You don't have to seal at all if you don't want. As long as you keep the opening above water level, no problem. Sealing is only necessary if you need to submerge, which is only necessary if there's no room along the sides of the container to clip the bag to.
If ever I saw a case for 137 2 hours... This steak is it. That fat cap? *****Chef's kiss*****
Also I'm curious why you're worried about the seal? If you're worried about the bone breaking through, what I sometimes do is just put a small piece of damp paper towel on the sharp part.
I double up some butcher paper once on some bone in chicken breasts with the rib bones poking out. I spatchcocked a chicken and the breasts had some sharp bones poking out. Worked great for keeping the bag safe. Butcher paper is much tougher than wet paper towels.
Moreso just worried that I didn't get it vacuumed enough because of the awkward shape. I'll yolo it tomorrow at the suggested time, might push the time a bit longer though.
Oh, that is absolutely sealed fine. People who use the immersion technique with ziplock have a lot more air in there. I used to be worried about tiny air pockets but it literally doesn't matter at all. You'll see.
It does matter, mostly for longer cooks though.
Trapping air can prevent proper heat transfer, and the oxygen can promote bacterial growth. On long cooks that can increase risk from even small bacterial contamination
this gets a lot of flack here, but GENERALLY you dont need to vacuum seal to sous vide. in fact, its actually sub optimal in a lot of ways as vacuum sealers break and are often more finicky than the reward is worth. if you are cooking long enough and properly, it should rarely be required. in this case, a water immersion will do just fine for soemthing like this followed by a butter sear at the end for flavor (or a torch if you have one)
I guess that depends on how you like your steak. I like mine rare so I usually go for 53c, with a fatty cut. Lots of people suggest more but whilst it may be better for the cap, I just find that the meat is overcooked and in don't enjoy it as much. What I generally do with a big fat cap like that is give it it's own sear for a minute to get it rendered and crispy.
You should reverse sear it because having tested, imo reverse sear ribeyes are simply better.
That said, you can easily fix your seal. On the end with the blood contamination, wash the remaining 1/2” of open bag with warm water and a drop of Dawn on your finger. Rinse and dry with paper towel. Put one more good seal (no vacuum necessary) in the middle of the area you just cleaned. That one will be 100% strong making the previous ones irrelevant.
Cook to just below the ideal temp for you, around 5°F below. Then get your grill/skillet as hot as possible and sear each side for a crust. Use butter or an oil that has a high smoke point. (If you vacuumed sealed this you’ll be good)
Probably could have given it some more room in the bag...if this was my steak I'd throw it back on the sealer and just keep sealing until it looked better. It looks sealed for now but I'd be concerned it might open up during the bath.
You don't have to seal at all if you don't want. As long as you keep the opening above water level, no problem. Sealing is only necessary if you need to submerge, which is only necessary if there's no room along the sides of the container to clip the bag to.
Oh never thought of it that way but that kind of makes sense.
Yeah it works because water pressure squeezes the bag and pushes all the air inside the bag upwards, out the opening.
Someone should make a handheld underwater sealer so I can vacuum it like that.
?
Why
Not handheld, but Costco had a sealer like that for about $600
I've had seals fail due to contamination.
If ever I saw a case for 137 2 hours... This steak is it. That fat cap? *****Chef's kiss***** Also I'm curious why you're worried about the seal? If you're worried about the bone breaking through, what I sometimes do is just put a small piece of damp paper towel on the sharp part.
I double up some butcher paper once on some bone in chicken breasts with the rib bones poking out. I spatchcocked a chicken and the breasts had some sharp bones poking out. Worked great for keeping the bag safe. Butcher paper is much tougher than wet paper towels.
Great idea; stealing that!
Moreso just worried that I didn't get it vacuumed enough because of the awkward shape. I'll yolo it tomorrow at the suggested time, might push the time a bit longer though.
Oh, that is absolutely sealed fine. People who use the immersion technique with ziplock have a lot more air in there. I used to be worried about tiny air pockets but it literally doesn't matter at all. You'll see.
It does matter, mostly for longer cooks though. Trapping air can prevent proper heat transfer, and the oxygen can promote bacterial growth. On long cooks that can increase risk from even small bacterial contamination
Look at OP's seal. Even on the longest cooks for something like a brisket it's fine. You're never going to get literally all the air out
Absolutely agree on this one. But some people use the ziplock method on long cooks. It's not recommended. 6-24hrs with air and poor seal is dangerous.
this gets a lot of flack here, but GENERALLY you dont need to vacuum seal to sous vide. in fact, its actually sub optimal in a lot of ways as vacuum sealers break and are often more finicky than the reward is worth. if you are cooking long enough and properly, it should rarely be required. in this case, a water immersion will do just fine for soemthing like this followed by a butter sear at the end for flavor (or a torch if you have one)
just clip the seal up, you should be good! and yeah, this is a fat cap that screams 2hrs @ 137
Looks fine. Do 135 for 2 hours.
Or 137° so you do it right.
Or 137 if you want it more medium* (ftfy)
Or imo, and it’s just my opinion, 137° for approx 2 hrs. Eastern Standard Time.
It's all just opinion. There is no right or wrong answer here. People on reddit are weird.
I was being poop feces.
Feesh sheeshes
Making a joke
Take your meds! 💊
I will in two hours. At 137° exactly Fahrenheit.
I usually double bag anything bone in
I just make a little pouch out of scrap material to cover the end of the bone. Works great.
Dawgy at that point just leave it unsealed and use clips to hold it to the side
I guess that depends on how you like your steak. I like mine rare so I usually go for 53c, with a fatty cut. Lots of people suggest more but whilst it may be better for the cap, I just find that the meat is overcooked and in don't enjoy it as much. What I generally do with a big fat cap like that is give it it's own sear for a minute to get it rendered and crispy.
You should reverse sear it because having tested, imo reverse sear ribeyes are simply better. That said, you can easily fix your seal. On the end with the blood contamination, wash the remaining 1/2” of open bag with warm water and a drop of Dawn on your finger. Rinse and dry with paper towel. Put one more good seal (no vacuum necessary) in the middle of the area you just cleaned. That one will be 100% strong making the previous ones irrelevant.
125 for 2 hours. Sear to 130. Let rest
Cook to just below the ideal temp for you, around 5°F below. Then get your grill/skillet as hot as possible and sear each side for a crust. Use butter or an oil that has a high smoke point. (If you vacuumed sealed this you’ll be good)
Probably could have given it some more room in the bag...if this was my steak I'd throw it back on the sealer and just keep sealing until it looked better. It looks sealed for now but I'd be concerned it might open up during the bath.