What's for Dinner?

[Boatboy24]

My mother-in-law has been here since yesterday, as her power has still not been restored. She was out running errands this afternoon and offered to pick up some take out for us. I wasn't in the mood for it, so the family had it without me. After a 5 mile run late this afternoon, I was craving protein. So after snacking on a few veggies, I took a prime NY out of the freezer and put it into a SV bath for about two hours. Seasoned with S&P, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder. Then seared in a screaming hot stainless steel pan w/ some EVOO and butter. Nothing else on that plate, just a big, juicy, perfectly cooked steak. I'm ready for my nap now.

 

[ceeaton]

Don't know about your area, but we still have over 200,000 in Northern VA without power, so I figured the restaurants would be packed tonight. Who am I kidding? They always are.

Never thought about that. There were a few thousand without power on Friday morning, but I figured they'd all be back online by now. Maybe I figured wrong? There were definitely more people looking for grub than I normally remember, though my wife and I get out about once every six months if we're lucky. No private places to park after dinner anymore, so might as well have a steak at home and lock ourselves in our room. I know, TMI.

 

[sour_grapes]

For a bit of a late dinner, we managed to scrape up those (I am sure you are bored of them) lamb shoulder-chops-verging-on-rib-chops, which I dry-brined then seared to medium-rare, and served with fennel powder, smoked paprika, and coriander. This was accompanied by polenta with lots of blue cheese mixed in, and some roasted Mexican asparagus. I asked my wife: "I made roasted asparagrass with way too much garlic on it. Do you want Balsamic vinegar or Pecorino cheese with it?" Her answer: "Yes, please."

All of this was washed down by a WE Eclipse Stag's Leap Merlot, which is really nice. Commercial quality, for sure.

 

[ceeaton]

... (I am sure you are bored of them) lamb shoulder-chops-verging-on-rib-chops...

Keep them coming, never get bored of lamb, especially since I'm banned from adding it to the menu (except when I'm a bachelor, which is rare to never). BTW, that asparagus looks to die for! Yum!

 

[geek]

 

[geek]

Getting close...

 

[ceeaton]

Varis, looks like you only fed about 10 people tonight...slow night, eh?

 

[geek]

Varis, looks like you only fed about 10 people tonight...slow night, eh?

LOL, we're 5 and there was just enough for a bit of leftovers for me and my oldest daughter to bring to work today.

 

[Boatboy24]

Brined up some BSB's w/ salt, brown sugar, garlic, black pepper, ginger and a little orange. Soaked them for about 90 minutes, dried and seasoned lightly with some Stubb's chicken seasoning. Threw 'em on the gasser. They were juicy and delicious. Also had some oven roasted reds and a salad.

 

[sour_grapes]

Tonight was wild-caught Gulf shrimp again. This time, I did a creamy garlic sauce (shrimp, butter, garlic, white wine, shrimp stock, thyme, parsley, basil, heavy cream, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, reduced until thickened). Served on angel-hair pasta, and with a side of sauteed escarole with LOTS of garlic and EVOO. It was very nice, but fell short of the "restaurant quality" standard that I was shooting/hoping for. Don't get me wrong -- this is not the voice of a man who is complaining! Washed down with my Pinot Gris/Viogner blend.

 

[sour_grapes]

Wow, no one has eaten in days! I bet you are all hungry.

This was yesterday. I did not have a chance to upload it. My DW happened on a nice Monkfish tail filet. I dry-brined this, then seared it ~4 mins/ side, then popped it into a 400 F oven to finish. Meantime, I made a butter/lime/sriracha/shallot/cilantro sauce (based on a recipe). This was spooned over the filet, which I had sliced into medallions after cooking. I served roasted potato slices, and roasted Romanesco broccoli and olive oil, then doused in lemons, garlic, and capers, and roasted a bit more. All washed down with my mediocre Pinot Gris/Viognier blend.

 

[sour_grapes]

Tonight was really nice. We had a guest over; I have known him a long time, but he only recently decided to move to this area. He has been through a very rough patch, and we had a lot to catch up on. Accordingly, there are no pix to share, as we were busy lending a sympathetic ear.

However, here was the evening's fare. I had started sous vide short ribs two days ago; coincidentally, I had made an extra one, and so I was able to invite our guest at the spur of the moment for a normally-plan-long-in-advance meal. We also made braised/glazed carrots in a Balsamic vinegar sauce; roasted artichokes with lemon and EVOO; a mushroom/shallots/wine/beef stock reduction with lots of garlic and fresh thyme; and smashed potatoes. We also gorged on nice sourdough bread that our guest brought from a local bakery. We didn't even touch the artichokes, that's how sated we were. Yum!

 

[Boatboy24]

Wow, no one has eaten in days! I bet you are all hungry.

This was yesterday. I did not have a chance to upload it. My DW happened on a nice Monkfish tail filet. I dry-brined this, then seared it ~4 mins/ side, then popped it into a 400 F oven to finish. Meantime, I made a butter/lime/sriracha/shallot/cilantro sauce (based on a recipe). This was spooned over the filet, which I had sliced into medallions after cooking. I served roasted potato slices, and roasted Romanesco broccoli and olive oil, then doused in lemons, garlic, and capers, and roasted a bit more. All washed down with my mediocre Pinot Gris/Viognier blend.

 

[ibglowin]

Still trying to wrap my head around a 48 hour sous vide cook time....... Really Michael Vick! 24 hours wouldn't have done it, you needed 48 hours! LOL

 

[sour_grapes]

Still trying to wrap my head around a 48 hour sous vide cook time....... Really Michael Vick! 24 hours wouldn't have done it, you needed 48 hours! LOL

Unsure of your point, exactly, but never mind. That's one of the nice things about sous vide for long-cooking things like ribs: It doesn't really matter exactly when you eat it. You can throw it in the hot tub, not caring whether you eat it one or two or three days from now. Perhaps your wife might find a nice Monkfish filet the next day, and you can shift your dinner plans by a day or two.

 

[ibglowin]

Does 48 hours in the pool make it twice as tender as 24 hours in the pool?

If not then what is the point?

Unsure of your point, exactly, but never mind...

 

[Boatboy24]

Does 48 hours in the pool make it twice as tender as 24 hours in the pool?

If not then what is the point?

SV is a function of both time AND temp. And different combos will lead to different textures. See the recipe below for some options with brisket.

https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-smoked-brisket

 

[ibglowin]

I have a recipe for SV Short Ribs. Sure enough 48 hours in the pool....... But, do they come out any more tender than 3 hours in a dutch oven at 275F is the question enquiring minds want to know?

https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/print/sous-vide-beef-short-rib-steak

https://kitchenconfidante.com/braised-slow-cooker-chipotle-short-ribs-recipe/print/

SV is a function of both time AND temp. And different combos will lead to different textures.

 

[Boatboy24]

I have a recipe for SV Short Ribs. Sure enough 48 hours in the pool....... But, do they come out any more tender than 3 hours in a dutch oven at 275F is the question enquiring minds want to know?

https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/print/sous-vide-beef-short-rib-steak

https://kitchenconfidante.com/braised-slow-cooker-chipotle-short-ribs-recipe/print/

No idea. I've yet to go more than 4 or 5 hours with anything. @sour_grapes might have some insight.

 

[sour_grapes]

I have a recipe for SV Short Ribs. Sure enough 48 hours in the pool....... But, do they come out any more tender than 3 hours in a dutch oven at 275F is the question enquiring minds want to know?

https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/print/sous-vide-beef-short-rib-steak

https://kitchenconfidante.com/braised-slow-cooker-chipotle-short-ribs-recipe/print/

The texture is different. Sous vide is mostly better, but not entirely. (More info below.) I do mine at 159F, as opposed to the lower-temp recipe you cited. My way comes out closer to traditional braising than the low-temp way. The low-temp way produces something different, closer to ribsteak than to braised short ribs. At my temperature, you can eat it after 24 hours, but, as I said above, part of the point of SV is the flexibility: 48 hours is just fine, too.

Yes, they are more tender than braised. More importantly, though: they are juicier. They don't get up to the temp that braised ribs get to, so they don't lose as much moisture. They are tender, but they are also unctuous and moist.

The downside (depending on your preference): at 159F, the fat does not get rendered. It softens, but does not "melt" and run off the rib. So, the finished product has great gobs of soft, unctuous fat. You can choose to eat it, or you can push it off to the side. (I have always loved to eat fat, so I eat it.)