Should I sear meat which is cooked sous vide before it goes in the bag, or after?
After reading the beer cooler sous vide hack, I'm tempted to try it probably with duck, but maybe with steak.
Should I sear my duck/steak first before I put it in the bag, or afterwards, and why? Or does it not make a difference?
Best Answer
After a bit of googling, I found this which suggests that searing twice (both before and after) might be preferable.
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Quick Answer about "Should I sear meat which is cooked sous vide before it goes in the bag, or after?"
If you want good flavor and crust on your food, you will always want to sear it when it is done cooking. Even if you do a pre-sear, the crust itself will go away and can only be established by searing it after the sous vide process is over.Do you sear meat before or after sous vide?
In the kitchen, you have to produce flavor, and then lock in that flavor. This is why we sear the meat before cooking sous vide. During the cooking process, the flavors are enhanced and reach the core of the steak. Finally, the flavor is secured in the meat during the chilling process.Do I need to sear immediately after sous vide?
sear the steak right away without chilling if seared for a short time (30 seconds or less per side) AND you cook it sous vide a few degrees lower than the doneness you want. if the steak has been chilled completely after sous vide cooking, it can be finished and reach a proper serving temperature just by searing.Can you wait to sear steak after sous vide?
The best thing to do is actually to wait some time between sous vide cooking and searing in order to improve the sear and preserve the doneness.Should I refrigerate sous vide steak before searing?
Chilling the food before searing it can remedy this situation and allow you much longer sears. Even chilling the meat for just a few minutes lowers the outside temperature of the meat enough to give you an extra minute or two of searing, leading to a better crust and less of a chance of overcooking.More answers regarding should I sear meat which is cooked sous vide before it goes in the bag, or after?
Answer 2
I have seen it done both ways. I prefer mine seared after it has cooked to preserve the crispness of the sear. If you sear first then sous-vide the crispness will be gone from the crust. This is really apparent with steaks.
Answer 3
I prefer to sear it after. You get a decent additional taste from the Maillard reaction regardless of whether you do it before or after. However, even though your steak isn't directly in contact with the water, it will shed juices during the cooking process. If you sear first, then the meat sits in it's own juices. This means that the sear isn't crunchy when you're ready to eat. I personally like the texture difference enough to sear only after I've cooked it sous vide.
Searing after will also help your presentation. Meat doesn't always look particularly appetizing when it comes out of the sous vide. Throwing a sear on makes it look much better.
Answer 4
I sear before and after.
I blow torch the meat before putting it into the bags. The flame is very hot (around 1.500C) and only affects the surface, it does not cook the meat. This kills any bacteria you might have on the surface of your cut before bagging it.
I do my steaks (filet or entrecote) at 50-52C, which is still in the danger zone. 55C and enough time kills most germs, though I tend to find that just a little too medium for my taste. I take the bags out just before serving, pat dry and sear quickly over high heat in a cast iron skillet. Usually 30s per side flipping every 15 seconds in order not to cook the meat much further.
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