I always just put them back on the grill for a bit. Smaller pieces heat through quickly.

FWIW my wife likes her beef blue. My business partner likes his very well done. He invited us over to his place this summer and BBQ'd some tenderloins. He placed one on the grill and asked how long it should be cooked for my wife. I said take it off it's done. He absolutely could not believe this and was afraid to do so. She assured him it was already done enough for her taste.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
OK, I'd like to add the nonsense about cutting a steak with a fork. In all these years I've never seen that or been able to. Never, even once. Ever wonder why even the better restaurants set places with knives, forks, and spoons? Those who say they can cut their steak with a fork probably haven't ever been to a better restaurant. Or tried to cut a steak with a fork. They're just repeating what they've heard others say. Try it sometime, you'll fail miserably.

Ok, for experimentation’s sake I just tried this... sorry rburg, but you are wrong-it certainly can be done.

I did a prime rib for Christmas (to be honest, a “Choice” rib). 20 hours at 132.5 degrees in the pot Sous Vide, then 15 minutes or so on 500 degree broil in the oven for the sear. Leftovers were sliced and put in the fridge.


After being in the fridge for 2 days, I just pulled out a slice for lunch and decided I would give it the “cut with a fork test”.

Pulled out a grilling pan, melted a big pat of butter and once the pan came up to temp I tossed the cold 3/4 inch thick slice of rib in the pan. Initially let it go about 1 minute on each side, then back and forth with another 30 seconds each side to put a seat on and get it to serving temperature.

Ended up being medium well BUT still moist and flavorful, also it EASILY cut with just a fork.


I think next year, just to be a ”food snob” I will not put knives at the place settings for Christmas dinner

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:

I sear after Sous vide, but my thought was for cooking to that temp searing first might help keep some of the juice in

Searing does not seal the juices into the meat. That's an old myth.

Braise a chuck roast till all that collagen and fat has melted. Technically well done but still delicious.

quote:

Originally posted by houndawg:

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:

I sear after Sous vide, but my thought was for cooking to that temp searing first might help keep some of the juice in

Searing does not seal the juices into the meat. That's an old myth.

From what I have read, I also think it is a myth - albeit one that almost everybody takes as gospel.

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

It absolutely can still dry out, the juice just ends up in the bag instead of evaporating away.

Check out the picture of how much juice was left in the bag cooking one steak each at three different temperatures (corresponding to very rare, medium, and well done).

I was speaking in a relative sense. Admittedly I have not Sous Vide a steak to medium-well or well, but if you put three similar streaks side by side, one pan cooked, one grilled, and one Sous Vide all cooked to 155 degrees, my bet is the Sous Vide will be the least “dry” of the bunch

Probably true... It would be kinda-sorta like a very low temp braise.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by houndawg:

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:

I sear after Sous vide, but my thought was for cooking to that temp searing first might help keep some of the juice in

Searing does not seal the juices into the meat. That's an old myth.

From what I have read, I also think it is a myth - albeit one that almost everybody takes as gospel.

You sear to get the Maillard reaction (aka caramelization). Not only does it give a more desirable texture, but it's also a chemical reaction between the meat's amino acids and your spices sugars. In other words, the Maillard reaction is transforming the meat's surface into something new and desirable.

Here is a debunking "seals in juices" article

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
In the interest of fairness and pleasing one's guests, can someone post a recipe/method for cooking a tasty, well done filet mignon? Of all the beef cooking methods I've ever seen on SIGforum, and there's been at least 20, I've not seen one for well done steak. Anytime I've cook a steal well done, it was by mistake and not enjoyable.

My wife has a friend who likes well done steak and I'd like to accommodate her as best I can.

Filet is the worst cut of meat to cook well done because it is the leanest cut there is so it turns the most dry and tasteless.

Well done meat doesn't have to be dry and tasteless - just look at barbecue brisket or braised short rib.

If you cook meat to well done quickly, it will be tough. You need to cook it a long time so the connective tissue breaks down. If you want to cook it a long time, you need a really fatty piece of meat (like brisket or short rib), or to keep it in a moist, flavorful environment while it cooks (like pot roast or any kind of braising or stew), or both.

Agree that filet is the worst cut of steak for well done and that starting with a fattier cut is best. However, trapper asked for a steak not a brisket or short rib. If I were cooking a well-done steak for someone I'd reverse sear a ribeye since it's not only fatty but has marbelized fat throughout (i.e. the opposite of NY Strip which has a fat cap and the rest is leaner). It wouldn't be much of a tweak (cook it 5 or 10F longer at 225F) on the medium-well reverse sear I posted about earlier.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
In the interest of fairness and pleasing one's guests, can someone post a recipe/method for cooking a tasty, well done filet mignon? Of all the beef cooking methods I've ever seen on SIGforum, and there's been at least 20, I've not seen one for well done steak. Anytime I've cook a steal well done, it was by mistake and not enjoyable.

My wife has a friend who likes well done steak and I'd like to accommodate her as best I can.

Filet is the worst cut of meat to cook well done because it is the leanest cut there is so it turns the most dry and tasteless.

Well done meat doesn't have to be dry and tasteless - just look at barbecue brisket or braised short rib.

If you cook meat to well done quickly, it will be tough. You need to cook it a long time so the connective tissue breaks down. If you want to cook it a long time, you need a really fatty piece of meat (like brisket or short rib), or to keep it in a moist, flavorful environment while it cooks (like pot roast or any kind of braising or stew), or both.

Agree that filet is the worst cut of steak for well done and that starting with a fattier cut is best. However, trapper asked for a steak not a brisket or short rib. If I were cooking a well-done steak for someone I'd reverse sear a ribeye since it's not only fatty but has marbelized fat throughout (i.e. the opposite of NY Strip which has a fat cap and the rest is leaner). It wouldn't be much of a tweak (cook it 5 or 10F longer at 225F) on the medium-well reverse sear I posted about earlier.

You're right, and I didn't really mean he should serve someone short rib when they ask for well-done steak. I was just using brisket and short rib as extreme examples of what makes for cuts that can stand up to being cooked really well done (barbecue brisket often reaches an internal temp over 200, I'm sure braised short rib does, too). I just never quite circled back to "pick a fatty steak and cook it for (relatively) a long time at a low temperature."

So here's an idea for sous vide cookers and steaks only, not roast. If you are going to make a well done one just pull all except the well done ones, crank up temp on sous vide (my ANOVA heats really quickly) and then wait 15 minutes. The Med-rare ones will stay warm, especially if you pile them up to retain mass/heat. Then simply sear as you would normally.

This should also work for reverse sear as well. Just leave the well ones on the grill as it's heating up for a extra 5-7 minutes, then pull and rest with the med-rare ones while the grill continues to reach searing temps.

Either of the scenarios I imagine would bring the well temps for the least amount of time possible, which in theory would leave the most juices intact.

Just me spitballing, but it makes sense in my mind.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
So here's an idea for sous vide cookers and steaks only, not roast. If you are going to make a well done one just pull all except the well done ones, crank up temp on sous vide (my ANOVA heats really quickly) and then wait 15 minutes. The Med-rare ones will stay warm, especially if you pile them up to retain mass/heat. Then simply sear as you would normally.

This should also work for reverse sear as well. Just leave the well ones on the grill as it's heating up for a extra 5-7 minutes, then pull and rest with the med-rare ones while the grill continues to reach searing temps.

Either of the scenarios I imagine would bring the well temps for the least amount of time possible, which in theory would leave the most juices intact.

Just me spitballing, but it makes sense in my mind.

The usual sous vide approach for this kind of thing is to do the higher temperature items first then leave them in the water to stay warm while you reduce temp for the next items. You can do a whole meal with three or four different cooking temps easily this way (just make sure total time at 130 or below is no more than a couple hours).