- Mar 11, 2008
- 32
- 10
For the record I currently have no smoker of any kind. I mean to rectify that this year.
Last year I passed on a 7 foot tall "proofing cabinet" that had formerly done time at a KFC. Could have had it for $100, and passed because I suddenly found myself mid divorce and unclear on where I was going to be living. Regret that.
I've read all the PID threads and that's definitely where I'm headed. Cold smoke generator and a cabinet heated on PID control with convection/fan circulation. Several probes for monitoring various pieces of meat, etc.
What got me thinking about this again wasn't smoke, it was water.
http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/d...-for-about-75/
For those not familiar, Sous Vide is the technique of sealing something in a vacuum bag and cooking it in a water bath that maintains your target temperature. Want 150F on your steak? put it in 150F water and leave it, you end up with a cut of meat that can't overcook, and is done to the same level completely through the entire cut, not well done on the outside and rare on the inside.
It's common to finish Sous Vide meats by searing the outsides of them in a pan, or under a broiler, or even with a blowtorch. They can't brown and caramelize and form a crust in the bag.
That's what got me thinking. The method is supposedly a godsend for "difficult" cuts like brisket. What would happen if we combined the two methods, smoking and sous vide. It would be Überbrisket!
Anyone thought of this? Separating the cooking and the smoking would provide better control, theoretically, over the process, no?
I'm just not sure how to handle it. Smoke raw with cold smoke then sous vide? Cold Smoke a fully cooked brisket straight out of sous vide? Sear first? Sear last? Sear in the middle?
I've got a ton of gear to acquire to accomplish this, but it's likely to be a hell of a lot of fun testing :)
I know at least one of you has a sous vide setup, though I can't find it now. I'd love if someone could test this and tell me if I'm crazy.
Last year I passed on a 7 foot tall "proofing cabinet" that had formerly done time at a KFC. Could have had it for $100, and passed because I suddenly found myself mid divorce and unclear on where I was going to be living. Regret that.
I've read all the PID threads and that's definitely where I'm headed. Cold smoke generator and a cabinet heated on PID control with convection/fan circulation. Several probes for monitoring various pieces of meat, etc.
What got me thinking about this again wasn't smoke, it was water.
http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/d...-for-about-75/
For those not familiar, Sous Vide is the technique of sealing something in a vacuum bag and cooking it in a water bath that maintains your target temperature. Want 150F on your steak? put it in 150F water and leave it, you end up with a cut of meat that can't overcook, and is done to the same level completely through the entire cut, not well done on the outside and rare on the inside.
It's common to finish Sous Vide meats by searing the outsides of them in a pan, or under a broiler, or even with a blowtorch. They can't brown and caramelize and form a crust in the bag.
That's what got me thinking. The method is supposedly a godsend for "difficult" cuts like brisket. What would happen if we combined the two methods, smoking and sous vide. It would be Überbrisket!
Anyone thought of this? Separating the cooking and the smoking would provide better control, theoretically, over the process, no?
I'm just not sure how to handle it. Smoke raw with cold smoke then sous vide? Cold Smoke a fully cooked brisket straight out of sous vide? Sear first? Sear last? Sear in the middle?
I've got a ton of gear to acquire to accomplish this, but it's likely to be a hell of a lot of fun testing :)
I know at least one of you has a sous vide setup, though I can't find it now. I'd love if someone could test this and tell me if I'm crazy.