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Use of Joule and smoker

Annette_Kam_303258

I have a stovetop Cameron smoker which I love. Normally I season the steak, throw it in the smoker and then finish off by searing. Can you tell me what would be the best way to incorporate the smoker, joule and searing once I get the joule? I'm thinking I should maybe smoke it first, making sure it's not cooked beyond medium rare, then use the Joule to make the inside perfect, and then sear? How would I know how long to leave it in the sous vide if the steak is already partially cooked?

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Comments

Brandon_Byrd_40557

I've done a fair amount of cooking combining smoke and sous vide, though I'll admit that I'm not familiar with stovetop smokers. Since cold smoking isn't an option with a stovetop smoker (at least in my understanding), my suggestion would be to cook the steak sous vide before smoking, chill it down completely in an ice bath, and then warm it through in the smoker until its core temperature approaches a few degrees of your sous vide cookstep. I would also flip the steak every few minutes in the smoker so that the bottom of the steak (which is closer to the heat source and wood chips) doesn't overcook and you avoid an asymmetrically cooked steak. Then pat it dry, oil it, and sear it hard. This technique may not produce the edge-to-edge same doneness of traditional sous vide (or cold smoking + sous vide, which is my preference) but you'll be able to get the smoke flavor you're looking for while ensuring that the core is cooked through to your desired level of doneness.

Where the combination of smoking and sous vide really shines is tough cuts like brisket, pork belly, or beef cheeks, which benefit from a 2 or 3 day sous vide cook to tenderize them before being chilled down and warmed through in a smoker for flavor (and to slightly dehydrate the exterior). These are also cuts where it matters less if you accidentally overshoot the temperature in the final smoke/warmthrough because they're not traditionally served rare or medium rare like steak is.

Annette_Kam_303258

Thanks, Brandon for taking the time to explain - makes sense!

tshewman

I have the same smoker and do the following: smoke the meat pre-SV by using a torch for the chips (so not placing over heat) and place the product on the opposite end from the chips (in the event of flare ups). This is also excellent for cheese and such. You can also make a foil pouch and fill chips in it on one end to help protect the product and put ice chips on a plate under the rack on the product side. Then cook SV. The other way is to cook SV as normal and smoke as above after. I prefer this method for fish. Lastly, for ribs, brisket etc as @Brandon Byrd mentioned, I combine the stovetop method with torching the chips, then put it in the oven while smoking (which is what I did for last night's dinner). This takes some babysitting, bit also works well.

Annette_Kam_303258

Thanks, Todd! I wouldn't even think of using a torch (which I don't have by the way) for the chips or just not using the stovetop smoker without it being on the stovetop directly. I have yet to use the stovetop smoker in the oven. Will need to experiment.

sdirghalli

Brandon, can you go into a little more detail on utilizing a cold smoker and sous vide. From what I can guess, IF you have both techniques at your disposal that you would cold smoke the steak and then "cook" it using sous vide? Is that about right (speaking specifically about a thinner cut of meat like a steak)? Thanks.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Stefan, that's exactly how I'd combine cold smoke and SV for something like a steak. Cold smoke for flavor; SV for the actual cooking process. For thicker or long-cooking cuts (like pork belly, ribs, brisket, or cheeks) I'll often cold smoke before hand, cook SV to my desired texture/doneness, and then rewarm them up on a hot smoker for fresh smoke flavor and to dehydrate the exterior. These are cuts where overshooting the final temperature isn't as important as on something like steak (where it matters a lot). If I was going to do a "best practices" style cook on a smoked steak using the equipment I have at home, my process would be to pre-sear it, chill it down, cold smoke, cook sous vide, and then do a final sear on a grill with some wood pellets added. The pre-sear isn't necessary, but it does speed up the crust development in the final searing process to help avoid overcooking.

sdirghalli

Brandon, thanks! Sorry it took me so long to thank you, it's been a bit since I've been here on CS!