Professional Documents
Culture Documents
contents
6
introduction
8
the basics
12
starters
grilled artichokes, deviled eggs
20
entres
Asian short ribs, pork belly sliders, baby back pork ribs,
pulled pork barbecue, barbecue chicken,
nutty bird cheeseburgers, chile bacon onion burgers
38
sides
potato salad, slider slaw, sweet potato fries, mango salsa,
honey barbecued beans, corn on the cob
52
desserts
strawberry and sour cream pound cake,
vanilla ice cream with dulce de leche
60
notes
measurements, Archimedes Principle
introduction
History tells us that not too long after the discovery of fire, some 500,000 years ago,
humans discovered the benefits (and delights) of roasting meat over it. Whether this
occurred initially by design or serendipity is a matter of opinion, but the practice suited
us so well that in virtually every culture of the world, across the millennia, weve been
gathering around fires to roast our food ever since.
The term barbecue is of a more recent vintage, and though there is debate about
it, probably originated in the Caribbean, where the natives preserved meat by drying it in the sun and lightly smoking it (to drive away the insects) on wooden frames.
Their term for it: barabicu. The process spread to Spain, Portugal, the Americas, and
elsewhere. Transfigured into Spanish, the word became barbacoa and then, by the
late 17th Century, turned up as the English, barbecue. In modern usage, the term
has come to represent not only the frame or rack on which the meat is cookedthe
barbecue (grill)but the process itselfbarbecuing. And also, at least in the Southern
parts of the United States, its come to mean the end productbarbecue. In the US
South, that generally means pork; in Maryland or Texas, it usually means beef; in other
locales, maybe mutton or goat. And, it has even come to mean the gathering itself
having a barbecue.
Incorporating sous vide cooking into the plan changes everything. By cooking food in
a sous vide water bath in advance of the mealan almost totally hands-off process
each item can be prepared at its ideal temperature, quick-chilled, and refrigerated
two or even three days ahead, then given a quick warm-up and sear on the barbee
for serving. And the results are simply sublime: steaks and burgers cooked edge to
edge to the perfect rare, medium-rare, medium or higher that you prefer, simply dialed
in. Ribs, so juicy and tender the meat falls off the bone. Chops and chicken that stay
moist and tender. No guesswork! And its not just about meats. Perfect corn on the
cob, vibrant veggies, tender potatoes, eggs for deviling. Even desserts!
This book will show you how to do it all. Armed with a sous vide water oven as your
secret weapon, youll be cooking like a top chef in your own backyard and enjoying
the party yourself. First some basics, and then well get to the meat of the matter with
some barbecue specifics.
~ Mary Dan Eades, Editor
In the warm months, who doesnt love getting together with family and friends, around
the grill in the backyard, at a park, by the lake, or on the riverbank or seashore to
cook over the flames? All of us, except maybe the barbecue cook, who tends the grill,
smoke in the eyes, sweating and fretting over the food: are the burgers done in the
center? Chicken cooked all the way through? Steaks too rareor overdone? Thus
has it always been, until now.
sous vide
introduction
the basics
Cooking sous vide (a French term meaning under vacuum) involves vacuum-sealing a
given foodmeat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruitin a food-grade pouch and submerging it in a temperature-controlled water bath for as long as it takes to bring the
food to the desired temperature throughout. Food cooks gently and precisely and
cannot overcook, since it can only reach the temperature of the water in the bath.
Flavor and moisture that would normally escape into the air or drip into the pan
stay locked in the food pouch, which produces the most flavorful, tender, and juicy
food possible.
the vacuum sealis important, as pockets of air between the pouch and the food can
result in uneven cooking.
When cooking sous vide, the water bath temperature is set at precisely the desired
target for donenessfor instance, 146F (63.5C) for perfectly done chicken breasts.
Foods cook gently for (at a minimum) long enough to allow the heat of the water to penetrate to the center of the food. How long that process takes has been carefully worked
out mathematically for a wide variety of food types, and depends not as much on the
weight of the food being cooked as on its thickness. For example, if it takes 40 minutes
to bring a piece of chicken that is one-inch thick to temperature, it might take two hours
to bring a two-inch thick piece to that temperature. It is important, for food safety, to
carefully adhere to the minimum cooking times and holding instructions.
Chef George Pralus developed the technique in France about 40 years ago as a
method for perfectly cooking and minimizing the costly shrinkage of foie gras. Chef
Bruno Goussalt popularized the technique by introducing it in the first-class cabin
cuisine on Air Frances international flights. Since then, it has become a favored
cooking technique of great chefs around the globe and the secret weapon of chefs
in competitions.
Simmer the food at the desired temperature in the preheated water bath for at least
the minimum recommended amount of time to ensure it is heated to the center. In
most cases, you can leave the food in the water bath substantially longer without loss
of quality.
sous vide
Season your food lightly with salt and pepper, or fresh or dried herbs and spices.
Seal the food in an appropriate sized food-grade cooking pouch. Use the vacuumseal option for most foods, and the seal-only option for foods containing more than
just a tablespoon of liquid. Use zip-closure cooking pouches and Archimedes Principle (page 60) for foods containing a substantial amount of liquid.
Sear or sauce your food, if desired. All foods that have been cooked sous vide will be
delicious straight from the pouch; but some benefit from a complementary sauce or
a quick sear in a hot skillet, on a grill, or with a kitchen torch to impart the expected
crisp, golden crust and savory flavor.
Serve!
basics
Plan your menu in advance. Cook foods that need some time (spare ribs, short ribs,
flank steak, pork roast, pork belly, and tough or grass fed cuts) over night or even a
couple of days. Quick-chill them thoroughly (see page 11) and refrigerate. Then cook
foods that take the shortest amount of time.
As with all cooking methods, it is important to use clean, fresh ingredients and to work
with clean hands and tools on clean surfaces. When cooking food sous vide for immediate consumptionwhat is termed Cook-Servethe basic rules of food handling
will suffice, because the food will remain hot in the machine until serving and will get a
final high-temperature sear on the barbecue.
Group foods together according to the temperatures that they cook. Red meats
(steaks, burgers, lamb) can all cook at the same temperature to your preferred degree
of doneness: rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well. White meats (chicken or
turkey breast and pork chops, ribs, or roasts) can cook at the same temperature.
Chicken, turkey or duck thighs and legs cook hotter176F (80C)and longer, so
theyre a breeze to do overnight. Fruits and vegetables of every type can cook at the
same temperaturein the range of 180F (82C) to 185F (85C)simultaneously in
about 30 minutes to an hour-and-a-half, depending on their tenderness or toughness.
The length of cooking required depends on two things: thickness of the food in the
pouch and its tenderness or toughness. Tender cuts merely need to be brought to the
desired temperature and finishedperhaps 45 minutes to an hour for a 1-inch piece
of steak or a burgerthen given a finishing quick sear. Though they may be heated
through in the same hour, long, slow cooking of short ribs (48 to 72 hours) or pork
shoulder for pulled pork (18 to 30 hours) allows their plentiful collagen to gelatinize
and melt, giving them succulence and transforming their toughness into pull-apart
tenderness.
Once you have given each food on your menu its proper culinary respect in the water
oven, quick-chilled it, and refrigerated it, youre set. Simply fill the water oven(s) on
the day of your barbecue, set the temperature to the lowest cooking temperature you
usedusually about 134F (56.5C) if red meat is on the menuand an hour ahead,
simply bring the chilled, cooked foods to temperature all at once. Fire up the grill and
have it hot. When you and your guests are ready to eat, give a quick surface sear to
the food and in minutes youll be the King (or Queen) of barbecue cuisine!
10
sous vide
basics
11
starters
15
grilled artichokes
17
deviled eggs
grilled
artichokes
4 medium artichokes
Serves 4
Cooking time: 11/2 to 3 hours
starters
15
deviled
eggs
11/2
4. Transfer the artichokes to a serving plate, chop the flat leaf parsley and sprinkle
over the top. Cut the fifth lemon into wedges to garnish the plate, if desired.
to 3 hours.
3. If desired, finish on the grill. Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat, remove the
artichokes from the pouch, and sear briefly on the grill to mark and add flavor.
4 eggs
Serves 4
Cooking time: 45 to 60 minutes
Hard cook the eggs
1. Fill and preheat the water oven
to 167F (75C).
1/4
1/4
1/8
1/2
1/4
1/4
16
sous vide
starters
17
18
sous vide
starters
19
entres
23
Asian short ribs
25
pork belly sliders
27
baby back pork ribs
29
pulled pork barbecue
33
barbecue chicken
35
nutty bird cheesburgers
37
chile bacon onion burgers
Asian
short ribs
Serves 4
Cooking time: 72 hours
Make the glaze
1. Fill and preheat the water oven
to 180F (82C).
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the sugar; stir
occasionally with a fork after it
has begun to visibly melt and
cook until completely liquefied.
entres
23
7. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 30 minutes. The food must be
completely submerged to ensure even cooking.
8. Remove the pouch from the water oven; quick-chill, submerged in an ice water
bath (half ice, half water) and store in the refrigerator for up to several weeks. Once
you open the pouch, store any unused glaze, tightly capped, in a clean jar in the
refrigerator.
Cook the ribs
pork belly
sliders
3. Put the ribs into two small (1 quart/.9 liter) cooking pouches and vacuum seal.
4. Submerge the pouches in the water oven and cook for 72 hours.
5. When ready to serve, heat a skillet, grill, or grill pan to high heat.
12 slider buns
Serves 12
Cooking time: 10 to 18 hours
7. Brush the Asian Glaze over all surfaces of the ribs and sear on the high heat
for 45 seconds per side.
2. Put the pork belly, brown sugar, bourbon and crushed red pepper into a large
(1 gallon/3.8 liter) food-grade cooking pouch and vacuum seal.
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for at least 10 hours, but up to
18 hours will make the meat even more tender.
4. Preheat a grill to medium heat.
5. Season the pork belly on both sides with salt and pepper to taste and grill the pork
for 30 to 45 seconds per side to get a tasty crust all around.
6. Slice the pork belly and transfer to a warm platter.
Assemble the sliders
1. Lightly toast the slider buns
2. Brush the bottom bun with barbecue sauce, if desired, and pile on the pork belly
and Slider Slaw (recipe on page 43), if desired.
24
sous vide
entres
25
babyback
porkribs
1/2
2. Divide the rib racks between two large (1 gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure pouches. Pour
half the brine into each pouch, and zip closed.
3. Refrigerate for several hours, up to overnight.
Cook the ribs
1. Fill and preheat the water oven to 150F (65.5C).
2. Remove the ribs from the brine, rinse, and pat dry.
3. In a bowl, make the seasoning mixture by whisking together all remaining ingredients, except the barbecue sauce.
entres
27
4. Put each half of the rib racks into a large (1 gallon/3.8 liter) food-grade, zip-closure
cooking pouch, pour in one quarter of the seasoning mixture, and using Archimedess
Principle (page 60), remove as much air as possible and zip the pouch closed.
5. Submerge the pouches in the water oven and cook for 12 hours. The food must be
completely submerged to ensure even cooking.
6. Preheat a grill or oven broiler to high heat.
7. Remove the pouches from the water oven, open them, remove the racks, and pat
the surface dry with paper towels.
8. Brush a generous amount of barbecue sauce over the surface and sear the ribs on
the grill or under the broiler to caramelize the sauce.
9. Serve immediately with additional barbecue sauce and your favorite sides.
pulled
barbecue
pork
Serves 12
Cooking time: 18 to 24 hours
1. Fill and preheat the water oven
to 176F (80C).
28
7. Put the barbecue sauce into a small saucepan and warm it on the stove over
medium-low heat.
sous vide
entres
29
8. Working with a pair of forks (or your fingers) pull the meat into shreds, discarding
any bones.
9. Pile the pulled pork into a large bowl, pour on the barbecue sauce, and toss to coat
the meat well.
10. Serve the meat on a plate with your favorite sides, or pile it high on a toasty bun
with slaw and more barbecue sauce.
entres
31
chicken
barbecue
1/2
Serves 4
Cooking time: 4 to 6 hours
Brine the chicken
1. In a large (1gallon/3.8 liter) zipclosure bag, make a brining
solution by dissolving the salt in
the water.
2. Add the chicken, zip the bag closed, and refrigerate overnight.
Cook the chicken
1. Fill and preheat the water oven to 176F (80C).
2. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse, and pat dry.
3. Mix the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl.
4. Season the chicken on all sides with the rub.
5. Put each leg quarter into a small (1 quart/0.9 liter) food-grade cooking pouch and
vacuum seal.
6. Submerge the pouches in the water oven and cook for 4 to 6 hours.
7. Before serving, heat an oiled grill to high heat.
32
8. Remove the chicken from the pouches, pat dry, and sear on the grill to add grill
marks and flavor.
sous vide
entres
33
nutty bird
cheeseburgers
Serves 4
Cooking time: 45 to 90 minutes
1/2
1/4
1/2
1/4
entres
35
chile bacon
onion burgers
Serves 4
Cooking time: 45 to 90 minutes
Prepare the meat
1/2
1/2
entres
37
sides
41
potato salad
43
slider slaw
45
sweet potato fries
47
mango salsa
48
honey barbecued beans
51
corn on the cob
salad
potato
Serves 4 to 6
Cooking time: 45 to 90 minutes
1. Fill and preheat the water oven
to 183F (84C).
2. Cut the potatoes in half or in
quarters (dependent on size) and
season them lightly with salt and
pepper.
3. Put the potatoes into a large
(1 gallon/3.8 liter) food-grade
cooking pouch and vacuum seal.
1/4
1/8
sides
41
10 to 15 minutes or longer for the flavors to combine. Just before serving whisk in the
olive oil slowly to finish the dressing.
6. Drain the potatoes and put them into a larger bowl.
7. Add all remaining herbs and vegetables, pour on the dressing, and toss to coat.
Check seasonings and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
8. Serve.
slider
slaw
Serves 12
1. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, salt and
pepper until smooth.
2. Add the cabbage or slaw mix and toss to coat evenly.
3. Use to top sliders (recipe on page 25) or serve as a side dish.
42
sous vide
sides
43
fries
sweetpotato
sides
45
mango
salsa
Serves 12
1. In a bowl, combine the garlic,
Serrano pepper, vinegar, salt and
pepper, and let the mixture sit for
10 to 15 minutes.
46
sous vide
sides
47
honey
barbecued
beans
6. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 6 to 8 hours, until the beans
are tender. Cooking times may vary depending on the freshness of the beans. The
beans must be completely submerged to ensure even cooking.
7. When the beans are cooked, open the pouch and stir to distribute the sauce. Pluck
out the bay leaf and serve.
Variation
Substitute vegetable stock for the beef stock and 1 tablespoon of olive oil for the
bacon for a vegetarian version of this dish.
1 bay leaf
1 can (4 oz/113 g) diced green chile
peppers, hot or mild, undrained
2 cups beef stock
2 thick slices bacon, chopped
48
sous vide
sides
49
on the cob
corn
Serves 4 to 8
Cooking time: 45 to 90 minutes
1. Fill and preheat the water oven to 182F (83.5C).
2. Put ears in a single layer in a large (1 gallon/3.8 liter) food-grade cooking pouch,
season to taste with salt and pepper, add the butter and vacuum seal.
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 45 to 90 minutes.
4. Remove the corn from the water oven and, if serving right away, open the pouch
and enjoy or, if desired, give the ears a quick turn on a hot grill (30 seconds a side just
to add a few grill marks and smoky flavor before serving.
5. If not serving immediately, remove from the water oven, quick-chil by submerging
the pouch in ice water (half ice, half water), and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
6. Reheat in the pouch in the water oven at 130F or higher for 20 minutes before
serving, followed by step 4 (above).
sides
51
desserts
55
strawberry and sour cream pound cake
57
vanilla ice cream with dulce de leche
strawberry
and sour
cream
pound cake
1/4
1/8
Serves 8
Cooking time: 1 to 11/2 hours
1. Fill the water oven just to the fill
line and preheat to 195F (90.5C).
2. Elevate the bottom perforated grill
about 2 inches, either on a sous vide
baking platform or non-rusting wire
adjustable v-rack for roasting.
Position the bottom grill atop the
platform in the water bath.
3. Fill two mini-loaf pans or mini-bundt pans with water and position them on the
perforated grill to check water depth in the water oven. The water level in the bath
should come no higher than to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) below the rim of the baking pans.
4. Remove the pans, dry thoroughly, and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
54
5. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
sous vide
desserts
55
vanilla
with dulce
ice cream
de leche
Serves 8
Cooking time: 14 hours
17. Slice and serve topped with fresh berries and whipped cream or a drizzle of dulce
de leche (page 57) and whipped cream.
vanilla bean
2. Pour and scrape the contents of each can of sweetened condensed milk into a
small (1 quart/.9 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch. (One can per pouch.)
3. Use Archimedes Principle (page 60) to remove the air from the pouches and zip
them closed.
4. Submerge the pouches in the water oven and cook for 13 hours, removing the
pouches to gently massage now and again during the process. The liquid must be
completely submerged to ensure even cooking.
5. Remove the pouches from the water bath and quick-chill them, submerged in ice
water (half ice, half water) for 30 minutes.
56
sous vide
desserts
57
6. Store the pouches in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. (Once opened, squeeze the
remaining contents into a clean container with a tightly fitting lid and refrigerate to use
for up to 6 weeks.)
7. Serve over ice cream; drizzle on fresh fruit or pound cake; use to top frozen
cappuccino drinks, malts, or shakes.
Make the ice cream
1. Fill and preheat the water oven to 140F (60C).
2. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and non-fat dry milk until light yellow
and thickened.
3. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them and the half-and-half to the
yolks and beat just enough to mix.
4. Pour the mixture into a large (1 gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch; use
Archimedes Principle (page 60) to remove the air from the pouch and zip it closed.
(If using standard vacuum seal pouches, press out as much air as possible from the
pouch with your hands and seal only. Do not attempt to seal liquids using a suction
vacuum sealer.)
5. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The
food must be completely submerged to ensure even cooking.
6. Remove the pouch from the water bath and quick chill it, submerged in ice water
(half ice, half water) for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to churn.
7. Churn the chilled mixture according to your ice cream machines manufacturers
instructions.
8. Spoon into dishes, top with dulce de leche and a sprinkle of sea salt, and serve
immediately. If you desire a firmer consistency, scoop the ice cream into a quart
container, cover tightly, and freeze for one hour before serving.
58
sous vide
desserts
59
notes
Measurements
Because of the precisely controlled temperatures used in sous vide cooking, recipes can be reproduced perfectly time after time. But as with any culinary technique,
the success of the recipe also depends on correctly measured ingredients. Different
ingredients are measured in different ways and, depending on where you live, using
different measuring utensils. In order to ensure that our recipes can be successfully
prepared by everyonewhether you live in Des Moines or Tokyothe ingredient
amounts have been specified using both volume and mass (weight).
buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. In sous
vide cooking, we can use this property to displace the air in a cooking pouch containing liquid. When we fill a pouch with food and liquid, because air is lighter than water,
we can use this displacement principle to force the residual air from the pouch, and
then zip it closed to create a mostly airless environment inside the pouch. Here are
the simple steps:
1. Fill a zip-closure cooking pouch with food and fluid.
2. Lower the filled pouch, with the zip closure still open, into the water bath (or into a
large pot of cooler water, if you prefer.)
3. The weight of the water in the bath or pot will press against the sides of the pouch
and force the air out as you lower the zip closure to the surface of the water.
4. Once the zip closure is at the surface and most of the air has been evacuated from
the pouch, zip it closed. The zip-sealed pouch should now stay submerged.
This principle can be used to evacuate most of the air from a cooking pouch containing liquid, which can be difficult to handle with a suction vacuum sealer. Using a zipclosure cooking pouch and Archimedes Principle makes it easy to prepare sous vide
sauces, syrups, glazes, infusions, ice cream bases, soups, stews, braises, and more.
Archimedes Principle
The principle, first stated by Greek mathematician and physicist Archimedes, in the
second century BCE, states: Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is
60
sous vide
notes
61
Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability: The contents of this book have been prepared
and authored based on the knowledge and experience of the author, but neither the
author nor the publisher make any guarantees, warranties, or representations, implied
or express, with respect to the appropriateness, timeliness, accuracy, completeness,
or usefulness of the information of this book. There may be mistakes in the information presented. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any implied warranties
of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose and no warranty may be created
or extended by any person (including sales persons) or in any manner (including sales,
promotional, or advertising materials or activities or by demonstrations of any recipes).
Any recommendations, strategies, techniques or recipe steps may not be suitable for
your situation or for your circumstances. You should be aware that preparation of food
and the use of any food preparation equipment or techniques must be undertaken
with great care. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the
publisher nor the author assumes any risk or obligation for your use of this book
and neither shall be liable for any loss of profits or any other commercial damages,
including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.