[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by scho63

I also imagined cooking a steak or other types of red meat via sous vide method would boil the meat and not break down the fat like grilling.

How did it compare to grilled or oven cooked and also the tender-tough factor?

Well, sous vide isn't boiling. It cooks in fat and its own juices, contained within a bag. The fat absolutely softens and some renders, then when you sear, you can caramelize the fat and soften more.

I enjoy sous vide a lot, but IMO chicken and pork is where it really shines. Steak is good, but I'd just as soon have a cast iron roasted or grilled steak. But I'll take chicken or pork sous vide over any other way 9 times out of 10. You can cook to lower temperatures while being safe, so medium rare pork or chicken at 145 degrees is so tender and juicy. (Medium rare chicken, while safe, has an off-putting texture.)

If you give it some time, the tenderness is very good. I usually give my proteins anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. Around 8, the proteins in smaller cuts start to denature and get mushy.

But with 4-6 hours, it can be great. I've made sirloin sous vide that would kick the crap out of any filet mignon you've had. The sirloin has superior flavor anyway, but with the filet you get tenderness. With sous vide, you get the sirloin flavor and the filet tenderness; it's outstanding.