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How does well done sous vide steak taste?

anonymous.sam1223

I want to cook steak for my girlfriends parents but unfortunately they don't like to see any pink in their meat. Is sous vide steak made well done still tender and moist? I can imagine it wouldn't be as tender as a medium rare steak but would it still rival a steak one could get at a steak restaurant?

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Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

Just as good as a well done regular steak I'd say. If you're going for well done, there's not much point about rigorous temp control.

Matthew_Snyder_68770

To me, the best part about sous vide is specifically avoiding 'well done'. Gross.

artstype

You could try a large and thick chuck steak like 7 bone or chuck eye, as to make it tender requires a long cook. Baldwin suggests 140f for 48-72 hours for medium. Sear it first, and sear it after, the latter in a large skillet with high temp oil (like safflower or sunflower- not canola, too fishy tasting). This latter will make it dark on the outside and be very smokey, so that with that and your salesmanship about pasteurizing it and cooking for 72 hours, they should be fine if there is still a trace of pink and meaty flavor left. I would not attempt well done. You can sell it!

Afonso_Tito_de_Morais_164825

I will never understand people who like their steak well done.

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

its just not right..

brian_martin2001

Though I share in other's commiseration with your plight, I'm going to suggest not trying to sell them on a less well done piece of meat. while it is possible you'll get through to them, it's very unlikely. what is most likely to happen is you'll bust out your not well done piece of meat, they'll politely (or impolitely) decline, and it'll cause a rift in a potentially good relationship that you could have had.

With a steak: I would cook it to no higher than 70°C. That is the lowest "well done" you're going to get away with. Granted, I wouldn't get a super expensive steak, but don't sell them short either. If you want to do something nice for them (which is what I'm assuming this is about) respect their wishes, and give them what they want. a well done steak, by it's very nature, is never going to be as tender as a medium rare steak, but it doesn't have to be shoe leather either. I would give it a nice hard sear before going in to the bag. Make sure the initial sear is done right out of the refrigerator, that way, the interior of the steak is not affected very much. Once the steak is fully cooked, you can give it a refresher sear which will take seconds per side. That's my 2 cents worth. Good luck!

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Got into an argument with someone once who was trying to tell me that a 'properly cooked' well done steak is every bit as juicy as a med-rare steak. I was like, "Do you know what a sizzle actually is? Why that sound is happening?" Knob.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Exactly.

It's hard to cook for enemies of quality, but if you have to do so, you might as well give them what they want!

brian_martin2001

Exactly, and you know, even though it's lost its quality to you, until it hits that mark for them, it's not of any quality. Everyone's tastes are different, and everyone has the right to what they do and do not like.

anonymous.sam1223

Good point, as much as I like my medium rare steak some people are really freaked out about seeing pink. Steak is just one of those foods people get so defensive about for some reason, but there's no need to try so hard to make people want rarer meat. Thanks for the 70°C suggestion, I was wondering how "rare" I could get before becoming not well done lol

brian_martin2001

This should help with that https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-time-and-temperature-guide good luck!

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

If you think pink beef gets a reaction from some....you should be around when I serve my pink pork tenderloin to the uneducated. Real live helicopter spins! Cook it how they want it, it's their loss.

tshewman

Have had this experience with a family member:

1. Yes it will be better than a traditional well-done steak.

2. Consider doing a roast (and then cut the steaks) and when resting the roast turn up the heat in the circulator to the lowest well done temp and at about the 1/2 hour mark put the designated steaks back in. This breaks up the contractions of the juices with the goal of maintaining as much as possible in the well done steaks. While you sear (presumably) the other steaks, have the well done steaks resting in the freezer or fridge (~5min or so). Sear them to finish.

Food for thought.

brian_martin2001

How'd you make out with this?