Go to the Recipe: Bomb Sous Vide Braised Short Ribs
Quick question. You say that it's ok to cook frozen, but also to presear. Are you just searing longer to essentially thaw the exterior of the meat?
You've said here, as you've said again and again, sous vide gives you better results than conventional braising.
You've also said steaks are better when cooked sous vide. You've said that again and again.
I've compared conventional to sous vide, and I'm convinced that sous vide removes an important flavor factor. I can't say what it is, that would take some sophisticated scientific experiments, but I can sure taste the difference. I've asked my friends to conduct their own test, and they agree. There's something important that sous vide takes away from meat. We have to assume the same is true for vegetables.
I was an avid Chef Steps fan. Your videos were beautifully produced, the recipes excellent, the instruction sublime.
Then Joule came along. I bought Joule because of your hype. Now I wonder whether you needed to sell a product to clear a profit. I've gone back to conventional cooking, and I wish you would too.
A product being better or not is very, very subjective. While you think traditional methods are better, and this it's a very valid opinion, others disagree. What I'm confused about is the statement "I've gone back to conventional cooking, and I wish you would too." If you really were an avid fan of ChefSteps, you'd know that their cooking had heavily relied upon sous vide, going back to their origin. Back then they would use PolySciene or Anova, but the majority of their cooking was still sous vide. Now and then they would come it with a recipe that didn't require that method, and now and then they still do. But if you're sitting around waiting for them to go back to their old way of cooking, they never left it, they just changed the brand of their tools.
I agree with sous vide < conventional
I've heard store bought demi-glace doesn't taste very good. Would store bought (low sodium) chicken stock work in its place?
Why would you want to flavor your beef with chicken? What makes you think store bought chicken stock tastes better (with or without the beef) than demi-glace?
I have not tried your recipe yet for short ribs, but a couple of years ago I did 72hr short ribs and the result was delicious but... green sheen on the exterior. They were preseared then bagged, cooked 72hrs and seared again...
I've seen this happen before and still have yet to find an answer as to why that result can happen. Any info you guys have on green meat would be appreciated.
I think I'm the first to comment who actually cooked this recipe. It was delicious!!! Was a little nervous about cooking meat for 24 hours- I thought it would be mush. It came out perfectly still nicely intact, but melts in your mouth. At about 23 hours, I took the sauce out of the bag and blended it to make a nice smooth sauce for the top. I put the sauce right back into a squeeze bottle and dropped the squeeze bottle back into the water bath, until I was ready to serve.
Overall- this recipe was SIMPLE and very delicious. Put it over some polenta and call it a night! This is one I'll be making again!
I too have seen the 'green sheen' and wish to know more about it.Any help here folks?
Soooooooooooooooo good. Great recipe ChefSteps! Served mine over cheese grits and fennel
Should I trim the fat on the under side of thr short ribs?
I am having trouble with the bags getting water in them at this temp. I have a foodsaver machine, and even when you use that it doesn't work. What kind of bags does everyone use for high temps?
My advice don't use a foodsaver machine I had one and had the same issues. If need be double bag some ziplock bags but I would say buy a sous vide supreme sealer.
Just finished this recipe and I was very satisfied! 20Hrs @ 80C, yielded the most tender meat I've ever had. I feel like some people might get turned away from this recipe due to a lack of demi on hand, I skipped it and they were still good. I used double Ziploc bags clipped in a dishpan and had zero problems with leakage.
i have braised shortys in a dutch oven and always defatted after first night in fridge. how do you defat sous vide?
After first night in the fridge most of extra fat stack on the inner surface of the bag! Then You get the meat and glaze from inside and put it on another bug.
I use a Foodsaver machine and don't have this problem. You want to make sure you don't get the bag wet where you are sealing it. Fold the edge down a few inches prior to filling. Also, do a double seal. After your first seal, move the bag down a quarter inch or so and seal it again above the initial seal.
I used this recipe just for the temp/time to cook the ribs. I then used the meat in my masaman. Husband said it was the best he’s ever had. This is the only way I’m doing short ribs from now on.
I did bag the meat using my foodsaver with no problems.
Can I use English style short ribs.
About how many pounds of short ribs?
Hey chaps. Presume you can do the same cook time for boneless short ribs?
I have the same question as Lance. If cooking from frozen do you have to sear before freezing and sealing? If not, can you just sear a chunk of frozen ribs? Seems like the meat would be too cold and drop the pan heat too much to sear effectively.
how do i go about warming this back up after its been in the fridge for a day.
Not an expert here, but I'd say your best bet is to warm them using sous vide with a temperature just slightly lower than the temp you chose to cook them.
Struggling with the measurements....I have changed the units for 4 people and it is saying 1kg of wine....isn’t that an extremely large amount
250g of wine is for 4 servings.
Can i try for 48 hours sous vide? What will be the difference?
@Kostas You can try 48 hours if you desire. The difference will be texture. The longer you cook it, the softer the meat will get. Eventually, it will become unpleasantly mushy.
@Roxanne Cote This recipe was already set up for 4 people. I'm guessing that you increased the recipe by 4, which would mean what you got was for 16 people. That is a relatively large amount, probably about a liter of wine.
@Humberto Jaime between 1.4 and 2.3 kg.
Im going to do a large amount of these for Memorial day. Thinking of searing them on the grill. Any disadvantages of doing that?
I bought some Safeway Swift Premium Dry Rubbed Whiskey Black Pepper St Louis Style Pork Spareribs. They come pre rubbed in a sealed bag. Can I sous vide them in there bag
ACK! why not answer in lbs and oz? for us math challenged people
Yes! You sear before cooking for a couple reasons. One, when I've done short rib cooks in the past, without the presear, you often get a bit of a funk on the meat. The smell isn't pleasant and I believe it interferes with the flavor. Searing kills any surface bacteria and reduces that funk considerably, searing also adds flavor to the meat. The way these are cooked you can't sear afterwards. So you're missing an important flavor component if you skip the sear.
I would like to amend this. Warm them _at_ the temp you cooked at. You can't do any harm. BUT.....you do not need to get anywhere that temp in this case: you have already cooked the ribs. You can serve meat at 50 C + and it will be delicious.If you have the bath at 75 Deg C and only want the food at 50-55, the process will be _heaps_ faster...maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the time.
To lose the funk (which does not always happen, I have never met it), you can actually drop the ribs in boiling water for like 30-40 seconds. Or you can (gasp) microwave the ribs for maybe a minute. Neither of these will cook the meat, but will soften the exterior and kill the bugs. Having warmed and softened the exterior, you can dry and pre-sear for extra flavour, in a HOT heavy-based pan. There IS a school (mine as well I reckon) of thought the pre-searing sous vide makes little difference to flavour. But it does colour the meat and you can't dothis with this recipe post-cook.
@BostonBestEats
Not confused, but wondering why if Sam thinks that store bought demi glace doesn't taste very good, why would he think a store bought broth would taste good?
Why would he want to flavor a beef dish with chicken stock?
Not really that complicated.
The "funky" odor allegedly comes from lactobacillus (although apparently some disagree with this), the same type of bacteria you find in cheese, yogurt, etc. This is why people sear meat before a long cook (say >8 hours) at low temperature, in an attempt to kill this bacteria.
However, that is not an issue in this recipe, since lactobacillus can't survive at the recommended temperatures of 158°F, 167F or 176°F. Now, if you had a funky smell to your meat before you cooked it, it is possible that might still be present after.
Here's the boiling technique Nick mentioned, but again it is not needed for this recipe:
https://stefangourmet.com/2017/11/01/how-to-prevent-a-bad-smell-with-long-and-low-sous-vide-cooks/
Personally never experience this, but this is what some claim.
Everyone loved this dish!
I did it part way at 167°F and the rest of the way at 176°F for a total of 18.5 hours (don't ask!). If you are doing 6-8 ribs, I recommend using a 9 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven or equivalent to sear and then make the sauce. Less of a mess than a skillet.
While sous vide cooking, it will off-gas and float some, so weight the bags down well.
After opening the bags, there was a fair bit of floating oil, so I spooned much of that off, plated the meat, and then blended the rest of the sauce before pouring around the meat. Served with asparagus & toasted almond carnaroli risotto prepared according to Eric Guido's recipe:
http://eat.snooth.com/articles/eric-guido-master-class-risotto/?viewall=1&fbclid=IwAR2En_SzF4OW8H1aMGVgV8Aqen5KSG1hRqA41ygUFsNKw610MONoQCaOUEQ
Paired with a 2007 Domaine de Saint Siffrein Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Because metric is easier. If you're having trouble, Google has a unit converter.
I de-boned the short ribs and followed the recipe. I cooked for 48 hrs. at 145 and these were the best short ribs ever! The texture of the meat was more like a tenderloin. The sauce was terrific. You might add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce if you want it a little sweeter. But the sous vide redefined short ribs. Yum!!!
Perfect @167/24hr. I will skim some fat off of the sauce and thicken slightly next time. I bought Prime cuts at Costco for this cook and they were tender and super moist - almost unbelievably moist. I've done pressure cooker short ribs as well as slow braised in the oven, the texture and juiciness cooked at 167/24 cannot be beat using any other method in my opinion. Nothing but polenta residue and bare bones left in the bowls.
Relative to bagging and possibility of leakage of water into the bag, I wonder if putting the food into the ziplock bag, then putting that into a dry bag (used to keep things dry when kayaking) would solve the problem. A clear plastic one lets you see the food. An example, but less expensive can be found. https://seatosummitusa.com/products/clear-stopper-dry-bag
An excellent meal. My wife hates short ribs but loved these!
A couple of suggestions:
1. Pour the liquid from the bag into a pan, reduce to a thick consistency and pour over the final dish.
2. Serve over large egg noodle or rice.
I see some people questioning, why sear the ribs before sous viding? I would have thought that normally as the ribs are braised in a pan usually, or oven dish, pre searing them adds to the taste as if cooked in the oven.
As to a lot of fat in the bag makes me think that you should trim as much fat off the ribs before bagging and after braising. If you season and flour the ribs before braising you will get thicker gravy. If you like it a bit sweeter, some rubs do have sugar in them, try a sweet (cream)sherry half and half with a good red as the liquid.
Something I gleaned from some comments today, is the cooking time. I have never yet cooked anything for 24 hours or 48. BUT I am prepared to do a cook off to see the difference. I will let you know. When I first saw some of the times I did wonder if it was for the whole beast? 😊
Serve with corn on the cob and a baked sweet potato with sour cream with chopped chives. Or thick unsweetened yoghurt. Yoghurt less fat than cream. Chopped sweet pickled cucumber tasty, added to cream or yoghurt. I prefer salad or fresh vegetables, steamed. If you want the yoghurt more thicker than normally, strain it through cheese cloth. More like cottage cheese. Keeps a couple of days in refridgerator if any left over. My grand boys prefer it. Cheers for now. MarthaMay
Green sheen is bacteria rotting the meat. Due to heat not high enough and cooked too long. What you have done is cultured bacteria. Searing could help, but you are travelling a dangerous road. Chicken and seafood you could be dead and the family. Good luck MM
Hello Tony,
I am butting in here as I always get a tad upset when people get put off cooking when someting goes wrong or not as we expect it to.
Cooking is no different with using tools for carpentry. Horses for courses.
I have an Anova, basic and the cheapest. But all the sous vide cooking is the same. Cooking in water bath.
It is important how you prepare.
Your comment on doing a steak not tasting anything like cooking it on a stove top or BBQ?
How did you prepare steak, raw in the bag with seasoning? Did you DRY the steak before seasoning and searing it before bagging. Whether you season or not, drying is important.
The meat is less likely to stew.
What was the temperature and for how long? This is where I take nothing for granted.
I use another thermometer to keep a check on the Anova temperature. Measure twice cut once.
If you sear the steak before sous viding, make sure your pan is very hot. I use a cast iron skillet.
Spray of canola oil. Not olive as it has a lower heat tolerance. Sear 1 minute each side.
Do not crowd the skillet it must be kept hot. If the steak has bone just the same. Onto paper towel and pan hot, do the other.
Your checking temperature of sous vide.
2. Quickly bag up the steaks, one or two bags but meat not touching.
3. Put into water bath, hang them or flat but not on top of each other.
And a cooking you go........
4. When done, put unopened bags into freezer 4 minutes.
As I will be double checking the heat with another thermometer.
I will always be cooking Anova a tad higher, bacteria!
Beef is more forgiving bacteria wise but still it does rot. If it is green do not use.
5. When you are ready to take steak out. I have but not all the time, double braised. NB..Remember this will burn so be quick, plate up and wipe out pan and start again with second one. Or have a larger pan. If you like garlic put a good dob of garlic butter on the cooked steak when on the warmed plate.
NB. Take note. Steak is sous vide, it will be warm, puting in the freezer is too stop/slow the cooking down and the quick fry is to reseal and heat outside. The steak is not be cooked again. Do not put in microwave.
Cooking is a life long learning lesson. Not right or what you want the first time. Have another go. You can freeze the steak after cooked but defrost leaving it in bag and defrost in fridge. BEFORE BRAISING 2ND TIME. Get steak in bag at room temperature before the frying pan cooking. PLEASE NOTE I DO NOT ADVISE THIS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING. We want to reheat but not burn or dry out the meat.
I hope I have given you a few helpful hints. Very hot pan to sear, dry the steak, donot leave cooked steak in freezer any more than 4 minutes
So I bought 3 pounds of bone in short ribs. How does that translate in this recipe?
Also, it is virtually impossible to sear them afterwards, since they are so tender and fall-off-the-bone.
A big advantage of this recipe is the high temp. Other low temp (<138°F) recipes risk bacterial growth, probably Lactobacillus spp, which can reportedly grow at higher temperatures than the food pathogens we worry about, and create a stinky (but not dangerous) result in long cooks. You can also avoid this by briefly boiling the vacuum-packed meat before sous vide cooking at a low temperature (pre-searing can work but is less reliable).
ChefSteps, you have a page of short videos that show the texture of short ribs cooked at differing temperatures, but it doesn't come up in a recipe search. Can you add it to this recipe for future reference? I can never remember where it is!
Voila:
https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/beef-short-ribs-your-way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5kQOQq7CuM&list=PLygL5wbJOvtKA2MN-Sq9K2VjXlcm9cB6q&index=2
Thats equal to about 3-5 lbs
wondering what the time and temp and any changes if im doing this with chuck instead. thanks
Hi Jason! I took a look in the joule app- the best place to find this info!- and looks like a rich and braisey texture for chuck roast would be 149°f for 24 hours.
A great technique for cooking the ribs. After braising I sous vide them in a blended sauce of ginger, garlic, roasted cumin seeds, Kashmiri chillies and hoisin sauce. It is always a great hit.
