Cheap Steak Experiment

So I was going to call it the 2 dollar steak experiment but some were actually 4 dollars. Anyway these guys were all preseared and then vac sealed and placed in the bath at 134F for a little over 12 hours. Dried and seared again with some salt and pepper, no other seasoning.

Contenders: from left to right

Tri Tip Steak Top Round Steak Top Sirloin (2 Pieces)

Results: Tritip was superb, juicy moist, almost flaky but still easily cut and forked and the depth of flavor puts filet to shame, I would almost prefer this over a filet now as the beefiness was awesome, this is what a steak should taste like. Top round was dry and chewy, I think it was so thin that I over seared it, I might try again with a thicker piece. Sirloin had a great flavor but was still slightly chewy, not sure if more time in the bath would help. Not sure if i will try again as the tritip was so good i would be happy eating just that, especially with a soft boiled egg for breakfast it would be amazing.

Pics of course.

Mason @2kmgastronomy

Find more posts tagged with

Everything Else

Comments

Brendan_Lee_56950

I think if you tried tenderizing the sirloin and the top round it might make a bit of a difference. Like if you used something like a jiccard to break up some of that connective tissue. Usually with steaks so thin I like to sear from frozen and finish in the oven.

Mason_Perry_34060

I could tenderize but the tritip was so good that I would just sear and vac and freeze then throw in the bath and forget, thats the beauty of the sous vide.

Patrick_Ancillotti_6135

neat! thanks for sharing!

lelferreira

Very nice photos!!

I did a chuck the other day and it was awesome!! It could easily pass as a rib-eye.

Mason_Perry_34060

@Duda_Ferreira Steaks? How long at what temp?

lelferreira

yep! 5cm thick. i did it at 57.2C / 16 hrs (maybe.. I'm not sure now about that).

It was just like a steak.

Mason_Perry_34060

Awesome it's on my list to try.

mike.minasian

Hi Mason,

I'm wanting to try out a longer cook with a tri tip in this range. My hope is to smoke it afterwards. Would you suggest reducing the SV time to 8 hours and adding a 4 hour smoke at ~the same temp? Or do you think the whole 12 hours was necessary to get it to the point you wanted it at?

Brendan_Lee_56950

I don't think he's been active here for a very long time.

mike.minasian

Shoot, then I'll have to experiment and report back!

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Tri-Tip doesn't really need the 12h - It doesn't hurt but I'd stick with a 54, then smoke, it'll be

hard to control at "54C"

mike.minasian

I did a "like a steak" version of tri tip at 120 for 2 hours, and then 132 for an hour and finished with a sear over wood.

I also want to do a juicy smoked version. I'm thinking brine, SV for 8 hours, rub and smoke for 4 hours.

Jack_Mayer_85396

I'm conflicted on Tri-Tip, sometimes great, sometimes not so great? I need to experiment more I think ...

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Cut it the right way and trim it neat....

mike.minasian

Tri-Tip is AMAZING. Where I grew up in the central coast of California, it's a religion. Unfortunately many people don't cook it right. Like Pork shoulder, you need to cook it fast (or in the case of sous vide, to a medium rare temp) or long for best results. A lot of times people end up somewhere in the middle and it's not so great.

Traditionally, it should be cooked over red oak (native to the region) on a Santa Maria style grill (one with a wheel to raise and lower) such as this:

I did mine sous vide @120F for 2 hours, and then 132 for about an hour and finished over red oak in my big green egg. Next time I would add a 10-15 minute freeze step prior to finishing to minimize any edge browning. I'm planning on doing one low and slow soon, and I'll post results. I happen to think Sous vide is a fantastic idea for this cut because it's irregular shape makes it difficult to cook evenly (as evidenced by the two wildly different sized pieces below which are from the same cut).

Cheryl_71360

I am soooo bummed that I can no longer find tri-tip in my area. I'm on the east coast and for some reason folks in my area aren't coming around to it. It was pricey when I did get it at Costco at $6.99/lb. I would sous vide it at 125 for 4-6 hours then dust it with a wonderful product called Tatonka Dust then sear it hot and heavy on the grill. One of the best cuts I've ever had. Gotta find it again, and soon!