# Sous Vide Venison, SQWIBS First



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

This is not smoked but wanted to share.
[h3]Sous Vide Venison Roast[/h3]


This is my first foray into Sous Vide Cooking.

I actually started reading up on this method when I was in the process of making a Corned Beef Brisket for my Brothers St. Patrick's Day Party (still in progress).
 

I was intrigued by what I have read thus far on Sous Vide cooking and felt this is something I simply must try. I am the kind of person that if I get an idea in my head I won't be happy till I try it, if I don't try it, the idea just keeps floating around in my head and drives me crazy, there are times when I have to grab a piece of paper, letter, box anything to write on and start scribbling diagrams, notes, recipes etc... just to try and get it out of my head.

While working on this project, I would wake up in the middle of the night and my mind would race with all the information I have been reading about that day, I would just lie there wide awake and put stuff together in my head... good or bad, I don't know but it does motivate me, the same is true when I built the Frankensmoker.

I started building the setup for the Corned Beef I was going to cook in a few weeks, meanwhile, Mom said she had a Venison roast to give me, apparently the last venison they cooked up was inedible due to it being impossible to chew and mom figured I could use it for something, she ended up giving the unpalatable meat to my sisters dog, REALLY... Oh boy! I let her have it, I said "MOM!, next time you have unpalatable piece of meat, give it to me and I'll make stew or jerky"

Anyhow, I though that this would be a a great time to test my Sous Vide machine, hell I was just as excited as I was nervous, I really wanted this to work.
 

When I was building the controller last weekend, a few buddies stopped over and had a few beers as they watched me build the controller, yes they think I'm OFF!
We got the munchies and I remembered the 18 month old pit cooked pork loin I was thawing to use in a dish, I grabbed it from the refrigerator and tossed it on the slicer and sliced it paper thin served with some dipping sauce and we were golden. Yep its great to have a refrigerator and meat slicer in the workshop.
 

The whole time I was putting this thing together, my Wife Unit was looking at me like I was nuts.
 

OK, enough rambling, lets do this!


Setting up the Sous Vide machine, the outlet on the left is for the roasting pan, this is switched by the temperature controller, the outlet on the right is a constant hot, this powers the circulator (35 GPH submersible pump) that is inside the water bath, this is to prevent cold/hot spots.

Temperature controller settings

Heating/ Cooling HC = H
Minimum set limit LS =  55°C (131°F)
Set temp = 56°C (132.8°F)
Maximum set limit HS = 57°C (134.6°F)
 







  






  
The venison roast was removed from its package, still frozen.






  






  
Mopped with Soy sauce and Worcestershire Sauce.






  
The venison is broiled for 5 minutes on each side and then is vacuum sealed. I hit the seal button as soon as the liquid was pulled close to the sealing mechanism. Tip, leave a large tail for thicker meats for easier sealing.






  
The venison is Placed in a Sous Vide Bath at 56°C (132.8°F) to cook 45 hours making sure it was not touching the sides or bottom.







 

"Everything is as it should be", now we wait.







 

The venison roast in the bath 35 hours later, still sealed tightly and not floating... all is good!







 

The venison roast is removed from the Sous Vide machine after 46 hours in the bath. The moment of truth, the bag is cut open and the liquid is poured off, no off smells and all looks good so far. I decided on ditching the liquid and not making a gravy, had it been beef, a gravy would have been made.






 
The roast is removed from the Vacuum Sealed pouch.







 

The roast is then placed in a hot skillet with some EVOO to brown, gotta get some of that Maillard reaction going.







 






  






  
Slicing the best I can.






  







 
After patiently waiting two days I was about to find out for myself if this was as extraordinary as I heard it was.


The venison was extremely easy to carve, OK that's a good sign, it was incredibly tender and had a great texture/mouth feel to it, OK so far so good. The taste was great as well, success! The closest thing I can compare this to, is lamb. My parents were amazed at the finished product, my Dad even said it was tender, (the same man that thinks pudding is chewy). It really blew my mind, there was no gamey taste or that "chalky" like texture you can sometimes get from venison or at least from my experience. 








Was I lucky, was it a good piece of meat to begin with, were my taste buds numb? My son Stephen liked it, HUH! that's just crazy talk. I'm not a big venison person and eat it rarely, but this has to be, without a doubt and all bullshit aside, the best piece of venison I have ever eaten.

*Notes:*
 

One of my concerns with this cook was the temperature swing I was getting, since I was using a Celsius temperature controller, the swing was pretty significant as you can only set the controller with a one degree (1.8°F) minimum set limit. The temperature controller was set for 56°C and was set to kick on one degree under, using the roaster pan as a heat source the temp would climb to 57.9° Celsius due to the carry over heat from the pan.
 

54.9°C = 130.82°F 

57.9°C = 136.22°F
 

So a 3° variance in Celsius x 1.8 is a 5.4°F swing, granted my lower limit never got below 54.9°.  I do however have another temperature controller coming in that is rated in Fahrenheit and will swap out the Celsius temperature controller, I can live with a 3° swing but not a 5.4° swing.

I am also currently working on an immersion heater, hopefully this will give me better control of the water bath.
 

After I get a few cooks under my belt and build my new Sous Vide Immersion Heater, I will be playing around with combining this with Pit cooking, Smoking, frying etc...

*In closing,*

After researching this to death and reading so many great things with this method, it was a no brainer, I just had to try it, I was hoping that all the great things I read about Sous Vide cooking were true and not folks just trying to convince themselves that cooking Sous Vide was nothing short of miraculous, especially after plopping down hundreds of dollars on a Sous Vide machine or making their own machine. Sometimes we just don't want to face the music!

I have read all the science behind it and it all makes sense to me, well sort of, when explained in layman's terms, but it still blows my mind.

I have to admit I was very skeptical of this method and my first test was a total success and I highly recommend giving this a shot!.


----------



## smoking b (Mar 7, 2014)

Looks good SQWIB!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   I've been looking into this process for a while too - thanks for sharing your results


----------



## dcarch (Mar 7, 2014)

Wild Temperature swing is perhaps because your controller is not a PID controller, it is just a digital thermostat.

Do you have a circulating pump in the bath? 

Very nice cook! Perfect meat.

dcarch


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> Wild Temperature swing is perhaps because your controller is not a PID controller, it is just a digital thermostat.
> 
> Do you have a circulating pump in the bath?
> 
> ...


Yes it has a submersible pump, I believe the overshoot is the result of the method of heating (roaster) not the controller, by the time its up to temp, the roaster is still putting out heat and needs to equalize, the other problem is ovious, C Vs, F so a 1 degree celsius change means a 1.8 degree Farenhet change.

This will all be rectified when I finish my immersion heater.

Testing... all works ran it to 160°, got tired of waiting.













2014-03-06 21.53.44.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014






opened up













2014-03-06 23.13.47.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014






gutting













2014-03-06 23.17.14.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014






Going to wire the PID into the heater after the circulator so the circulator stays on.

Dual Digital Display PID Temperature Controller.













41+4b0OtBcL._SL500_AA300_.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014


----------



## jimf (Mar 7, 2014)

Nice work.   I have a DIY Sous-vide machine (crockpot with PID) too.  LOVE it.  Best $30 Ive ever spent


----------



## eddisabledvet (Mar 7, 2014)

Can or has, anyone posted DIY directions?  I am not an electrician or anything but hell, if I can make one for 30 bucks, I would definitely give it a shot.  Sounds very interesting..


----------



## jimf (Mar 7, 2014)

Here are step by step instructions:

 http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Sous-Vide/

Here is a link to my part list.  I ended up NOT using the Solid State Relay.



Added bonus:  I am able to connect my electric smoker to the controller and allow the Sous-vide control control my smoker temps.   (if you do this, you will need to use a probe that can withstand heat up to 300 degrees)


----------



## dcarch (Mar 7, 2014)

EdDisabledVet said:


> Can or has, anyone posted DIY directions?  I am not an electrician or anything but hell, if I can make one for 30 bucks, I would definitely give it a shot.  Sounds very interesting..


I would not advise you (or anyone else) to try to make one unless you have a very good working knowledge and experience with power electrical work.

It is not rocket science, but you are dealing with high power and high voltage, and it is water everywhere.

You need to read up on everything, especially on the principle of electrical grounding. If you end up making one, have an electrician examine what you have done.

Good luck.

dcarch


----------



## jimf (Mar 7, 2014)

I like that you have a rack in yours.  I assume the second plug going to your controller is a water circulator? If so, what kind did you use?


----------



## jimf (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> I would not advise you (or anyone else) to try to make one unless you have a very good working knowledge and experience with power electrical work.
> 
> It is not rocket science, but you are dealing with high power and high voltage, and it is water everywhere.
> 
> ...


Although a good idea to know what you are doing when using electricity, I disagree with dcarch.  This project is as basic of a wiring project as they come.  Follow the instructions and its easy and safe.


----------



## jimf (Mar 7, 2014)

For $50 + shipping  I'll make anyone a controller box.   You'll need to supply the manual crockpot.


----------



## dcarch (Mar 7, 2014)

SQWIB, looking at the components inside the box, I see that you are using a hot water heater heating element.

A suggestion; you may want to consider a different layout or mounting method. As far as I know, a hot water heater has metal –to-metal contact in the mounting, and it can conduct a lot of heat to the metal case. Also, a hot water heater must operate inside water. If water evaporates and gets low, which happens often for long sous vide cooks, the heater can over heat, burn things around it and then self destruct.

dcarch


----------



## dcarch (Mar 7, 2014)

JimF said:


> Although a good idea to know what you are doing when using electricity, I disagree with dcarch.  This project is as basic of a wiring project as they come.  Follow the instructions and its easy and safe.


I am 1000% disagree with you. It is not that simple at all to put the whole thing together. It is very unsafe, life and death, to advise an inexperienced individual to take on a project in power wiring.

There are at least 10 pins to wire up with the controller, with polarity concerns. How does one know to evaluate if the internal relay can handle to high watt heater? If a SSR is used, which side is to the PID and which side is to power?  how to wire it in series to the power and heater ----- etc. etc.?

Sorry.

dcarch


----------



## jimf (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> I am 1000% disagree with you. It is not that simple at all to put the whole thing together. It is very unsafe, life and death, to advise an inexperienced individual to take on a project in power wiring.
> 
> There are at least 10 pins to wire up with the controller, with polarity concerns. How does one know to evaluate if the internal relay can handle to high watt heater? If a SSR is used, which side is to the PID and which side is to power?  how to wire it in series to the power and heater ----- etc. etc.?
> 
> ...


I see what you are saying.  The way I made mine and the way SQWIBS made his is different.  I use the crockpot to heat the water. The crockpot is then cycled on and off by the PID controller to regulate water temp.  Mine has three components: PID Controller, Power Switch, Power Outlet.


----------



## blat (Mar 7, 2014)

For those that can't build...

My Aubers PID that I use on my MES 30 smoker analog is also good for Sous vide

They make waterproof temperature probes. Several months ago I had an old restaurant warming tray that I filled with water, hooked it to my Aubers PID put some chicken in a freezer bag then into the pool and covered it with a piece of cardboard.  Came out great, even though I was embarrassed by my half-assed setup.

So yeah I got some stuff to work out.  My setup will work, I just need to come up with a real lid and some type of tray or bracket, best thing might just be to cut down an old grill grate, if I have something that wants to float.  I have since purchased a vacuum packer .  That might solve my floating problem.

Anyway, I have what I need.

Just need some time to play with this.


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> SQWIB, looking at the components inside the box, I see that you are using a hot water heater heating element.
> 
> A suggestion; you may want to consider a different layout or mounting method. As far as I know, a hot water heater has metal –to-metal contact in the mounting, and it can conduct a lot of heat to the metal case. Also, a hot water heater must operate inside water. If water evaporates and gets low, which happens often for long sous vide cooks, the heater can over heat, burn things around it and then self destruct.
> 
> dcarch


These things are designed as Immersion heaters for labs and Sous Vide cooking designs are similar, they are completely safe and will not heat the metal, most of the resistance is in the coiled area and that is where the heat is concentrated.

What you see in the picture is how the machine was built less the circuit board. I did not add anything, its the design of the manufacturer.













2014-03-06 23.08.44.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014


















2014-03-06 23.17.14.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014


















2014-03-06 23.17.20.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014






My first Sous Vide cook was at 133° for 46 hours, there was almost no evaporation whatsoever.

The machine I am working on now will have a lid, the only way I can see evaporation being a problem is running the machine at much higher temperatures with no lid.


----------



## blat (Mar 7, 2014)

Oh yeah, an aquarium air pump for my water circulation


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> I am 1000% disagree with you. It is not that simple at all to put the whole thing together. It is very unsafe, life and death, to advise an inexperienced individual to take on a project in power wiring.
> 
> There are at least 10 pins to wire up with the controller, with polarity concerns. How does one know to evaluate if the internal relay can handle to high watt heater? If a SSR is used, which side is to the PID and which side is to power?  how to wire it in series to the power and heater ----- etc. etc.?
> 
> ...


There are no polarity concerns on this setup and it is easy, the hardest part is adjusting the PID













image2506.png



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014


















electrical-diagram-for-LJD612_thumb.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014






Guys make these all the time for heat control on their smokers.


----------



## dcarch (Mar 7, 2014)

SSR needs to be connected to the PID with correct polarity.

Type "K" thermal couple sensor often does not tell you which way polarity is to be connected to the PID correctly.

Pork sous vide often at around 150F.

Duck legs often at 170F.

Vegetable sous vide often at 185F.

Water evaporates much quicker at those temperatures.

dcarch


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

JimF said:


> I like that you have a rack in yours.  I assume the second plug going to your controller is a water circulator? If so, what kind did you use?















20140301018.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014


















20140302003.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014


















20140302006.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014






Yes one outlet stays hot for the water pump, the other outlet is switched by the thermostat.

 


















110V LCD Digital Temperature Controller Temp w/ Sensor Thermostat Control relayCarlon Marine Conduit Box E987N 4 X 4 X 4 (50 CU. IN.) PVCLutron CARS-15-TRH-BR

















C14 Receptacle

Amp Rating: 10A C13 18 AWG Universal Power Cord 10 Feet
Amp Rating: 10AHome Depot Ideal 10-Piece In-Sure Push-In Wire Connector Set
I strongly suggest these connectors in Lieu of wire nuts.




















Radio Shack Technology Speaker Terminal Plate Push Release with RCA Design

Speaker Connector
I decide to add this for easy probe replacement.Aqua Culture:Aquarium Air Pump
"caution" do not use above 160F, or unit will melt and deformHamilton Beach 22-Quart Roaster Oven, Stainless Steel

For the cooking vessel I decided on a roaster for my first machine.

I figured the roaster be used for other things as well.

As you can tell, I'm not an electrician either lol













20140302009.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014


----------



## jimf (Mar 7, 2014)

We must have used the same instructions.  This is almost identical to mine (minus the air pump).


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

for this controller













$T2eC16N,!)EFIoZF1YdVBSKYM)(CuQ~~60_3.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Mar 7, 2014






i referred to this


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> SSR needs to be connected to the PID with correct polarity. *so hook them up correctly*
> 
> Type "K" thermal couple sensor often does not tell you which way polarity is to be connected to the PID correctly. *then switch the wires*
> 
> ...


Dude, I don't know if your looking for an argument or a reason to be right, But this is a DIY project, don't be scaring folks away.

Of course you should proceed with caution but that doesn't mean they cant give it a shot.

You seem well informed on this topic, how about offering up some advice for the folks that want to try this, I am sure it would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> I am 1000% disagree with you. It is not that simple at all to put the whole thing together. It is very unsafe, life and death, to advise an inexperienced individual to take on a project in power wiring.
> 
> There are at least 10 pins to wire up with the controller, with polarity concerns. How does one know to evaluate if the* internal relay can handle to high watt heater? If a SSR is used*, which side is to the PID and which side is to power?  how to wire it in series to the power and heater ----- etc. etc.?
> 
> ...


Thats a very good point... one should definitely use a relay and from my limited experience, I would also suggest a heatsink


----------



## dcarch (Mar 7, 2014)

SQWIB said:


> Dude, I don't know if your looking for an argument or a reason to be right, But this is a DIY project, don't be scaring folks away.
> 
> Of course you should proceed with caution but that doesn't mean they cant give it a shot.
> 
> You seem well informed on this topic, how about offering up some advice for the folks that want to try this, I am sure it would be greatly appreciated.


I am in fact trying hard to scare those who have no experience in power electric work away from this so called DIY project.

There is a 500 watt to 1500 watt heating element that can burn down your house.

There is 110vac (or 220vac in many countries) power right next to water which can kill your children and wife.

I am  frankly *alarmed *that you feel this project can be done by anyone with no previous electrical knowledge.

Yes, this is a DIY project, but a DIY project for someone who has some degree of power electric work experience, IMHO. And there are many sous vide circulators you can buy for under $200. 

I am sorry to be disagreeable. 

dcarch

OK, you ask for advice, this is not advice, but a suggestion:

Get a high wattage hot water heater, 220VAC 4000 watts, run it at 110VAC, you will end up with a very long lasting heater at 1000 watts.

But if you are in an area that is 220VAC, then get a 2000 watt  heater and run the heater in series with a high power diode, you will have a long lasting heater at 1000 watts.


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> I am in fact trying hard to scare those who have no experience in power electric work away from this so called DIY project.
> 
> There is a 500 watt to 1500 watt heating element that can burn down your house.
> 
> ...


No not disagreeable, I thought so at first but you seem pretty passionate about this, I can see where your coming from and this is a healthy discussion and everyone's entitled to an opinion and I respect yours and I also agree that folks need to have some sort of experience in wiring but I am confused as to what you consider electrical knowledge, I am sure there are many folks that have change outlets either because they were bad or they were adding GFI's does that warrant "Electrical Knowledge"?

Tanks for the tip on the water heater.


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

dcarch said:


> I am  frankly *alarmed *that you feel this project can be done by anyone with no previous electrical knowledge.


That is not what I said so just to be clear I said this was a DIY project, I did not put a level of electrical knowledge to this statement.


----------



## diggingdogfarm (Mar 7, 2014)

I agree that there are definitely some very serious safety issues here....especially for those who know little or nothing about working with electricity and water. 
Something else that hasn't been mentioned...accuracy and precision of the controller...it's a VERY wise move to calibrate the controller with a reliable reference thermometer....especially when cooking at the low end on the safe sous vide temperature range.
Surface heat treatment of the meat is also recommended when sous viding at the low end of the safe temperature scale as extra insurance against the growth of patogenic and spoilage organisms.

I'm all for DIY and I think PID controllers are a great thing (I've assembled some for other projects) but when it came to sous vide....I opted to spend a bit more and get a commercially available controller that's both very precise and very accurate which is essential for safety as well as repeatable results.

Does anyone know of a good sous vide PID assembly tutorial put together by a professioonal electrician?

Stay safe!

~Martin


----------



## dls1 (Mar 7, 2014)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> I agree that there are definitely some very serious safety issues here....especially for those who know little or nothing about working with electricity and water.
> Something else that hasn't been mentioned...accuracy and precision of the controller...it's a VERY wise move to calibrate the controller with a reliable reference thermometer....especially when cooking at the low end on the safe sous vide temperature range.
> Surface heat treatment of the meat is also recommended when sous viding at the low end of the safe temperature scale as extra insurance against the growth of patogenic and spoilage organisms.
> 
> ...


X2


----------



## sqwib (Mar 7, 2014)

Martin brings up a very good point.
Sous viding can be a dangerous method if your controller is not calibrated and is off a few degrees. Especially with LhLt cooks. I would advise anyone that plans to cook this way, to really do your homework!


Although this was not supposed to turn into a DIY , sous Vide Safety, debate. Everyone has brought up some valid points, and I urge everyone that ventures into Sous Vide... to do your homework and be safe!


----------



## johnduoh (Mar 7, 2014)

Big fan of using Sous Vide myself and cook with it often.  I am sure you will continue to be impressed with it and I highly recommend trying out a batch of 72 hour short ribs!  Also give Douglas Baldwin's a pratical guide to Sous Vide cooking a read.  It's free on the web and invaluable for food safety information.
Last year I researched the hell out of different machines available as well as DIY builds.  Make has a pretty inexpensive and safe diy build guide that is available.  However I came to the conclusion that while I felt comfortable building a DIY version, I wouldn't want to leave it running for long cooks with only the dog at home to watch over it. So I ended up with a Sous Vide magic pid controller and a comercial 1200 watt. My set up has done a great job and has been very safe and reliable.  That said if you are in the market for a machine I highly recommend picking up an Anova immersion circulator for $200. Great reviews and easy to use, just wish it was around when I was shopping and will probably grab one over the next few months.


----------



## diggingdogfarm (Mar 8, 2014)

Johnduoh said:


> So I ended up with a Sous Vide magic pid controller and a comercial 1200 watt. My set up has done a great job and has been very safe and reliable.  That said if you are in the market for a machine I highly recommend picking up an Anova immersion circulator for $200. .




Yep, I have both the Sous Vide Magic and the Anova.
I'm looking to buy another Anova.




~Martin


----------



## sqwib (Mar 8, 2014)

Hello all.

This thread seems to have turned into a Sous Vide Discussion and that's great, however I would like to see all this info in one place, I think it would benefit folks to have one area to access Sous Vide related information, so if folks don't mind following the link below for General Sous Vide information, hopefully we can gather much useful info over there that everyone can benefit from.

Anyone that has any experience with this cooking method, please pop in over at the thread and post some advice on Safety Guidelines, machines, equipment, methods, recipes, and how you use Sous Vide cooking with Smoking/Pitcooking/Grilling etc... to get the thread started.

Hope to see you there!

Thanks

SQWIB

New Thread "Sous Vide" Discussion


----------

