I got the Joule Turbo for Christmas and I’ve been excited to try it out. However, my first two cooks have disappointed me: long cooks with pork belly and beef short ribs both came out pretty tough.
For the pork belly I followed Hugh Acheson’s recipe (soy sauce, fish sauce, and garlic) and did 171F for 12 hours (ended up being more like 14 hours), a 10 hour rest in the fridge, then pan sear to crispy on all sides. The flavor wasn’t much to speak of, but more importantly I thought the meaty part of the belly was somewhat tough.
For the beef short ribs I did the ChefSteps “indoor barbecue” recipe with a “luscious and juicy” option, meaning 158F for 12 hours. I seared the meat on the grill for a few minutes directly after cooking. 4 hours before the cook I salted the ribs with smoked salt, then used watered down bbq sauce in the bag for the cook. The flavor was great, but the ribs were tough.
What gives? To me the appeal of the sous vide is precision and repeatability. I was expecting tender results. Can someone help me troubleshoot this?
by Available-Tap8018
48 Comments
Blame your technique/recipe not the food.
Do you have something you could check the temperature with? Like set it to 150 and make sure the water bath is at 150 when it says so?
177 is pretty on the high side for pork belly, most recommendations I’ve seen are 155-170, favoring the lower end if you want “melt in your mouth” texture.
As with other methods for cooking meats, different sous vide temperatures will produce different textures of meat.
That being said, I don’t think sous vide is the best method for all meat cuts. I think it really shines with lean proteins like fish and filet. Fatty cuts like pork shoulder/belly and well marbled beef IMO are better using the “low and slow” cooking method (eg 200 degree oven for multiple hours) or braising (as mentioned elsewhere in this thread).
12 hours seems short for short ribs. I’ve done 48 and 72 and they’ve come out great. But, if I’m being honest, it’s never been as good as just braised short ribs.
12 hours is way too short for short ribs.
12 hours is not enough for short ribs. Try 36-48 hours (or at least 24).
Pork belly i have never tried but 171 is in the overcooked territory.
I would have done at like 140 for both for 36 hours.
I’m fairly new to sous vide but wouldn’t something very fatty like pork belly be a bad choice for this method? I would think braising would be a better choice to render the fat.
Recipes are reproducible if you are using meat from the same animal. If you don’t like the result, adjust the time/temp.
On the ChefSteps website for short rib they recommend 158°F for 24 hr not 12 hrs. (Actually they say they prefer 167°F x 24h.) This is one of their classic recipes IMO.
Actually, 11 years ago they posted a series of videos that compare short rib cooked at different times/temps, which is interesting, but every cut of meat is a bit different so YYMV:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5kQOQq7CuM&list=PLygL5wbJOvtKA2MN-Sq9K2VjXlcm9cB6q&index=3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5kQOQq7CuM&list=PLygL5wbJOvtKA2MN-Sq9K2VjXlcm9cB6q&index=3)
As others have said, simply not long enough. I just did a chuck roast for 40 hours…I’m thinking for short ribs you need to double the time, at least.
158* short ribs need 16-24 hours minimum. 170* x 10h should be ok for pork belly. Maybe you seared it too long and overcooked it in the end. Or it was a bad piece of meat.
Those ribs make me sad.
Short ribs deserve to be cooked better than in a sous vide.
What did you sous vide them in? Vac sealed bag? Zip lock? Silicone bags? Or just in the water with the circulator?
That detail is missing from your story and it would help out here.
Never tried short ribs sous vide but I’ve braised them and they have been incredible. I might be wrong but I suspect sous vide isn’t the best way of cooking this cut.
I cook in the bag with only salt and pepper, no sauces. Liquids get weird after 48 hour cook times. You can brown/ sauce after it’s done in the sous vide.
I do short ribs for 48 hours.
Sear, sous vide, ice bath, finish in the oven brushing with a red wine reduction until back to temp.
[The results](https://imgur.com/a/zYjCfPI) are very hard to argue with.
Edit to add: [Here is the recipe.](https://recipekeeperonline.com/recipe/Iv1UUTofU0GYjjz3a2VWSA)
Indoor bbq are for pork ribs. Beef short ribs are a different beast. I think you wanted https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/beef-short-ribs-your-way
145F for at least 24hr. At 48hrs, they’re amazing.
I’ve done 48 and 72 hour short ribs. Prefer the 48.
As a general rule, I’d avoid any presets or app recipes. I used to use Anova’s app and the results were not usually great.
I’d recommend checking out H Woo’s recipe for SV short ribs if you like a very tender steak texture or try Josh Weissman’s 72 hour SV short ribs for a more braised texture.
I haven’t done SV pork belly in a long time so I can’t point to any recipes but I’m really surprised that 171 for 12 hours didn’t yield something more tender.
If you are just getting into sous vide, I think you test out simpler things first. It really does help get a feel. Many people started with steaks, and i did too. Abd, they were great. But that was 15 years ago, and decent steak was cheaper.
Start with double cut pork chops, pork loin and chicken breast. You will be blown away at what you can achieve in about 2 to 4 hours. The repeatability is amazing. Learn to sear with the cheaper cuts.
There are plenty of places to start, here is one, and unfortunately, they aren’t what they used to be but Serious Eats has plenty of good tips. Search out Kenji.
I would recommend not starting with long cooks personally. Dont fret, you will get there really quickly. But learn the basics first.
You’ll get the hang of it! You know what went wrong, and can easily fix it. There’s a lot of different things to do sous vide, so try something different next time, like mashed potatoes, or yogurt, or pasteurized eggs.
just get a pork tenderloin and you’ll regain the spirit as it’s quick, easy and the result is insane
17 hours is not the correct time.
It’s 48 hours at 140F. I just made a short rib this week at that time and temperature and it was incredible
For tender, steak-like beef short ribs, sous vide at 131°F to 144°F for 24 to 36 hours. For a traditional braised texture, cook at 165°F to 176°F for 18 to 24 hours. For fall-apart, shreddable ribs, sous vide at 185°F to 194°F for 12 to 18 hours.
Pick better recipes. Kenji will steer you right
Pork Belly 149 for 36 hours, short ribs 144 for 72 hours. Per Modernist Cuisine.
Seems like you’re trying some pretty difficult items for being a beginner. Id recommend just starting with something easy like steak, a good sous vide ribeye is amazing. Took me 4-6 cooks to figure out the best way to do it.
Also, as others have said, sous vide is not always the best option for everything.
Neither of those cook times are anywhere near long enough.
Honestly feel the same way about tougher cuts of meat. Better to just braise for a few hours in the oven, IMHO.
Do 165 for 24 hours and don’t add any salt or seasonings. I’ve done this specific cut and ruined it first the around and then did well on the second round. Once you take it out, throw it in the oven for a nice sear and some butter + kosher salt to get it glazed up a bit. I personally use Hardcore Carnivore seasoning (the charcoal black one) for most of my beef cuts. But a little salt and pepper is fine too. Just don’t use regular table salt.
Beef ribs need to be like 203 internal for maximum tenderness. They’re better off braised or in a slow cooker to absorb flavour . Or even better a smoker. But it is a slow long cook, and it’s all about the internal temp rendering the fat.
Pork belly is so fatty you can’t really over cook it. But you can definitely under cook it. Non rendered fat is chewy!
You didn’t cook it at high enough temp or long enough on the pork belly, and I forgot the stats for the short rib, but like to do 24 hours on the belly, at 190-200F.
It makes sense it was tough. That’s like if you were to cook chicken legs/thighs to 165F, yeah they’re technically cooked, but they aren’t enjoyable to eat.
Yeah short rubs are way low too. So they’re “fall off the bone” at 200F. I’d try again at 190 and see what you think before ditching the sous vide machine.
For really tough cuts like short rib try lower temp for much longer like 145 for 36 hours
Would say lower temp and longer time for sure! Don’t think I’ve ever had mine above about 140 now that I think about it
you know its not done cuz the collagen isnt melted
Don’t give up. Your times need adjusted a bit. It’s worth it just keep trying. Pork Loin at 139 will build your confidence.
180°F/4hours should get you very tender short ribs with just enough bite.
Sous vide isn’t always the best option.
Braise these for a few hours. It’s faster, and IMO, better flavour.
I just did short ribs for 44 hrs @ 142 and they came out as tender as filet. Sorry, not the greatest photo.
https://preview.redd.it/4b1efcrpcx9e1.jpeg?width=2248&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5807a38c8da24c79354585b107792249a227d3e5
At that temperature you need to be giving it more time. Personally I don’t think sous vide is really worth it for a cut like that. You want to do short ribs low and slow anyway so you might as well just braise.
I’d generally only sous vide if its a larger piece of meat that I want to sear hard and reliably have it medium rare, like a rolled lamb leg, a pichana, big ribeye or a tomahawk steak.
Tough cuts are better braised or pressure cooked imo
I’m not a big fan of sous vide for cuts that need braising .
I think you need better recipes brother.
Instant Pot pressure cooker short ribs. Don’t sous vide them if you don’t have forever. IMHO. Season them up however you like, salt & pepper or maybe a nice rib rub. Cook for 70-90 minutes (depending on size and thickness) and do a slooow release resting for 30 minutes. Like buttah. I smoke pork belly on the Weber using a slow’n’sear. I have been wanting to try a char siu pork shoulder in the sous vide. To me it has to save me time and trouble, not make it worse.
I’ve done melt in your mouth short ribs with sous vide at least 6 or 7 times. 165f, 24 hrs, put a little braising liquid of your choice in the bag(s) (1-2 tbs per short rib). Reduce the braising liquid and meat juices after sous vide is done. Coat ribs with the reduction and finish under the broiler for a few minutes until caramelization starts happening. It will be delicious.
One thing that has been game changing for me is I stopped putting anything in the bag, no salt, no pepper, no butter, nothing. Texture has been so much better, and I am surprised it isn’t mentioned more often. All these have their own issues and the issues get more pronounced over a long cook. I think salt is the most common offender. You basically end up with corned beef texture when you salt the ribs and cook for 48h in basically a salt bath. Pulls out a ton of the water and even if soft, the meat isn’t moist. Compare your cooks with and without salt and see how much water is in the bag at the end of the cook.
Braising short ribs will be better, plus you can reduce the cooking liquid. Brown them, add veg and aromatics, cover with stock/water/wine/ whatever you want, cover, 4-5 hrs at 130°c, done. No need to wait 2 days 😂 Sous vide is excellent for lots of other things.
The short ribs on too low 185f 85c 12 hours