# Thick sirloin/filet time and temp.



## phathead69 (Dec 30, 2018)

News years eve planning first cook with the new sous vide. Wife lives leaner cuts so I always get her a sirloin or filet. I always get the ribeye. Planning on temp of 131 for 2 hours then sear on cast iron. Wife likes med rare to med . Time and temp seem correct?


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## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 30, 2018)

I've never sous vide so I can't provide any input.  But I do like the idea of a sear on hot cast iron.


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## illini40 (Dec 30, 2018)

phathead69 said:


> News years eve planning first cook with the new sous vide. Wife lives leaner cuts so I always get her a sirloin or filet. I always get the ribeye. Planning on temp of 131 for 2 hours then sear on cast iron. Wife likes med rare to med . Time and temp seem correct?



I have no experience with sous vide, so take this all with a grain of salt. However, my gut reaction is that at only 131*, you may need longer than 2 hours - unless you plan to use the searing to do a bit of the cooking.

I smoked a large sirloin for 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to an IT of 120*, at 225* on the smoker, and then seared.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/monster-sirloin-best-method.279119/

Good luck!


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## Braz (Dec 30, 2018)

Your temp looks right on target. I'd use 2 hours as a minimum cook time and 4 hours as max cook time for sirloin or filet.


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## dls1 (Dec 30, 2018)

phathead69,

131°F will give you the medium rare, closer to medium, that you're looking for.

You say you're cooking "thick" steaks but you didn't say how thick they are, and that plays a role in the cooking time for pasteurization. For example, at 131°F, a 1" steak requires 2.75 hours. At 1.5" and 2" the times are 3 and 4.5 hours, respectively.

The times given are taken from D. Baldwin's tables which are admittedly more conservative to the extreme than most. Most pasteurization tables only take salmonella into consideration. In addition to salmonella, Baldwin's tables also consider E. Coli and listeria. In reality, you could probably cut your cook times back a bit without the possibly of any ill effect


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## dr k (Dec 30, 2018)

They aren't going to over cook or denature the muscle fibers till after 48 hours.  Set out the Sous Vide at night, get it going in the morning and by dinner 6, 8, 10 hours later it'll have more than met the needed time to pasteurize.


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## phathead69 (Dec 30, 2018)

Dr k. I had read that meat can go a really long time but that there was a point of texture break down. But I see what your saying starting early really isn't a big deal.

DLS1
I've read his tables and still struggle with the concept of pasturation for whole muscle meat taking so long. I would bet 98 % on here have been eating steak 129 to 135 IT for years and that takes 10 min and less. Steaks are usually in 1.5 inch range . What makes sous vide different. I mean all the above with respect and willing and wanting to learn.


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 30, 2018)

At the 600°F temp of a grill or screaming hot CI pan, the outer 1/4" of a steak soars above 150 in seconds. Bacteria is killed instantaneously.  At the cool temp of 130 in SV water, the surface of the cold meat can take time to heat to the 130° needed to just begin pasteurizing the meat, not to mention that if bacteria are heated slowly, they become more tolerant of the temp and a higher temp or extended time at 130, two hours plus, needed to kill them. Hence, the meat sits in the water for a 2-4 hours, rather than minutes...JJ


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## phathead69 (Dec 31, 2018)

Ah I see now says this slow one. Thanks jimmyj. Time vs Temp gain/rise per say.


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## dr k (Dec 31, 2018)

phathead69 said:


> Dr k. I had read that meat can go a really long time but that there was a point of texture break down. But I see what your saying starting early really isn't a big deal.
> 
> DLS1
> I've read his tables and still struggle with the concept of pasturation for whole muscle meat taking so long. I would bet 98 % on here have been eating steak 129 to 135 IT for years and that takes 10 min and less. Steaks are usually in 1.5 inch range . What makes sous vide different. I mean all the above with respect and willing and wanting to learn.


But it's not pasteurized and also no longer intact if run through a tenderizer and people with compromised immune systems shouldn't consume unpasteurized meat and still non pasteurized meat should be consumed <4 hours of the start of the SV.  In Baldwin's guide the muscle cells break down (get mushy) after something like 48-50 hours with a water bath under 150* I think.  That's why I start in the morning with a 131*-132* water bath and the SV is holding my pasteurized 130* steak for that evening waiting for me rather than starting the SV later in the day based on the chart duration.  If I SV, It'll be pasteurized and the steak I'll split with my GF will be at least 2" thick or I'll just grill thinner steaks and not hassle with getting the SV out.  It's nice to rapidly cool down pasteurized steaks in their SV bag in ice water in the fridge that can be held in the fridge for up to four weeks for a quick dry, re-seasoning and blow torch sear.


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## phathead69 (Jan 1, 2019)

Ok. Went 230 to 640 so that's 4 hours 10 mins at 130F. Then quick sear. Wife's was a med and I left mine Shade
	

		
			
		

		
	







	

		
			
		

		
	
 longer and hit a heavy med. Steaks were moist and tender.
I know bear had posted several ribeye sous vide trials and if I remember he concluded they did not benefit from it and I have to agree. Wife was not impressed with hers either. So I may try a different time at some point but for now I'm going to move on to larger cuts and give it a whirl.


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