Walden Meat and Sous Vide

I received a Joule Sous Vide machine for Christmas last year and I’ve put it to great use with my Walden share. I just finished heating the smoked brisket. Instead of boiling the heck out of it, I put it in the sous vide for 36 hours at 136 degrees. This is the second one I’ve done. It comes out juicy and tender and it tastes amazing. It reminds me of Montreal-Style smoked meat. Slice it thin and make a Reuben with it. Wow, so good!

I’ve also used the Sous Vide on some of the tough cuts of beef I’ve gotten in my share, such as London Broil, and SirloinTip steak. You can turn a chuck roast into Prime Rib. Also, the chicken breasts that just arrived in the July shipment, you do those for 6 hours at 145 and they are so juicy and tender. Serve them with a dipping sauce or slice it on top of a tossed salad.

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Great tips! What a perfect way to break down those tougher cuts! Our packaging is also sous vide safe. We hope you’ll share your other recipes with us as you keep experimenting!

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I’ll have to try the chicken breasts!! I’ve been sous vide’ing my tough cuts. London broil came out decadent! My mostly-vegetarian boyfriend kept sneaking pieces of it when he thought I wasn’t looking.

Do you season your meat before you sous vide it or after? I’m pretty new to it still and would love any tips!

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Seasoning depends on what I plan to do with it after, and also, if I’m being lazy and cooking it directly in the Walden packaging, obviously you can’t season it first. I know they said the Walden packaging is “sous vide approved”, but to be honest I find that much of the time there are small holes in it that prevent a good seal. I prefer to repackage in ziploc. For the chicken, I would definitely salt a little and add a bit of olive oil to the bag. You can also add some fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary. Be careful with the salt though, because you can easily over do it. I steer clear of fresh garlic though. It doesn’t cook well in the low heat and it just ends up being bitter. You can use some garlic powder if you wanted to. And don’t do the chicken breasts at too high a temperature. I know it’s tempting to make it “safe”, but six hours at 145 is more than enough to kill off the bacteria.

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I need to read more into seasoning with Sous Vide. I’ve heard that it’s easy to over season compared to other methods of cooking.

+1 for sous vide making challenging cuts tender and delicious.

Sous vide finished with a nice sear in a cast-iron pan (or a Ninja Foodi grill) always produces excellent results.

I usually add seasonings and vacuum seal before marinating overnight if I plan ahead, but seasoning right before you start works just fine for a longer cook.

I’ll try some chicken for 6 hours at 145. I normally do mine for 2-3 hours at 149. I’ve found that some people are so accustomed to leathery chicken (over)cooked at higher temps and don’t like the texture of buttery soft chicken.

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What an interesting observation about chicken texture! Have you found that experience with any other items?

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Hi Ceilidh,

Control over the texture of the food is one of the great advantages of Sous Vide over other methods. The difference of a few degrees one way or another can make a huge difference in the texture of the food. For instance, I can take your brisket and put it in the Sous Vide at 131 degrees for 48 hours and out will come buttery-tender, medium-rare meat that tastes like a fine prime rib roast. The same goes for a chuck roast. You can make a medium rare chuck steak that is as tender as a prime rib eye.

OR, you can put the brisket in the Sous Vide at 180 for 24 hours and get the more traditional, falling apart Jewish-Style texture.

The same goes for chicken (or Turkey) breast. Poultry breast meat is so easy to over cook, and every recipe tells you to cook it to 165 at a minimum, at which point it’s dry and leathery. But with a Sous Vide, at 145, it’s juicy, soft and tender. It’s not great for chicken salad, but it’s the best poached breast you’ll ever have. I make it that way when I’m doing the breasts sliced on top of a salad, or served as a main course with a soy/black vinegar/ginger dipping sauce, or a Vietnamese-Style Scallion sauce. The texture is an important consideration in Sous Vide.

Oh, and if you like soft boiled or poached eggs, take the Walden eggs and put them in the Sous Vide, in the shell of course, for an hour at 167 and you get beautiful poached eggs with a tender white and soft runny yolk. Leave them in for 1:30 and you have perfectly soft boiled eggs with a barely solid center.

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This is really inspiring me to go shopping this week. Does anyone have a favorite or recommended Sous Vide setup?

Never even considered this for eggs. I’ve always loved “tea leaf eggs” and this seems like it could be an interesting method to try and infuse additional flavors. Maybe I’ll find some time to experiment!

I’m very happy with my Joule.

I use it along with a Rubbermaid 12qt container and this lid which is designed for this container and has a perfectly-sized corner opening for a Joule.

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I always season first, usually with dry rub. Then if I am going to grill it or finish in a pan I completely dry the meat and sear it.

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