Simple Truth (Kroger) strip steaks. Not much marbling. 129 for 2 hours, quick pop in the fridge and then seared in a hot skillet with butter baste.
Tough AF. Tasted well above medium rare despite how pink it looks.
What the hell? This hasn’t happened to me before. 129 shouldn’t have overcooked it. Maybe just a tough cut of meat?
by darwinDMG08
13 Comments
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I’ve had same experience with steaks so far. They LOOK great, but taste just okay. Nothing compared to my grilled — or even pan fried— steaks.
Meanwhile, my sous vide pork tenderloin rocks.
My guess is lack of marbling, or quality of the beef. Just commenting so I can come back for a better answer though lol.
Because you’re using low quality meat. It’s Kroger and you said you’re self low marbling, that’s bad. Go to your local butcher that sources their meat from local farms, you get what you pay for.
My experience with tough steak. I do choice tri-tip on a regular basis.
– 2 tsps of Diamond Sea salt per pound rubbed on the outside.
– 24 hrs at 131.
Then do your finish on it.
I may be wrong, but I don’t think 129 for two hours is sufficient to break down the chompy bits into nummie bits.
For the leaner/cheap cuts, I do 55C/131F for about 4 hours). So far so good.
Likely ungraded beef that could have been an old dairy cow. At a grocery store at least get select or choice. Or SV to mush in 5 hours.
Pineapple juice marinate then sous vide for 2 hours.
I’m in Mexico. Lower quality beef is prevalent. I’ve noticed I have to sous vide for about 80% less time than a good cut as there isn’t as much fat to marble.
It’s just a quality thing. If you really want to save money, go out and find and splurge on a wagyu cut. That sets the bar so f’n high you won’t piss away money on cheap stuff.
It matters how you slice it. Even the most tender steak on the planet would be a bit chewy when it is sliced wrong. Always cut across the grain for maximum tenderness.
If it is tough going in, it will need a lot of time. Cheaper steaks won’t magically become tender in a few hours.