YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 130°F/54.5°C
Sous Vide Time 1½ to 3 hours
Active Cooking Time 30 minutes
To Make Ahead We don’t recommend making this recipe in advance.
For most home cooks, the first test of their brand-new sous vide circulator is a steak. A simple steak. About 1½ inches thick. Set the water bath to 130 degrees Fahrenheit/54.5 degrees Celsius for the perfect medium-rare. Put nothing but salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil in the bag along with the steak. Seal it. Circulate it. Sear it—fast—on the stove. Done.
This steak is perfect. It’s juicy and tender, rosy and pink from end to end. One bite and you realize: Steak can be this perfect from here on out.
And that’s why many home cooks—not to mention professional chefs—choose sous vide. “A circulator means you can produce professional results without the learning curve,” says Dave Arnold, a sous vide expert and author of Liquid Intelligence. To put it bluntly: “People don’t want the first 100 steaks they bought to suck.”
“It shifts the responsibility toward the recipe writer,” adds Arnold. Well, you’ve come to the right place.
To create the recipes in this meat chapter, we had our 16 Joules circulating hundreds of pounds of meat in a parade of Dutch ovens and large plastic containers over the course of 10 straight weeks. We ate steaks; we tasted roasts; we played around with lamb cooked to 130°F/54.5°C, 133°F/56°C, and 136°F/58°C degrees (check out this page to find out where we landed). By the end of testing, we’ll admit that the vegetable chapter was starting to sound pretty good.
Still, we learned about what cooking sous vide can do for meat. (Spoiler: A lot.)
First, the technique allows you to cook precisely (and perfectly!) every time because the water bath temperature is so carefully controlled. As a result, sous vide helps prevent moisture loss: The muscle fibers in meat really begin to contract and squeeze out internal juices above 140°F/60°C. With traditional high-heat cooking methods, the outside of a seared steak regularly surpasses this temperature before the interior reaches its target, resulting in a gray band of overcooked meat. Sous vide allows us to keep all parts of the cut below 140°F/60°C. Sous vide also enables us to make tough cuts very tender by dissolving collagen and fat, even at very low temperatures over time. (Check out “Meat Cookery and Sous Vide” for more.)
And then there are the enzymes. Take the Peppercorn-Crusted Roast Beef. This holiday-ready roast is no prime rib. Instead, we opt for chuck roast, a relatively tough cut that is often cooked at a temperature high enough to achieve a fall-apart braised texture after a few hours. Sous vide, however, allows us to cook this roast at a far lower temperature usually reserved for prime steaks (133°F/56°C) for 24 hours straight. Enzymes, the wily little proteins present in meat that slowly break down tough collagen, are activated at that temperature—a few degrees higher and they cease to do anything. The end result? A chuck roast that eats like prime rib, minus the expense. (If prime rib is what you’re going for, though, we’re here to help. Check out this page.)
We’ve created a world of meat dishes to tackle using sous vide, ranging from the classic (see Osso Buco) to the creative (see Sichuan Twice-Cooked Pork Belly). We’ve got you covered for date night (Seared Thick-Cut Pork Chops with Port-Cherry Pan Sauce) and game night (Beer Braised Brats). Our tender yet still-sliceable Porchetta and the salty-sweet pork dish Char Siu are perfect for surprisingly low-stress dinner parties. We’ve even got Easter taken care of: Spiral-Sliced Ham.
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 130°F/54.5°C
Sous Vide Time 1½ to 3 hours
Active Cooking Time 30 minutes
To Make Ahead We don’t recommend making this recipe in advance.
Why This Recipe Works Cooking steaks sous vide is a game changer. The water bath technique takes all of the risk, guesswork, and stress out of the dinner-preparation equation. With sous vide, steaks are cooked to the same temperature, and thus same doneness (of your choosing!), all the way through. This eliminates the gray band of overcooked meat around the exterior of steaks, which often occurs with traditional pan-roasted methods. Once your sous vide steaks are taken out of the water bath, all that’s left to do is to give them a quick sear in a screaming hot pan to create the Maillard browning and flavorful crust. This recipe was developed for tender steaks such as strip, rib eye, shell sirloin, top sirloin, and tenderloin; avoid tougher cuts such as top round, bottom round, blade, and flank, as they would require a longer cook time. Serve with Red Wine–Peppercorn Pan Sauce or Mustard-Fennel Pan Sauce, if desired.
2 pounds (900 grams) boneless beef steaks, 1 to 1½ inches thick, trimmed
Salt and pepper
7 tablespoons (98 grams) vegetable oil
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 130°F/54.5°C in 7-quart container.
2 Season steaks with salt and pepper. Place steaks and ¼ cup (56 grams) oil in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and toss to coat. Arrange steaks in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until steaks are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 1½ hours or up to 3 hours.
3 Transfer steaks to paper towel–lined plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons (42 grams) oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear steaks, about 1 minute per side, until well browned. Transfer to cutting board and slice into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve.
YIELD Makes about ½ cup
Note that this recipe is meant to be started after you have seared the steaks. Use a good quality medium-bodied wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Pinot Noir, for this sauce.
Vegetable oil, if needed
1 large shallot (30 grams), minced
½ cup (113 grams) dry red wine
¾ cup (168 grams) chicken broth
2 teaspoons (8 grams) packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces and chilled
1 teaspoon (3 grams) coarsely ground pepper
¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) balsamic vinegar
Salt
1 Pour off all but 1 tablespoon (14 grams) fat from skillet used to sear steak. (If necessary, add oil to equal 1 tablespoon (14 grams).) Add shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until wine is reduced to glaze, about 3 minutes.
2 Stir in broth and sugar and simmer until reduced to ⅓ cup, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until melted and sauce is thickened and glossy. Whisk in pepper, vinegar, and any accumulated meat juices. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.
YIELD Makes about ½ cup
Note that this recipe is meant to be started after you have seared the steaks. Sauvignon Blanc is our preferred white cooking wine.
Vegetable oil, if needed
1 shallot (30 grams), minced
½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) fennel seeds, cracked
½ cup (113 grams) chicken broth
¼ cup (56 grams) dry white wine
1½ tablespoons (27 grams) Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
1 teaspoon (1 gram) chopped fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper
1 Pour off all but 1 tablespoon (14 grams) fat from skillet used to sear steak. (If necessary, add oil to equal 1 tablespoon (14 grams).) Add shallot and fennel seeds and cook over medium heat until shallot is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, wine, and mustard, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until liquid is reduced to ½ cup, about 6 minutes.
2 Off heat, whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until melted and sauce is thickened and glossy. Whisk in tarragon and any accumulated meat juices and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 125°F/52°C
Sous Vide Time 2 to 3 hours
Active Cooking Time 40 minutes
To Make Ahead We don’t recommend making this recipe in advance.
Why This Recipe Works A nicely cooked rib-eye steak is a culinary showstopper but is also a challenge to pull off. The risk of over- or undercooking—and therefore ruining an expensive cut of meat—can make cooking a thick-cut rib eye at home an intimidating endeavor. But with the help of sous vide, preparing steak at home is suddenly a sure bet. Cooking sous vide allows you to control the precise temperature (and therefore doneness) of a steak, cooking it to the exact same temperature throughout. This means your steak is perfectly cooked every time. Sous vide steaks are often seared in a hot pan after cooking in the water bath to give them the exterior Maillard browning that we love. For these rib eyes, we up the ante with butter basting. This technique involves continuously spooning hot fat over the steaks to quickly create a nice deep-brown crust. Bonus: It also gives them the nutty flavor of browned butter. That butter is reserved and used as a rich sauce to be drizzled over the top for a decadent steak dinner. Because these steaks cook at a slightly lower temperature to allow enough time to properly butter baste without overcooking, we also quickly sear them before they go into the water bath to reduce the risk of bacterial growth. This recipe moves quickly once you start searing in step 3, so have everything prepared and within arm’s reach before you start.
2 2-pound (900 grams) bone-in rib-eye steaks, about 2 inches thick, trimmed
Salt and pepper
½ cup (112 grams) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
1 large shallot (30 grams), peeled and quartered lengthwise through root end
2 garlic cloves (10 grams), peeled and smashed
5 sprigs (3 grams) fresh thyme
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 125°F/52°C in 7-quart container.
2 Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon (14 grams) oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks, 1 minute per side. Place steaks in 2 separate 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bags. Add 2 tablespoons (14 grams) oil to each bag. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until steaks are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of each zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bags. Cover and cook for at least 2 hours or up to 3 hours.
3 Transfer steaks to paper towel–lined plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons (42 grams) oil in clean 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steaks in skillet and cook, without moving, for 30 seconds. Flip steaks and continue to cook for 30 seconds.
4 Slide steaks to back of skillet, opposite handle, and add butter to front of skillet near handle. When butter has melted, add shallot, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Holding skillet handle, tilt skillet so butter pools near base of handle. Using metal spoon, baste steaks with butter and aromatics, concentrating on areas where crust is less browned. Continuously baste steaks, flipping every 30 seconds, until well browned on both sides, about 3 minutes.
5 Reduce heat to medium and transfer steaks to cutting board. Using tongs, stand each steak on its side in skillet and cook, rotating as needed, until well browned on edges, about 1 minute; return to cutting board. Strain seasoned butter into small bowl; discard solids. Carve steaks off bones, then slice into ¼-inch-thick slices. Serve with seasoned butter.
Variations
Rib-Eye Steaks with Coffee-Chile Butter
Substitute 2 tablespoons (10 grams) whole coffee beans, cracked, for garlic cloves and ½ teaspoon (0.5 grams) red pepper flakes for thyme.
Rib-Eye Steaks with Rosemary-Orange Butter
Substitute 8 (2-inch) strips orange zest for garlic and 1 sprig (0.5 grams) fresh rosemary for thyme.
Rib-Eye Steaks with Green Peppercorn–Star Anise Butter
Substitute 2 teaspoons (6 grams) whole green peppercorns, cracked, for garlic and 5 star anise pods (3 grams), cracked, for thyme.
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 160°F/71°C
Sous Vide Time 20 to 24 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour
To Make Ahead Short ribs can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bags after step 4 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bags to water bath set to 160°F/71°C, and let sit for 30 minutes. Proceed with step 5.
Why This Recipe Works Beef short ribs are a prime example of how the precise control of time and temperature afforded by sous vide cooking can affect a piece of meat. Short ribs are a tougher cut, with a good amount of collagen and intramuscular fat so they are traditionally braised to a fall-apart texture. But with sous vide, you can achieve short ribs that have a texture similar to a medium-rare steak or you can deliver a more traditional flaky, braised texture—or land almost anywhere in between. For this recipe, we were looking for a fall-apart tender, pot roast-style texture, so we decided on a higher-temperature water bath (160°F/71°C) while keeping the cooking time under 24 hours. This cooking time and temperature combination allowed us to break down this tough cut’s intramuscular collagen, tenderizing the meat while keeping it moist and preserving a rosy interior from edge to edge. To make things even easier, we frontloaded the work. We quickly seared the short ribs, and then we built a sauce with traditional pot roast ingredients: mirepoix, tomato paste, red wine, beef broth, and herbs. We bagged up the beef and sauce together for their sous vide bath. Afterward, we strained the sauce and briefly reduced it on the stovetop, we poured it over the tender short ribs and finished the dish with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Easy pot roast, no pot or roasting required. Make sure that the ribs are at least 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. Be sure to double-bag the ribs to protect against seam failure.
3½ pounds (1.5 kilograms) boneless beef short ribs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons (28 grams) vegetable oil
1 large onion (350 grams), chopped
2 celery ribs (80 grams), chopped
1 carrot (80 grams), peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon (15 grams) tomato paste
1 garlic clove (5 grams), minced
1 cup (225 grams) dry red wine
1 cup (225 grams) beef broth
8 sprigs (4 grams) fresh thyme
2 bay leaves (1 gram)
2 tablespoons (8 grams) minced fresh parsley
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 160°F/71°C in 7-quart container.
2 Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon (14 grams) oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of ribs on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon (14 grams) oil and ribs.
3 Add onion, celery, carrot, ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) salt, and ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) pepper to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to blender and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
4 Divide ribs, sauce, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves between two 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bags and toss to coat. Arrange ribs in single layer and seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Place each bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bags. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until ribs are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of each zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bags. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.
5 Using tongs, transfer ribs to serving dish. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest while finishing sauce. Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into medium saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook until reduced to 2 cups, 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over ribs, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
YIELD SERVES 10 TO 12
Sous Vide Temperature 133°F/56°C
Sous Vide Time 18 to 24 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour, plus at least 18 hours salting time
To Make Ahead We don’t recommend making this recipe in advance.
Why This Recipe Works When it comes to holiday beef roasts, chuck isn’t really known for being the go-to for medium-rare resplendence (we’re looking at you, prime rib). But that’s a real shame since chuck is among the most flavorful cuts of beef available—and the cheapest per pound, to boot. This cut has plenty of fat and connective tissue, making it tough and chewy when it’s cooked to medium-rare in a conventional oven. With most traditional methods of cooking, you have two options: low and slow until it’s tender, or braised and broken down. Neither method gives you pink, tender, juicy meat. But with sous vide we can have it all: A fork-tender, juicy, medium-rare chuck roast. Circulating the roast at a low temperature for 24 hours allows enough time to break down intramuscular collagen, tenderizing the meat while preserving a rosy, medium-rare interior from edge to edge. We were inspired by the folks at ChefSteps to pair this roast with a generous herb crust, making it easily customizable and ready to pair with all sorts of sauces. And best of all, it won’t break the bank over the holidays. We prefer a combination of all three different peppercorns here, but you can use a single type. Serve with Yogurt-Herb Sauce, if desired.
1 5-pound (2.3 kilograms) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled into 2 pieces at natural seam and trimmed of large pieces of fat
Kosher salt and pepper
2 tablespoons (28 grams) vegetable oil
1 egg white (30 grams)
¼ cup (30 grams) coarsely ground black, green, and pink peppercorns
2 tablespoons (20 grams) flake sea salt
1 Sprinkle beef with 4 teaspoons (16 grams) kosher salt. Arrange pieces side by side along natural seam, and then tie together at 1 inch intervals to create 1 evenly shaped roast. Transfer roast to large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 24 hours or up to 96 hours.
2 Using sous vide circulator, heat water to 133°F/56°C in 12-quart container.
3 Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Season roast with pepper and place into 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until roast is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 18 hours or up to 24 hours.
4 Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°F/246°C. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable spray. Transfer roast to prepared rack and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Pat roast dry with paper towels.
5 Whisk egg white in bowl until frothy, about 30 seconds. Combine peppercorns and flake sea salt in shallow dish. Brush roast on all sides with egg white, then coat with peppercorn mixture, pressing to adhere. Return roast to prepared rack and roast until surface is evenly browned and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting.
6 Transfer roast to carving board and slice into ½-inch-thick slices and serve.
Variations
Substitute ½ cup (60 grams) za’atar for peppercorns.
Rosemary–Mustard Seed Crusted Roast Beef
Process ¼ cup (42 grams) mustard seeds and 3 tablespoons (25 grams) peppercorns in spice grinder under coarsely ground. Transfer to shallow dish and stir in ⅓ cup (25 grams) chopped rosemary. Substitute rosemary mixture for peppercorns.
YIELD Makes about 2 cups
Do not substitute low-fat or nonfat yogurt here.
2 cups (490 grams) plain whole-milk yogurt
¼ cup (16 grams) minced fresh parsley
¼ cup (16 grams) minced fresh chives
2 teaspoons (4 grams) grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup (60 grams) juice
2 garlic cloves (10 grams), minced
Salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
YIELD SERVES 6 TO 8
Sous Vide Temperature 133°F/56°C
Sous Vide Time 16 to 24 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour 15 minutes, plus at least 24 hours salting time
To Make Ahead We don’t recommend making this recipe in advance.
Why This Recipe Works In the land of celebratory roasts, the prime rib stands as king. But cooking this cut of beef properly is a challenge. And when you’re dropping upward of 100 bucks on a quality rib roast, you’re going to want to cook it well. Luckily, sous vide allows you to do just that. We start by removing the ribs to expose all sides of the roast before salting it and letting it sit overnight. The salt slowly moves toward the center of the meat, enhancing the beefy flavor while dissolving some of the proteins. Presearing the roast built flavor before it went into its low-temperature bath. After 16 to 24 hours at 133°F/56°C, the roast’s connective tissue had broken down, producing a buttery texture. A flash under the broiler crisped up the fat cap to create a nice crust. Look for a roast with an untrimmed fat cap ideally ½ inch thick. We prefer the flavor and texture of prime-grade prime rib, but a choice-grade roast will work. Serve with Horseradish–Sour Cream Sauce or Mint Persillade, if desired. Note that this recipe requires salting and refrigerating the roast at least 24 hours before cooking.
1 7-pound (3.2 kilograms) first-cut beef standing rib roast (3 bones)
Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon (14 grams) vegetable oil
1 To remove bones from roast, use sharp knife and run it down length of bones, following contours as closely as possible; set bones aside. Cut slits in surface layer of fat on roast, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful to cut down to, but not into, meat. Rub 2 tablespoons (24 grams) salt over entire roast and into slits. Place meat back on bones (to save space in refrigerator), transfer to plate, and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 24 hours or up to 96 hours.
2 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 133°F/56°C in 12-quart container.
3 Separate meat and bones; set aside bones. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear sides and top of roast until browned, 6 to 8 minutes (do not sear side where roast was cut from bone). Place meat back on ribs so bones fit where they were cut, and let cool for 10 minutes. Tie meat to bones between ribs with 2 lengths of kitchen twine.
4 Season roast with pepper and place in 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until roast is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 16 hours or up to 24 hours.
5 Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat broiler. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable spray. Transfer roast, fat side up, to prepared rack and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Broil until surface of roast is browned and crisp, 4 to 8 minutes.
6 Transfer roast to carving board and discard ribs. Slice meat into ¾-inch-thick slices. Serve.
YIELD Makes about 2 cups
Buy refrigerated prepared horseradish, not the shelf-stable kind, which contains preservatives and additives.
1 cup (230 grams) sour cream
1 cup (240 grams) prepared horseradish, drained
Salt and pepper
Whisk sour cream, horseradish, 1½ teaspoons (9 grams) salt, and ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) pepper together in bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
YIELD Makes about 1½ cups
This sauce makes a great accompaniment to prime rib.
2½ cups (35 grams) fresh mint leaves
2½ cups (35 grams) fresh parsley leaves
6 garlic cloves (30 grams), peeled
6 anchovy fillets (24 grams), rinsed and patted dry
2 teaspoons (4 grams) grated lemon zest plus 2½ tablespoons (38 grams) juice
Salt and pepper
¾ cup (168 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
1 Pulse mint, parsley, garlic, anchovies, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt, and ⅛ teaspoon (1 gram) pepper in food processor until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses. Add lemon juice and pulse briefly to combine.
2 Transfer mixture to medium bowl and slowly whisk in oil until incorporated. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature and whisk to recombine before serving.)
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 176°F/80°C
Sous Vide Time 24 to 26 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour 15 minutes
To Make Ahead Shanks can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bag after step 6 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bag to water bath set to 176°F/80°C for 1 hour and then proceed with step 7.
Why This Recipe Works Osso buco is a classic Milanese dish of braised veal shanks in a hearty sauce of vegetables, wine, and tomato. While the ingredients are simple, the resulting flavors are rich and satisfying. That’s because veal shanks contain a significant amount of fatty marrow. The marrow renders as the shanks braise, contributing earthy flavor to the sauce and effectively basting the meat in its own fat. Traditional preparations require hours of babysitting the stove or oven. By cooking our osso buco sous vide, we make this dish relatively hands-off. First, we presear the shanks to develop some good browning in our pan and on our meat. We reduce a sauce of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, wine, and tomato to create a paste, which we throw right into the bag with our shanks. As the shanks cook, juices accumulate and rehydrate the paste, resulting in a velvety sauce with tons of meaty flavor. After 24 hours, nearly all the fat and collagen have been rendered, and we’re left with fork-tender, fall-apart meat. Be sure to double-bag the shanks to protect against seam failure.
1 large onion (280 grams), chopped
2 carrots (160 grams), peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs (120 grams), chopped
8 garlic cloves (40 grams), minced
1 14.5-ounce can (411 grams) diced tomatoes, drained
4 12-ounce (340 grams) veal shanks, 2 inches thick, trimmed and tied around equator
Salt and pepper
¼ cup (56 grams) vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (32 grams) tomato paste
1¼ cups (290 grams) dry white wine
4 bay leaves (1 gram)
¼ cup (5 grams) chopped fresh parsley
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 176°F/80° C in 7-quart container.
2 Pulse onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in food processor until finely chopped, 12 to 14 pulses; transfer to bowl. Pulse tomatoes in now-empty processor until finely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses.
3 Pat shanks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons (28 grams) oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown shanks, 3 to 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
4 Heat remaining 2 tablespoons (28 grams) oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add vegetable mixture, ¾ teaspoon (5 grams) salt, and ¾ teaspoon (2 grams) pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 16 to 20 minutes.
5 Stir in tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until almost completely evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until mixture is thick and lightly browned, 16 to 20 minutes.
6 Transfer mixture to 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Add shanks and bay leaves and toss to coat. Arrange shanks in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bag into second 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until shanks are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 24 hours or up to 26 hours.
7 Transfer shanks to serving dish, leaving sauce in bag. Discard bay leaves. Stir parsley into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over shanks and serve.
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 140°F/60°C
Sous Vide Time 2 to 3 hours
Active Cooking Time 40 minutes
To Make Ahead Chops can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bag after step 2 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bag to water bath set to 140°F/60°C for 30 minutes and then proceed with step 3.
Why This Recipe Works Without a lot of fat to insulate and moisten pork chops, traditional versions of this recipe can go from perfect to overcooked in a flash. But with sous vide, there’s no worry of that. Our thick-cut chops cooked at 140°F/60°C for 2 to 3 hours before a quick sear in a hot pan. Serve with Porcini-Marsala Pan Sauce or Port-Cherry Pan Sauce, if desired.
4 12-ounce (340 grams) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, about 1½ inches thick, trimmed
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoons (84 grams) vegetable oil
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F/60°C in 7-quart container.
2 Season chops with salt and pepper. Divide chops and ¼ cup (56 grams) oil between two 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bags and toss to coat. Arrange chops in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until chops are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 2 hours or up to 3 hours.
3 Transfer chops to paper towel–lined plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Pat chops dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon (14 grams) oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place 2 chops in skillet and cook until well browned on first side, 1 to 2 minutes, lifting once halfway through cooking to redistribute fat underneath each chop. Flip chops and continue to cook until well browned on second side, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer chops to plate and tent with aluminum foil. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon (14 grams) oil and chops. Serve.
YIELD Makes about ½ cup
Note that step 1 can be completed while pork chops are circulating. Step 2 is meant to be started after you have seared the chops. It is worth spending a little extra for a moderately priced dry Marsala ($10 to $12 per bottle).
¾ cup (168 grams) chicken broth
¼ ounce (7 grams) dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
Vegetable oil, if needed
1 shallot (30 grams), minced
½ cup (113 grams) dry Marsala
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon (4 grams) minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
1 Microwave ½ cup (113 grams) broth and mushrooms in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms through fine-mesh strainer lined with coffee filter, reserving drained liquid, and chop mushrooms.
2 Pour off all but 1 tablespoon (14 grams) fat from skillet used to sear pork chops. (If necessary, add oil to equal 1 tablespoon (14 grams).) Add shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in Marsala, scraping up any browned bits. Return skillet to medium heat and simmer until Marsala is reduced to glaze, about 3 minutes.
3 Stir in remaining ¼ cup (56 grams) broth, reserved soaking liquid, and mushrooms. Bring to simmer and cook until liquid is reduced to ⅓ cup, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until melted and sauce is thickened and glossy. Whisk in parsley and any accumulated meat juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
YIELD Makes about ½ cup
Note that this recipe is meant to be started after you have seared the chops. We prefer to use less expensive ruby port for this sauce.
Vegetable oil, if needed
1 shallot (30 grams), minced
¾ cup (168 grams) port
¼ cup (60 grams) balsamic vinegar
¼ cup (40 grams) dried tart cherries
2 sprigs (1 gram) fresh thyme
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
Salt and pepper
1 Pour off all but 1 tablespoon (14 grams) fat from skillet used to sear pork chops. (If necessary, add oil to equal 1 tablespoon (14 grams).) Add shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in port, vinegar, cherries, and thyme sprigs, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup, about 8 minutes.
2 Off heat, discard thyme sprigs. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until melted and sauce is thickened and glossy. Whisk in any accumulated meat juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 140°F/60°C
Sous Vide Time 1 to 2 hours
Active Cooking Time 40 minutes
To Make Ahead Steaks can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bag after step 2 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bag to water bath set to 140°F / 60°C for 30 minutes and then proceed with step 3.
Why This Recipe Works We began by lightly pounding our pork tenderloin to create two flat sides that would be easy to sear. Halving the tenderloin crosswise created moderately sized steaks that would be easy to maneuver. Submerged in a 140°F/60°C water bath, the pork was guaranteed to remain moist and tender and cook evenly from edge to edge. For great browning, we made sure to pat the pork dry before searing it in a hot skillet. Serve with Scallion-Ginger Relish, if desired.
2 1-pound (450 grams) pork tenderloins, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup (56 grams) vegetable oil
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F/60°C in 7-quart container.
2 Pound tenderloins to 1-inch thickness. Halve each tenderloin crosswise into 2 steaks. Sprinkle each steak with ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt and ⅛ teaspoon (0.5 grams) pepper. Place steaks and 2 tablespoons (28 grams) oil in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and toss to coat. Arrange steaks in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until steaks are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.
3 Transfer steaks to paper towel–lined plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons (28 grams) oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown steaks, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and slice into ¾-inch-thick slices. Serve.
YIELD Makes about ⅔ cup
We like the complexity of white pepper in this recipe; don’t substitute black pepper.
6 scallions (100 grams), white and green parts separated and sliced thin
2 teaspoons (12 grams) grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground white pepper
½ teaspoon (1 gram) grated lime zest plus 2 teaspoons (10 grams) juice
¼ cup (56 grams) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons (10 grams) soy sauce
Combine scallion whites, ginger, pepper, and lime zest in heatproof bowl. Heat oil in small saucepan until shimmering. Pour oil over scallion mixture. (Mixture will bubble.) Stir until well combined and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Stir in scallion greens, lime juice, and soy sauce. Let mixture sit for 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Serve.
YIELD SERVES 6 TO 8
Sous Vide Temperature 165°F/74°C
Sous Vide Time 20 to 24 hours
Active Cooking Time 50 minutes
To Make Ahead Pork can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bags after step 3 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bags to water bath set to 165°F/74°C for 1 hour and then proceed with step 4.
Why This Recipe Works Pulled pork can often be a huge project—especially if you want to do it on the grill or in a smoker. But it is possible to streamline the process and make it a little more convenient. Unfortunately, recipes for this kind of indoor pulled pork often produce mushy, waterlogged meat that’s swimming in sauce in order to mask all that blandness. But by cooking the pork sous vide, we can achieve proper texture at a lower, more stable temperature than in traditional methods—which means less moisture loss, and more succulent meat. And a long, 24-hour cooking time breaks down almost all fat and collagen, making the pork shreddable but not mushy. We coat the pork in an aggressively seasoned spice paste to ensure flavorful meat. To give this dish a boost, we make a tangy sauce from the cooking juices. Slap this stuff on pillowy potato rolls and you’ve got yourself some flavor-packed barbecue sandwiches—right at home, any time of year. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Serve the pork on hamburger rolls with pickle chips and thinly sliced onion. Feel free to substitute the South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce. Alternatively, use 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce thinned with ¾ cup of the defatted pork cooking liquid in step 5. Be sure to double-bag the pork to protect against seam failure.
Pork
¼ cup (56 grams) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons (12 grams) salt
2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (18 grams) pepper
2 tablespoons (14 grams) smoked paprika
1 tablespoon (9 grams) garlic powder
1 teaspoon (2 grams) cayenne pepper
¼ cup (60 grams) yellow mustard
1 tablespoon (15 grams) liquid smoke
1 5-pound (2.3 kilograms) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and halved
Lexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
1 cup (236 grams) cider vinegar
½ cup (140 grams) ketchup
½ cup (118 grams) water
1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) sugar
¾ teaspoon (1 gram) red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1 For the pork Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 165°F/74°C in 12-quart container.
2 Whisk oil, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne together in medium bowl. Microwave until bubbling and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Stir in mustard and liquid smoke.
3 Divide pork and spice mixture between two 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bags and toss to coat. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bags in second 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until pork is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.
4 Transfer pork to cutting board and reserve cooking liquid. Let pork cool slightly, and then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks; discard excess fat.
5 For the barbecue sauce Pour cooking liquid into fat separator, let settle for 5 minutes, and then transfer ¾ cup (185 grams) defatted liquid to medium bowl; discard remaining liquid. Whisk in vinegar, ketchup, water, sugar, pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon (5 grams) salt, and ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) pepper. Toss pork with 1 cup (250 grams) sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
Variation
Substitute the following ingredients for the Lexington Vinegar Barbecue Sauce: 1 cup (240 grams) yellow mustard, ½ cup (118 grams) distilled white vinegar, ¼ cup packed (50 grams) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (75 grams) Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons (36 grams) hot sauce, 1 teaspoon (7 grams) salt, and 1 teaspoon (3 grams) pepper.
YIELD SERVES 8 TO 10
Sous Vide Temperature 145°F/63°C
Sous Vide Time 20 to 24 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour 10 minutes
To Make Ahead Pork can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bags after step 6 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bags to water bath set to 145°F/63°C for 30 minutes and then proceed with step 7.
Why This Recipe Works Traditionally, Italian porchetta is a whole pig that is spit-roasted to produce fall-apart tender, rich pieces of slow-cooked pork, aromatic with garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, and thyme. It’s served with pieces of crisp skin on a crusty roll. Seeing as most people don’t have a rotisserie in their kitchen, or access to whole pigs, porchetta is a tricky recipe to adapt for cooking at home. After testing a few different cuts, we settled on pork butt, which is cut from the upper portion of the shoulder and has a good amount of fat to keep the meat moist and flavorful without making it over the top decadent (as can be the case with pork belly, another common choice). We cut the pork butt in half to allow for even seasoning and easy slicing when serving. We seasoned both pieces with salt and then rubbed them down with a simple garlic-herb paste before sending them to the water bath. A low-and-slow sous vide bath allowed the collagen in the meat to transform into moisture-retaining gelatin. This kept the roast juicy and tender but still sliceable. Once the pork had finished cooking in the water bath, we quickly blasted it in a hot oven to crisp up and brown the fat cap to mimic traditional porchetta’s crispy pork skin. In sum? Roast pork just got a whole lot better. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. If fennel seeds are unavailable, substitute ¼ cup of ground fennel.
3 tablespoons (27 grams) fennel seeds
½ cup (25 grams) fresh rosemary leaves
¼ cup (12 grams) fresh thyme leaves
12 garlic cloves (60 grams), peeled
Kosher salt and pepper
½ cup (112 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
1 5-pound (2.3 kilograms) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 145°F/63°C in 12-quart container.
2 Grind fennel seeds in spice grinder or mortar and pestle until finely ground. Transfer ground fennel to food processor and add rosemary, thyme, garlic, 1 tablespoon (9 grams) pepper, and 2 teaspoons (6 grams) salt. Pulse mixture until finely chopped, 10 to 15 pulses. Add oil and process until smooth paste forms, 20 to 30 seconds.
3 Using sharp knife, cut slits in surface layer of fat on roast, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into meat. Cut roast in half with grain into 2 equal pieces.
4 Turn each roast on its side so fat cap is facing away from you, bottom of roast is facing toward you, and newly cut side is facing up. Starting 1 inch from short end of each roast, use boning or paring knife to make slit that starts 1 inch from top of roast and ends 1 inch from bottom, pushing knife completely through roast. Repeat making slits, spaced 1 to 1½ inches apart, along length of each roast, stopping 1 inch from opposite end (you should have 6 to 8 slits).
5 Turn roast so fat cap is facing down. Rub sides and bottom of each roast with 2 teaspoons (6 grams) salt, taking care to work salt into slits from both sides. Rub herb paste onto sides and bottom of each roast, taking care to work paste into slits from both sides. Flip roast so that fat cap is facing up. Using 3 pieces of kitchen twine per roast, tie each roast into compact cylinder.
6 Combine 1 tablespoon (9 grams) salt and 1 teaspoon (3 grams) pepper in small bowl. Rub fat cap of each roast with salt mixture, taking care to work mixture into crosshatches. Place each roast in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until roasts are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.
7 Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500°F/260°C. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable spray. Transfer roasts, fat side up, to prepared rack, leaving at least 2 inches between roasts. Discard twine and pat roasts dry with paper towels. Roast until exteriors of roasts are well browned, about 20 minutes.
8 Transfer roasts to carving board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice roasts ½ inch thick and serve.
YIELD SERVES 8 TO 10
Sous Vide Temperature 149°F/65°C
Sous Vide Time 12 to 16 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour, plus at least 10 hours marinating time
To Make Ahead Pork can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bags after step 3 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bags to water bath set to 149°F/65°C for 30 minutes and then proceed with step 4.
Why This Recipe Works The smell of fatty, sweet, slow-roasted char siu is familiar for anyone who frequents Chinatown. Char siu literally means “fork roast,” since it is usually skewered with long forks and roasted over a fire. We wanted pork that strikes a balance between chewy, juicy, and just tender. Enter, sous vide: A longer, extended cooking time renders just enough collagen to tenderize the meat without having it fall apart. A quick glaze and broil makes the pork fragrant and delicious. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. To help give the pork its traditional vibrant color, we use red food dye and pink curing salt, though neither are required. Curing salt goes by many names, including DQ Curing Salt and Insta Cure #1, but it’s most commonly labeled pink salt. You can find it in specialty food stores or through online retailers such as butcher-packer.com. (Do not substitute Morton’s Tender Quick or Insta Cure #2.) Serve in steamed buns or over rice.
1 4-pound (2 kilograms) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and sliced crosswise into ¾-inch-thick steaks
1 cup (260 grams) soy sauce
1 cup (7 ounces/200 grams) sugar
¾ cup (220 grams) hoisin sauce
½ cup (114 grams) Shaoxing Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
¼ cup (60 grams) grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons (25 grams) toasted sesame oil
4 garlic cloves (20 grams), minced
1 tablespoon (15 grams) red food coloring (optional)
2 teaspoons (5 grams) five-spice powder
½ teaspoon (2 grams) ground white pepper
⅛ teaspoon (1 gram) pink curing salt (optional)
¾ cup (263 grams) honey
1 Whisk soy sauce, sugar, hoisin, rice wine, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, food coloring, if using, five-spice powder, and pepper together in large bowl. Measure out and reserve 1 cup (200 grams) marinade in refrigerator. Whisk pink curing salt, if using, into remaining marinade. Add steaks and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 hours or up to 16 hours.
2 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 149°F/65°C in 7-quart container.
3 Remove steaks from marinade, letting excess drip off. Divide pork between two 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bags. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until steaks are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 12 hours or up to 16 hours.
4 Whisk honey and reserved marinade together in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced to about 1 cup (350 grams), 4 to 8 minutes.
5 Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable spray. Transfer steaks to prepared rack and pat dry with paper towels. Brush top of steaks with half of glaze and broil until mahogany, 2 to 6 minutes per side. Brush both sides of steaks with remaining glaze and broil until top is dark mahogany and lightly charred, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer steaks, charred side up, to cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice steaks crosswise into ½-inch-thick strips and serve.
Sichuan Twice-Cooked Pork Belly
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 170°F/77°C
Sous Vide Time 8 to 9 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour 15 minutes
To Make Ahead Pork belly can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bag after step 2 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bag to water bath set to 170°F/77°C for 30 minutes and then proceed with step 3.
Why This Recipe Works Twice-cooked pork belly is the perfect indulgence—it’s fatty, succulent, and full of flavor. A Chinese dish from the Sichuan province, twice-cooked pork belly traditionally starts by first simmering a pork belly in water until it is just cooked through. Then it is chilled to firm it up, sliced into thin pieces, and finally crisped in a hot wok with vegetables and a fiery sauce. For our recipe, we substitute a sous vide method for the initial simmer. By cooking the belly sous vide, we don’t leave flavor behind in a pot of water. In fact, we boosted flavor by cooking the belly with a little Asian broad bean chili paste, and then used the accumulated porky cooking juices in the sauce. The final dish is deeply satisfying—savory and spicy with pork belly that is tender, chewy, and crisp all at once. If you love bacon, then you need sous vide pork belly in your life. Be sure to ask for a flat, rectangular center-cut section of skinless pork belly that’s 1½ inches thick with roughly equal amounts of meat and fat. If you can only find skin-on pork belly, prepare it as directed, then cut off skin before slicing in step 3. Asian broad bean chili paste (or sauce) is also known as doubanjiang or toban djan; our favorite, Pixian, is available online. Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Sauce is a good supermarket option. Bird chiles are dried red Thai chiles. You can substitute green bell peppers for cubanelle peppers, if desired. The pork belly has a tendency to splatter during searing in step 4; use a splatter guard to minimize oil splattering. Be sure to double bag the pork to protect against seam failure.
1 1½-pound (680 grams) skinless center-cut fresh pork belly, about 1½ inches thick
¼ cup (64 grams) Asian broad bean chili paste
1 teaspoon (5 grams) vegetable oil
2 cubanelle peppers (230 grams), stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves (10 grams), minced
1 tablespoon (10 grams) grated fresh ginger
10 bird chiles (7 grams), finely ground (1 tablespoon)
¼ cup (60 grams) Shaoxing Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
¼ cup (60 grams) water
2 tablespoons (36 grams) hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons (6 grams) fermented black beans, chopped coarse
8 scallions (60 grams), white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 170°F/77°C in 7-quart container.
2 Rub pork with 1 tablespoon (16 grams) chili paste and place in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until pork is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 8 hours or up to 9 hours.
3 Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Submerge zipper-lock bag in ice bath and let sit until pork is chilled, about 15 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer congealed cooking liquid to small bowl. Slice pork lengthwise into 2-inch-wide strips, and then slice strips crosswise into ¼-inch-thick pieces.
4 Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of pork in even layer and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining pork. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.
5 Add peppers to fat left in skillet and cook over medium-high, without stirring, until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, and bird chile and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in rice wine and water, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 seconds.
6 Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons (60 grams) chili paste, reserved cooking liquid, hoisin, and fermented black beans. Add pork and scallion greens and toss to coat. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with scallion whites.
YIELD SERVES 8 TO 10
Sous Vide Temperature 155°F/68.5°C
Sous Vide Time 22 to 26 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour 15 minutes
To Make Ahead Pork can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bag after step 2 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bag to water bath set to 155°F/68.5°C for 30 to 45 minutes and then proceed with step 3.
Why This Recipe Works Cochinita pibil is the pride of the Yucatan peninsula—a dish of smoky, slow-roasted pork marinated in a special blend of ingredients, including cinnamon, allspice, and achiote (annatto) seed. Cochinita means “baby pig,” and the real-deal recipes use a whole suckling pig. Traditionally the whole thing is wrapped in banana leaves and then buried in a pib—a pit with a fire at the bottom. Here we use pork butt roast, and we employed a two-stage “grill-and-swim” cooking process to make things a little more convenient and a lot juicier. Pregrilling the meat added great flavor, while low-and-slow sous vide cooking produced especially succulent meat—no pib required. We did all the prep up front, so once the pork was finished cooking, we just chopped the meat up and served it to our lucky friends and family. Now that you don’t have to fire up your grill on taco night, you can focus on curating that sweet summertime playlist you’ve been meaning to put together. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. We prefer the flavor of canela cinnamon and Mexican oregano here; however, conventional varieties will work. Serve with white rice or in warmed corn tortillas with any combination of the following: spicy salsa, pickled red onions, thinly sliced radishes, thinly sliced scallions, crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, and lime wedges.
25 garlic cloves (150 grams), unpeeled
2 tablespoons (28 grams) vegetable oil
¼ cup (40 grams) annatto seeds
1 tablespoon (10 grams) peppercorns
1 (4-inch) stick (8 grams) canela cinnamon
1 tablespoon (7 grams) allspice berries
2 tablespoons (3 grams) Mexican oregano
¼ cup (65 grams) orange juice
¼ cup (60 grams) cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon (4 grams) liquid smoke
1 4-pound (2 kilograms) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and halved
1 onion (200 grams), sliced into ¾-inch-thick rounds
8 ounces (226 grams) banana leaf, cut into long strips and bruised
8 bay leaves (2 grams)
1 Cook garlic in 12-inch skillet over high heat, shaking occasionally, until blackened on most sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer garlic to bowl, let cool slightly, then peel away skins; wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
2 Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add annatto seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, and oregano, cover, and cook, shaking skillet frequently, for 30 seconds. Transfer spice mixture to blender along with garlic, orange juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon (18 grams) salt, and liquid smoke. Process until smooth paste forms, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Transfer ¼ cup (60 grams) spice paste to large bowl, add pork, and toss to coat; reserve remaining spice paste.
3A For Charcoal Grill Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts/2 kilograms). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B For Gas Grill Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
4 Clean and oil cooking grate. Place pork and onions on grill over flames and cook until well charred on first side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip pork and onions and continue to cook until well charred on second side, 2 to 3 minutes. Return pork to now-empty bowl. Continue to cook onions, flipping as needed, until softened, about 4 minutes; transfer to small bowl.
5 Meanwhile, using sous vide circulator, bring water to 155°F/68.5°C in 12-quart container.
6 Add onions to blender with reserved spice paste and process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide pork, spice paste, banana leaves, and bay leaves between two 1-gallon zipper-lock bags and toss to coat. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until pork is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bags to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 22 hours or up to 26 hours.
7 Transfer pork to cutting board, let cool slightly, and then chop into rough ½-inch pieces. Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl; discard solids. Add pork to cooking liquid and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
YIELD SERVES 4
Sous Vide Temperature 170°F/76.5°C
Sous Vide Time 45 minutes to 3 hours
Active Cooking Time 45 minutes
To Make Ahead Bratwurst can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bag after step 2 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bag to water bath set to 170°F/76.5°C for 15 minutes and then proceed with step 3.
Why This Recipe Works Bratwursts and beer are a classic combination that need little introduction, but that’s not to say that the beer-braised brat (a tailgating staple!) couldn’t use a little help. Many recipes yield soggy sausages and bland onions floating in hot beer, but with the help of sous vide cooking, we are able to solve these problems. To deliver juicy sausages infused with the right amount of beer flavor, we cook the brats sous vide with a mild lager and a little salt added to the bag. While the brats are swimming in the water bath, we brown some onions on the stovetop and then cook them down with a little whole-grain mustard plus more beer. Once the brats are cooked through, we give them a quick post–sous vide sear in a pan to crisp up and brown the exteriors. Loaded in sub rolls and topped with the beer-happy onions, these are better beer brats. Be sure to double bag the brats to protect against seam failure.
1½ pounds (675 grams) bratwurst (6 sausages)
1½ cups (375 grams) mild lager, such as Budweiser
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons (42 grams) vegetable oil
2 onions (350 grams), halved and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves (10 grams), minced
½ teaspoon (1 gram) caraway seeds
2 tablespoons (40 grams) whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon (7 grams) honey
1 teaspoon (5 grams) cider vinegar
6 (6-inch) sub rolls
1 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 170°F/77°C in 7-quart container.
2 Place bratwursts, ½ cup (125 grams) beer, and ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Arrange sausages in single layer and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until sausages are fully submerged, then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 hours.
3 Heat 2 tablespoons (28 grams) oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) salt, and ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and caraway seeds and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 1 cup (250 grams) beer, mustard, honey, and vinegar. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
4 Transfer bratwursts to paper towel–lined plate and pat dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon (14 grams) oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown bratwursts on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve in rolls topped with onion mixture.
YIELD SERVES 12 TO 14
Sous Vide Temperature 140°F/60°C
Sous Vide Time 3 to 8 hours
Active Cooking Time 45 minutes
To Make Ahead We don’t recommend making this recipe ahead of time.
Why This Recipe Works A glazed holiday ham is one of those old-school traditions that will never go out of style. Since it’s already cooked, there are not too many places to go awry: All you have to do is reheat the ham, glaze it with a sweet or tangy sauce, and you’re good to go. But in the interest of bringing ham into the 21st century (and freeing up some oven space for you next holiday meal), we’re here to make it even better and more foolproof. Reheating the ham sous vide guarantees that the meat is evenly heated from edge to edge, eliminating cold spots and the need to obsessively maul your beautiful ham with an instant-read thermometer. Since cooking sous vide all but eliminates evaporation, the meat stays moist and flavorful. But the best part? If your ham comes from the store in convenient vacuum-sealed packaging, you can just drop the whole thing in your water bath and forget about it—no extra-extra-large bag needed. To finish this holiday centerpiece, we lacquer our ham with a couple of coats of cherry-port glaze in a hot oven, which gives the exterior a rich mahogany sheen. For easy carving, we prefer a shank-end spiral-sliced ham, but a butt-end ham will also work. Make sure that vacuum-sealed ham has no visible tears or breaks in the packaging to ensure that the ham reheats properly. Note that this recipe requires a 12-quart container.
1 7-pound (3.2 kilograms) spiral-sliced bone-in ham
½ cup (118 grams) ruby port
½ cup (160 grams) cherry preserves
1 cup packed (200 grams) dark brown sugar
Pepper
1 Using sous vide circulator, heat water to 140°F/60°C in 12-quart container.
2 Place ham into 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until ham is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours.
3 Cook port in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons (35 grams), about 5 minutes. Stir in cherry preserves, sugar, and 1 teaspoon (4 grams) pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is thick, syrupy, and reduced to 1 cup, 5 to 10 minutes; set aside.
4 Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 475°F/246°C. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Transfer ham, cut side down, to prepared rack and brush with half of glaze. Cook ham until glaze becomes sticky, 5 to 10 minutes. Brush ham with remaining glaze and cook until glaze becomes sticky and light mahogany, 5 to 10 minutes. Carve and serve.
Spice-Rubbed Leg of Lamb with Chermoula
YIELD SERVES 6 TO 8
Sous Vide Temperature 131°F/55°C
Sous Vide Time 20 to 24 hours
Active Cooking Time 1 hour 15 minutes, plus at least 4 hours salting time
To Make Ahead Lamb can be rapidly chilled in ice bath (see this page) and then refrigerated in zipper-lock bag after step 4 for up to 3 days. To reheat, return sealed bag to water bath set to 131°F/55°C for 1 hour and then proceed with step 5.
Why This Recipe Works Cooking a leg of lamb can be a little intimidating. But swapping in a butterflied leg of lamb for the usual bone-in or boned, rolled, and tied leg provided us with a number of benefits: thorough seasoning, a great ratio of crust to meat, and even cooking. To balance out the potential gamy flavor in lamb, we rub ours with an intense harissa-style paste (a popular North African hot-pepper paste) and let it marinate to intensify the flavors. Circulating the lamb for 24 hours at a low temperature yields a rosy, medium-rare interior from edge to edge that’s about as tender as filet mignon. We coat the lamb with even more harissa paste as soon as it comes out of the bath before blasting it under the broiler to char and crisp up the exterior. With a bright, tangy chermoula sauce on top, this is one lamb roast that’s sure to impress at any holiday. We prefer the subtler flavor of lamb labeled “domestic” or “American” for this recipe.
Lamb
5 tablespoons (70 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons (9 grams) paprika
1 tablespoon (6 grams) ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon (2.5 grams) garlic powder
¾ teaspoon (2 grams) ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) ground ginger
¼ cup (42 grams) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry
¼ cup (30 grams) pitted brine-cured green olives
1 3-pound (1.4 kilograms) boneless half leg of lamb
Chermoula
1½ cups (20 grams) fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup (112 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup (60 grams) lemon juice (2 lemons)
8 garlic cloves (40 grams), minced
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (2 grams) paprika
¾ teaspoon (5 grams) salt
¼ teaspoon (1 gram) cayenne pepper
1 For the lamb Whisk oil, paprika, cumin, 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt, garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon (2 grams) pepper, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger in small bowl. Microwave until bubbling and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Transfer spice mixture to food processor. Add tomatoes and olives and process until smooth paste forms, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Measure out and reserve half of paste in refrigerator.
2 Place lamb on cutting board with fat cap facing down. Using sharp knife, trim any pockets of fat and connective tissue from underside of lamb. Flip lamb over, trim fat cap so it’s between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick, and pound roast to even 1-inch thickness. Cut slits in surface layer of fat, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into meat. Season both sides of lamb with salt and rub with remaining harissa. Place lamb in 2-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and arrange in even layer. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate lamb for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
3 Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 131°F/55° C in 7-quart container.
4 Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until lamb is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.
5 For the chermoula Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to bowl and set aside for serving.
6 Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Transfer lamb, fat side up, to prepared rack and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
7 Pat lamb dry with paper towels, and then spread reserved paste over top. Broil until lightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to carving board and slice thin against grain. Serve with chermoula.
Sous Vide Science
Key Points
• High heat cooking methods (like the broiler) make heat move quickly
• Gentle cooking methods (like sous vide) mean heat moves more slowly
• Sous vide cooking ensures even heating—and cooking—all the way through your food
• Thick ingredients take longer to cook than thin ingredients
• Shape matters; a chicken cutlet will cook faster than a meatball
• The density of the ingredient being cooked also affects how quickly heat will penetrate to the center
When you broil a steak to perfection and then slice it open, you’ll notice that the dark brown crust covers a paler brown layer right under the surface. This gives way to a grayish-brown layer, then a grayish-pink layer, and then, depending on your taste, a rosy pink in the center. It’s not just dinner: It’s a delicious way to visualize the way heat moves. This color gradient illustrates how the meat cooks. The heat of the broiler strikes most intensely on the surface of the steak, and travels steadily from there to the center.
The trick, of course, is to time that traveling heat right. You want to broil (or sear or roast) your steak for just enough time—so that at the moment the center of the meat is cooked just to your liking, the surface is not yet dried out or charred. This isn’t simple work. A broiler can run over 500°F/260°C, and if you, like us, are into medium-rare steaks, the goal is to stop cooking the meat as soon as the center reaches 130°F/54°C. Talk about chaotic precision.
THE GENTLE HEAT OF SOUS VIDE
Cut open a sous-vide steak, however, and it’s the same color all the way through. That’s by design: if the water bath is set to 130°F/54°C, then the whole steak, inside and out, will become exactly 130°F/54°C—and not a degree more.
The great advantage of cooking sous vide, as demonstrated time and again in this book, is that there is no fear of cooking unevenly; you can dial in the exact grade of doneness you prefer; and you can walk away from the kitchen for hours without overcooking your meal.
The disadvantage is that sous vide cookery can take significantly longer than the broiler method. The nature of heat is that it always moves through a material from a hotter region to a colder region—in the case of your steak, from the outside, where you apply heat, to the inside. And the bigger the difference in temperatures between the hot region and the cold region, the faster it moves. So heat will penetrate to the center of a steak that’s under a hot flame quite a bit faster than if the same steak is in a bath of warm water.
That means that in order to ensure our sous-vide meat is done—to ensure that the gentle heat has made its way all the way into the center and cooked it—we leave it in the bath for at least 1½ hours.
Since sous vide–cooked meat is the same temperature all the way through, it requires an additional step to brown the exterior. By searing it with high heat, we make sure that stage happens as quickly as possible, before the heat has a chance to travel into the interior and start to cook more than just the surface.
THICKNESS, SHAPE, AND MATERIAL MATTER
Because of the way heat travels, the thickness of the food being cooked in a sous vide water bath makes a big difference. A steak that’s 1-inch thick might take 1½ hours to cook all the way through (see Perfect Seared Steaks); a steak that’s twice as thick will take significantly more than twice as long.
The shape of the food is an important consideration too: Since the heat has to move from the surface to the center, a 2-ounce cut of thin steak, which doesn’t have a lot of distance between its surface and its center, heats through a lot faster than a 2-ounce meatball.
Finally, the type of food matters too, because heat travels at different rates through different kinds of materials. A piece of lean meat carries heat efficiently (see Foolproof Poached Chicken); fattier cuts take a little longer, because fat acts as an insulator, slowing down the passage of heat (see Peppercorn-Crusted Roast Beef). Fruits and vegetables (see this page) contain a lot of air, both inside their flesh—an apple can be made of 25 percent air, believe it or not—as well as among and around their irregular geometry, such as the spaces between florets of broccoli. This is why we generally add liquid to the cooking bag. The liquid fills up those spaces, allowing for a more even cook, as well as adding flavor.
Cooking food in a water bath is gentle and, often, slow. But once you understand the different factors that go into how much time is needed, the precision is worth it.
Time and Temperature Chart
Most people know how they want their steak. Medium-rare. Rare. Well done. To get your steak exactly there, temperature means (almost) everything. Temperature is the difference between medium-rare and medium-well—and, depending on the type of person you are, getting the wrong side of that medium coin will make you very unhappy.
We tested cooking steaks in a sous vide water bath heated to temperatures starting at 120°F/49°C and going up incrementally through 155°F/68°C. After their swim, we quickly seared them before serving. For our preferred medium-rare steak, we cook at 130°F/54°C. Go by this chart for your perfect level of doneness, or check out our recipe on this page.
Don’t forget: Time is important for cooking steaks, too. It takes longer to bring a thick steak to a precise temperature than a thin steak. To keep the tender texture of steaks like strip or rib eye, it’s important not to cook them for too long. We found the ideal time for a tender, 1 to 2-inch-thick steak to be between 1½ and 3 hours in the water bath.
| Cooking Specifications for Tender Steaks (Rib Eye, Strip, or Sirloin, 1 to 2 inches thick) |
||
| Temp | Time | Description |
|
120–125°F (49–52°C) |
Rare | |
|
126–134°F (52–57°C) |
Medium-Rare | |
|
135–144°F (57–62°C) |
90 minutes to 3 hours | Medium |
|
145–154°F (63–68°C) |
Medium-Well | |
|
155–160°F (68–71°C) |
Well Done | |
