Sous-Vide and Pre-Searing. Philosophical or Ideological?
(OP-2017) For the most part, the internet is filled with conjecture and slanted opinions. However, some sites offer credible sound information, but they're in the minority, and what they do cover is nanoscopic. On the other hand, I have always been long-winded and detailed when telling a story; it's going to take a while. When people hear me say "To Make A Long Story Short," They know I am lying.
Searching the internet for answers will abound you with a plethora of opinions and suppositions. Not unlike what I am going to do here, but hopefully with a little less bias and more introspection. Is this complicated? Nope, but having all the facts (as I see them..LOL) will help you decide what is best for you. Do I have all the answers? Nah..do I have a lot of ideas and opinions? Most definitely.
So what is a pre-sear as it pertains to Sous-Vide-Processed Proteins? I'll attempt to answer this with the understanding that this is not the end-all. Before Sous-Vide-Processing, the Protein is Seared in a Hot-Skillet to create a Browning Crust, aka Maillard Reaction. Albeit, can't you do this after the Sous-Vide-Process (Post-Sear)? Yes, you can, and we will cover this in a bit, so keep reading.
The infamous Maillard Reaction is a miraculous creation that occurs when amino acids and reducing sugars combine to turn brown and give way to some crazy intense flavor.
Note: Generally speaking, the Pre-Sear is reserved for all proteins except chicken and fish.
Can you create the same flavor Profile after the Sous-Vide-Process known as Post-Sear? Yes, you can, but there are advantages to doing it before. Do I sound bias yet? I hope not. And there's an upside to doing the Sear Post SV only too. But, as you can tell, I am not biased, so let's move on.
Schools of thought- What do most people do? I'll attempt to outline what I believe is the general practice. After this brief description, I'll describe some additional techniques.
Searching the internet for answers will abound you with a plethora of opinions and suppositions. Not unlike what I am going to do here, but hopefully with a little less bias and more introspection. Is this complicated? Nope, but having all the facts (as I see them..LOL) will help you decide what is best for you. Do I have all the answers? Nah..do I have a lot of ideas and opinions? Most definitely.
The infamous Maillard Reaction is a miraculous creation that occurs when amino acids and reducing sugars combine to turn brown and give way to some crazy intense flavor.
Note: Generally speaking, the Pre-Sear is reserved for all proteins except chicken and fish.
Can you create the same flavor Profile after the Sous-Vide-Process known as Post-Sear? Yes, you can, but there are advantages to doing it before. Do I sound bias yet? I hope not. And there's an upside to doing the Sear Post SV only too. But, as you can tell, I am not biased, so let's move on.
Schools of thought- What do most people do? I'll attempt to outline what I believe is the general practice. After this brief description, I'll describe some additional techniques.
1- Searing in two stages. First, a Pre-Sear to begin the Maillard Reaction. Post Sear after the Sous-Vide-Process. This allows a shorter Post-Sear (Time to Sear) because of the Pre-Sear.
1A- The Pre-Maillard-Surface Reaction will create a deeper more intense flavor profile and set the protein structure.
2- Pre-Sear only- Most people do a double sear, but some just do a pre-sear on occasion. In my Oxtail recipe, along with several other methods, a Pre-Sear is only required.
3- Post-Sear Only- As written..... After the Sous-Vide-Process, a single sear is done. Obviously takes longer than the 2 stage version.
3- Post-Sear Only- As written..... After the Sous-Vide-Process, a single sear is done. Obviously takes longer than the 2 stage version.
Evaluating and Discussing the Attributes of all three
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Searing in two stages (Pre/Post) Benefits
1- Kills Surface Bacteria- Very True. And IMO a prerequisite to Mechanically Tenderized Meat unless, of course, you pasteurize during the Sous-Vide-Process.
2- Enhances the Maillard Reaction
3- Searing the protein before the SV-Process while extremely cold (Freezer for 30-45 minutes) will reduce the time needed in the Post-Sear, mitigating the possibility of overcooking.
4- If the meat is very cold, you can sear the sides, which will melt and render the surface fat, which is often overlooked during the Post-Sear. If you have a very fatty steak, this will help significantly.
5- Less Moisture Loss - Time spent to Post-Sear is minimized, and the accumulation of juices, aka purge in the bag, is reduced. Obviously, during the Pre-Sear, some juices and fat were liberated, reducing the moisture in the bag.
Note: IMO, I like using a heavy-duty pan and not a BBQ-Grill to Pre-Sear. A pan will sear the entire surface, guaranteeing an enhanced Maillard Reaction. For the Post-Sear, use whatever you want. If you like those fancy grill marks, use a BBQ-Grill.
Post-Sear-Only Benefits
1- Fewer Steps
For those of us that Dry Brine- SOP-Dry-Brine with Salt and place in Vac Bag for "Y" hrs than Sous-Vide-Process as usual.
What are the Cons to Post-Sear-Only?
1-None that you can quantify provided you use proper techniques to avoid overcooking.
2- Surface Bacteria will not be killed.
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Let's discuss a little about the different methods outlined above.
Pre-Sear will Kill Surface Bacteria. Not a huge issue unless you mechanically tenderized the protein. Or if you just don't care. But here's a caveat to that statement too. If you SV-Process to Pasteruze, this generally becomes moot.
The other issue is Lactobacillus bloom or other bacterias that can be lurking (not proven scientifically yet, so I am still skeptical). Have you ever had a bag float because of gas development? How about any nasty smells? This has only happened to me once in the hundreds of proteins I have cooked.
Even if you pasteurize the protein, it can still happen. Lactobacillus dies at 138f, so you could surmise that cooking above this temp could resolve any issues. But, nope.... you may yet have problems because of other surface bacteria present. The one time it happened to me was with Lamb Shanks cooking at 167f.
All bacteria occur at the surface of the meat and will replicate in haste at certain temps. The byproduct, of course, is gas, organic compounds, and bad smells. This will fill the bags with gas, and they will float. Floating bags or puffy bags means even heating of the protein will not happen and will most likely result in bacteria proliferation. So if you Pre-Sear the entire surface (even the sides) of the protein, you could reduce the chance of this occurring. If you don't want to Pre-Sear the protein, a quick dip in boiling water or touching the surface/sides will suffice.
Note: I love the Serazall for this application. Let's not forget those nachos either.
That being said, I wish some food scientists would write an article addressing these issues with Sous-Vide-Processed food. But, unfortunately, everything I have read online is conjecture and nothing more.
So the shared understanding by many- A Pre-Sear will reduce the time needed to Post-Sear, minimizing overcooking.
Although the part about a reduced Post-Sear is correct, you can also prevent overcooking provided you shock briefly before you do a Post-Sear. Whether using a 2 stage (Pre/Post-Sear) or a single-stage (Post-Sear) cooking method, a quick shock will help both cases. Shocking can be as simple as a rest on the counter or an ice bath. To shock or not to shock?
Let's recap just a bit...If I chose to use the one-stage method (Post-Sear), I would shock the protein preventing overcooking. So the idea of avoiding overcooking with the 2 stage method becomes moot.
What are the Cons to Pre-Sear?
1- Extra steps
2- If you don't Chill the meat very well (freezer for 30-45 minutes if not longer), the Pre-Sear benefits I outlined above become almost moot.
3- Pre-Planning
4- Extra steps for those of us that like to Dry-Brine meat.
SOP -Dry-Brine with Salt and place in container for "Y" hrs. After the elapsed time, place protein in the freezer for "X" time, then Pre-Sear, Place back in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to cool Rapidly, Vac Seal than Sous-Vide Process as usual.
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Pre-Sear-Only
1- One-step
Note- Usually reserved for proteins that have been traditionally braised but need a good sear to develop flavors that will continue to grow in the Sous-Vide-Process. I.e., Oxtail, Beef Stews, etc.
What are the Cons to a Pre-Sear-Only?
NONE- If you are doing this for something that would have been braised, as indicated in the above note.
Crazy Talk- Eliminating the Post-Sear is just crazy talk (except as noted above). During the SV-Process, the surface area has softened a bit and needs the extra step of a Post-Sear to tighten up the surface and create a better browned crusty texture.
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Pre-Sear-Only
1- One-step
Note- Usually reserved for proteins that have been traditionally braised but need a good sear to develop flavors that will continue to grow in the Sous-Vide-Process. I.e., Oxtail, Beef Stews, etc.
What are the Cons to a Pre-Sear-Only?
NONE- If you are doing this for something that would have been braised, as indicated in the above note.
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
1- Fewer Steps
For those of us that Dry Brine- SOP-Dry-Brine with Salt and place in Vac Bag for "Y" hrs than Sous-Vide-Process as usual.
What are the Cons to Post-Sear-Only?
1-None that you can quantify provided you use proper techniques to avoid overcooking.
2- Surface Bacteria will not be killed.
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
Let's discuss a little about the different methods outlined above.
Pre-Sear will Kill Surface Bacteria. Not a huge issue unless you mechanically tenderized the protein. Or if you just don't care. But here's a caveat to that statement too. If you SV-Process to Pasteruze, this generally becomes moot.
The other issue is Lactobacillus bloom or other bacterias that can be lurking (not proven scientifically yet, so I am still skeptical). Have you ever had a bag float because of gas development? How about any nasty smells? This has only happened to me once in the hundreds of proteins I have cooked.
Even if you pasteurize the protein, it can still happen. Lactobacillus dies at 138f, so you could surmise that cooking above this temp could resolve any issues. But, nope.... you may yet have problems because of other surface bacteria present. The one time it happened to me was with Lamb Shanks cooking at 167f.
All bacteria occur at the surface of the meat and will replicate in haste at certain temps. The byproduct, of course, is gas, organic compounds, and bad smells. This will fill the bags with gas, and they will float. Floating bags or puffy bags means even heating of the protein will not happen and will most likely result in bacteria proliferation. So if you Pre-Sear the entire surface (even the sides) of the protein, you could reduce the chance of this occurring. If you don't want to Pre-Sear the protein, a quick dip in boiling water or touching the surface/sides will suffice.
Note: I love the Serazall for this application. Let's not forget those nachos either.
That being said, I wish some food scientists would write an article addressing these issues with Sous-Vide-Processed food. But, unfortunately, everything I have read online is conjecture and nothing more.
So the shared understanding by many- A Pre-Sear will reduce the time needed to Post-Sear, minimizing overcooking.
Although the part about a reduced Post-Sear is correct, you can also prevent overcooking provided you shock briefly before you do a Post-Sear. Whether using a 2 stage (Pre/Post-Sear) or a single-stage (Post-Sear) cooking method, a quick shock will help both cases. Shocking can be as simple as a rest on the counter or an ice bath. To shock or not to shock?
Let's recap just a bit...If I chose to use the one-stage method (Post-Sear), I would shock the protein preventing overcooking. So the idea of avoiding overcooking with the 2 stage method becomes moot.
In the end, you have to chose what is best for you.
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