I do it with Big Stuff, like Eye Round & Chuckies, but not with Steaks.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

idahopz said:


> Looks great Bear!
> 
> I'm sure folks already know this, but the sous vide sticks are great for taking along on RV trips. Very compact, and you can set your food in the morning, do your daily activities, and almost have dinner ready when you return home.





Thank You PZ!!
Yup---That's one of the extra tricks you can do with SV.
I like being able to put things right from the freezer to the SV, and only have to add an hour or so to the time.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

disco said:


> A big like for the sultan of sous vide!




Thank You Disco!!
And for the Like.

Bear


----------



## clifish

Looks great Bear!  I have a similar ribeye in the fridge from when I bought the entire ribeye...a little tough.  Over the weekend I put some in a pineapple, mango marinade (thanks Brian)  to break down the toughness and it worked well.  I will try the SV method for the others.


----------



## Bearcarver

clifish said:


> Looks great Bear!  I have a similar ribeye in the fridge from when I bought the entire ribeye...a little tough.  Over the weekend I put some in a pineapple, mango marinade (thanks Brian)  to break down the toughness and it worked well.  I will try the SV method for the others.




I had heard Pineapple helps, but I never tried it myself.

If your Ribeye is actually tough, I wouldn't  give it a mere 8, 10, or 12 hour bath. I'd go right to 30 hours to be sure.  Don't worry, it won't get mushy or anything.
Normally I would never SV a Ribeye, because they're already very Tender, but this one really needed it.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## clifish

Bearcarver said:


> I had heard Pineapple helps, but I never tried it myself.
> 
> If your Ribeye is actually tough, I wouldn't  give it a mere 8, 10, or 12 hour bath. I'd go right to 30 hours to be sure.  Don't worry, it won't get mushy or anything.
> Normally I would never SV a Ribeye, because they're already very Tender, but this one really needed it.
> And Thanks for the Like.
> 
> Bear


yes and has to be fresh pinapple,  when canned it loses the enzymes that break down the meat.  You also have to not do it too long or it will get mushy


----------



## Bearcarver

clifish said:


> yes and has to be fresh pinapple,  when canned it loses the enzymes that break down the meat.  You also have to not do it too long or it will get mushy




Thank You!!
If I ever get a Pineapple, I'll try it.
I'm kinda spoiled on Fresh Pineapples, after spending more than a year in Hawaii, any other fresh one tastes terrible.
Thanks for that Info!!

Bear


----------



## sawhorseray

I'm late to the party on this one John, great cook and informative post, Like! RAY


----------



## clifish

Bearcarver said:


> Thank You!!
> If I ever get a Pineapple, I'll try it.
> I'm kinda spoiled on Fresh Pineapples, after spending more than a year in Hawaii, any other fresh one tastes terrible.
> Thanks for that Info!!
> 
> Bear


Frozen pineapple chunks will work just as good,  use a grater while frozen to break it down.


----------



## Bearcarver

sawhorseray said:


> I'm late to the party on this one John, great cook and informative post, Like! RAY




Thank You Ray!!!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

Wurstmeister
 ---


 kruizer
 ---
Thanks for the Likes, Guys.

Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

Johnny Ray
 ---Thank You for the Like, Johnny.

Bear


----------

