Pre-Sear or Post-Sear? That is the Question.

I've seen stories on your web site that sing the praises of searing before AND after doing the sous vide process. So clear up the (my?) confusion...which do you recommend? Would I be too far off the mark to guess pre-searing would lock in juices better? Advice appreciated and it goes without saying...you guys make cooking fun and easy!

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David_George_276813

6 of 1 half dozen of another

fisher23

Technically both. Pre-searing does add a bit of flavor but it also kills bacteria on the outside of the meat, it does not lock in juices according to information I am aware of. The post-sear also yields additional flavor and a better exterior texture and affords the ability to make a pan sauce with the fond. At least that is the general consensus. Personally, I always do a post sear and sometimes do a pre-sear but mainly only on meat that may be in the danger zone for more than a few hours (above 40°F and below 131°F).

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Generally speaking, best searing practice is to do both pre- and post- sears. Pre-searing allows you to start developing roasty Maillard flavors that will continue to develop as you cook sous vide. Since pre-searing happens with chilled meat (you do it straight from the fridge or freezer) so you can jump-start the crust without worrying too much about overcooking the interior and causing a temperature gradient. After you're done cooking, the final sear (which is still necessary) won't take nearly as long, and this also helps you avoid overcooking the interior. So it's better from both a flavor standpoint and with respect to preserving the perfect "edge-to-edge" doneness that SV lets you achieve.

Also, searing doesn't lock in juices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjfDW-kcX5E

brian_martin2001

First and foremost, as @Brandon_Byrd_40557 and @John_Fisher_218893 have already stated, searing a piece of meat in no way shape or form locks in any juices. This has been studied and proven many times, and this information is available in many places. For whatever reason, however, this myth persists. When you sous vide meat, the plastic bag is locking the juices in, at least until you open the bag and remove the meat.

When you pre-sear something, you want to sear it straight out of the refrigerator. This means the inside is cold, and when you expose the surface to that very hot pan, the effect on the inside of the cut is lessened. When you sear a piece of meat, the Maillard reaction takes place, giving those nice roasted flavors. When you pre-sear something, especially if you're going to be cooking something for a long period of time, these flavors have a chance to develop. This is because (in theory) there is no one chemical reaction that takes place during the Maillard reaction, but dozens of chemical reactions that are reacting off of one another or "cascade reaction".

Pre-searing is also a good idea, because, when you take a pre-seared piece of meat that has been pre-seared, it takes a lot less time to refresh or harden up the crust than if you were trying to develop the crust solely after sous viding it. This means that the inside of the piece of meat will develop even less of a temperature gradient from overcooking in a pan.

Regardless of if you pre-sear or not, there will be less of a temperature gradient, but there will be even less of one if you pre-sear it, if you intend to sear it after sous viding the piece of meat.

Good luck!