Costco vacuum-sealed chicken with Joule

hey! I got my Joule at Xmas and am loving it so far. i've be using it for one off meals over the break but now that work/school are kicking back into high gear I'm wondering about using it for more bulk cooking to meal prep.

Specifically I've been eyeing the bags of chicken that Costco sells. There are usually diffierent cuts in vacuum-sealed packets with several packets all strung together - see photo. Breasts, thighs, etc.

First - is it safe to cook in these bags? Has anyone done this and had decent results? Mostly looking to cook a bunch of chicken that I can then add to salads and stuff for healthish lunches. Thanks!

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Comments

wolfiegirl

I did a little research on the www about this particular brand & product. Reason being was to check out what the packaging is made from. They are vac packed (I found that much out) so you probably can drop one in the water bath with confidence that it will be fine. I prefer to add some herbs and olive oil to add flavor to the chicken while it's cooking. But if you're cool cooking without that, then drop a bag in, let Joule do the happy chicken dance and see how they are when they're done.

Theo_129732

I like to give any meat the smell test before deciding to cook it. Especially chicken.

fisher23

They work fine, I have also done the Costco pork roasts that come the same way. Great for making chicken salad or any recipe you add chicken pieces to. They are not bad by themselves albeit a bit bland, so make sure you season well when you finish. You will have a good amount of juice so don't be scared you have a leak when you see it.

pd3ski_278514

Just to add to what others have said... if you do cook in the og packaging remove the stickers and residue....your Joule will thank you!

corey.schwanz

That would be my concern as well. So far I haven't been able to make the jump to SV-ing something straight in the factory packaging because I can't get over the fact of not seasoning it beforehand. I did a pork shoulder slice (local meat counter sold pork "steaks" for 99cents/lb, too good to pass up) and the CS recipe said to season after. My wife and I did not like that. I tried again with salt & pepper before the 24 hour cook and we liked it better. I am just not a fan of post-seasoning.

mattpope

Concur with the others here. Safety is probably okay, taste or texture might seem a little bland.

I've found similar products at either Trader Joe's or my gourmet grocery store that are seasoned and in a safe package. Can't be Costco on price though.

Another thought, although a bit more work is to set up an assembly line at home and pre-sear, season and repackage (using a Foodsaver). I think Hammer'd and others have commented that they do this.

Craig_Clement_183881

thanks all! i may try both ways and see if it's dramatically different to season before or after. i'm sure seasoning before will have better results but just want to weight that against the convenience of just dropping it in the water as it is. i'll try and remember to report back!

Michael_Henrie_1478604

Does anybody have that chart that tells you how long to sous vide chicken for in order to kill bacteria. Thanks for the recommendation. I also found one before I checked back here.

Chicken Cook Times

Kyl_Haselbauer_worked_at_chefsteps_1040170

Our close friend, and coworker Dr. Douglas Baldwin has a great resource and info here for you.

https://douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html#Safety

pd3ski_278514

👀.. he hit my reply with a like, so I had to investigate..

Kyl.. you have some extra ordinary powers!! Keep on keepin’ on…🔥