I had being using sous vide and my trusted copper pan for steak for quite some time after my HOA banned all charcoal firing and I felt quite content with what I got. But ever since I moved and can start grilling again, I started to realize what’s being missing in the sous vide steak: the flavor. The charcoal grilling flavor is irreplaceable, and a good “grey band” actually helps to bring out the flavor and serve as a contrast in texture with the inner part.
And also the so called reversed sear method do exist to do “sous vide” in kettles but after trying that out years ago I have to say it missed the point as well. The flavor of rendered fat dripping on charcoal can only be archived by grilling on charcoal normally.
Of course I agree sous vide will still be a good method for the fillet, but for fattier cuts, especially the ones with a fat cap, charcoal grilling is hard to beat.
by JKer11
41 Comments
Am I too late? 10/10!
Beautiful
Agreed, sous vide isn’t nearly as necessary as it’s made out to be.
Call sous vide for what it is: food slow boiled in a plastic bag.
> and a good “grey band” actually helps to bring out the flavor and serve as a contrast in texture with the inner part.
Personally I prefer a reverse sear then finished in a pan, but I agree here that folks are often way too hard on grey band acting like it has somehow been ruined. I can make a steak without a grey band, but honestly it doesn’t really matter much especially with thicker cuts. As you pointed out, it makes for a nice contrast and it seems bizarre to me that people celebrate the crust then curse the grey band.
Grill, sous-vide, cast iron pan, instant pot, dutch oven, are all just tools that you can use to cook food. some of them are better tools for certain situations, but the quality of the ingredients and the competence of the person using them is way more important imho.
People have been grilling meats over heat for millions of years, its hard to argue with that kind of history.
Oh dude absolutely is that even a debate?
What about both?
But only on days that end in “Y”…
I do sous vide because I’m bad at cooking. If I had any talent, or the interest in prep and clean up, I would definitely be team charcoal.
Jesus fuck HOA’s
Personal Opinion: Sous vide is how shitty cooks find legitimacy. Same opinions on any smoker that does all the guess work for you. None of it makes you a good cook, but instead skilled at following directions. It’s like culinary paint by number.
I sous vided and charcoal cooked steaks and ate side by side. The difference was 100% noticeable and so much better on the coals
The added flavor profile from direct heat is not to be wasted
I need this 😍
Sometimes I feel like cooking my steak sous vide. Sometimes I like to grill over charcoal and wood. Neither is necessarily better for me, it’s just what I’m in the mood for.
Those are not mutually exclusive methods to cook a steak.
You can sous video and then sear over a grill.
Why not both? My favorite way to do steak, especially a bigger cut, is to sous vide and then get a chimney starter of charcoal going for pretty much an instant sear and some extra flavor.
I read somewhere that there is actually science behind charcoal flavour being superior. Besides the mailard reaction, the smoke from the charcoal has compounds like guaiacol that penetrate the meat at moment of sweating. Some of the best beef pork and lamb I’ve eaten around the world is on charcoal. And especially rotisseries. Done right
I sous vide and then sear on charcoal
The best way to cook a steak is the way that makes it the best for your preference in the amount of time you want to spend cooking.
While I completely agree with you, these are not the pictures to convince others of that fact.
Reverse sear on a Weber is the way to go. Welcome back into the fold.
Totally agree! My girlfriend changed my mind on this. I’ve made it in the past for friends and family but now twice for her and both times she explained how she didn’t love it and prefers straight up charcoal grill which is what we normally do.
Not only do you get the crust and char flavor (which technically you can still get with sous vide at least to some degree), we actually like having the inconsistency in doneness and texture from middle out as you mention. Sous vide can be “mushy”.
Smoked Reverse sear is best
What cut of meat is that if you don’t mind?
sous vide has a lot of other stuff its really good at. i mainly use it to par-cook stuff
Looks delicious and mouth watering 😋
I agree. The texture is different to me and always prefer cooking over fire
I actually did a little test last Christmas. I had a get together and bought 2 rib roasts to cook. One, I did in the oven and finished on the grill. The other, I cooked sous vide then finished on the grill.
I found that the sous vide roast was much juicier and had a more mild flavor. The oven roasted had a much beefier flavor and a better sear. I thought it got a more smoky flavor as well.
The sous vide was the crowd favorite, but personally I much preferred the flavor of the oven roasted.
The next time I make one, I will probably do it all on the grill. Get the indirect side going with some lump charcoal and maybe a few chunks of hickory
I like to sousvide and finish with a charcoal. Or just plain ole reverse sear it. Whatever I’m feeling like that day. Variance is the key to happy life for me
Personal opinion is correct opinion. Nothing beats cooking over coals when you’re actually genuinely good at it.
Boom.
I believe that’s the same reason a charcoal smoker will always produce a better result than an electric smoker. It just is not the same thing.
Sous vide with charcoal finish is the way to go.
Just wait until you try both. Sous vide for sure and there’s two ways of building the charcoal. #1 you can build a two zone and sear in 1 and warm in the 2nd. The best way, CHIMNEY STARTER. Place the coal grate on top of the chimney starter and sear the shit out of it. Sous vide at 137 to render fat, place in the freezer for 30 minutes or on top of ice in the cooler. Pat dry and re-season.
100% agreed.
The thing is, you need skill to cook it perfectly using just charcoal. So for people that don’t have the skill and won’t want to spend the time and money (and sadness on ruined steaks) developing that skill, I totally understand them wanting to use something like sous vide. Go for it. It’s way easier and super consistent.
But don’t try to tell me sous vide is better for steaks. If you are skilled at cooking steak, cooking without sous vide tastes better every single time.
Fuckkkkkk
Sir, for legal reasons I need your exact location
This is not a personal opinion, it’s just straight facts. At the very least taking only the flavor into consideration, charcoal is undefeatable. Sure you could make some other arguments which would hold some water, but at the end of the day the only thing that really matters with food is the flavor. Charcoal is god tier with very few things even coming close.
100% agree. I use sous vide only for whole fillet now. Locks in the flavour in very lean meat. But fattier cuts do better with care and charcoal.