# Ask the person with the Sous Vide Supreme **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332 "2010-04-16T12:50:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332/61 "2014-06-06T05:00:52Z")
I’ve also [built my own SV controller](http://www.instructables.com/id/Sous-Vide-temperature-controller-for-50-100/) and it works great. I’ve used it to cook for 12 people or just myself. Fenris, there are two things that I’ve made that have a high “coolness” factor and they are both easy with SV provided you plan ahead: 1. 60-hour chuck roast. Buy the absolute cheapest piece of beef you can find (chuck is best) and cook it for 2-3 days between 140-160 degrees. I cook mine at 141.8 (61C). It breaks down the meat until it’s tender and it has more flavor than filet. You can serve it like a steak but if you slice it thin it makes amazing RB sandwiches. 2. Duck confit. This always impresses and it’s almost idiot proof. At the simplest, salt+pepper some duck legs and drop one or two in a bag with 2 tbsp of duck fat (I also throw in a small amount of MSG). Cook for 8-9 hours at 180-190 degrees. Gently remove them from the bag and put them under the broiler on high for 5-10 minutes until the skin is browned and crispy. I usually brine the legs overnight first in water, salt, garlic, and thyme but it’s not necessary. ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332/62 "2014-06-16T01:54:18Z")
I also got the Anova device, just last week. I spent the weekend making a boneless short rib. Basically, I salt & peppered it, then dropped it at 133F / 56C for 36 hours. It came out – rubbery. Looked pretty, the inside was an absolute perfect shade of pink - but the texture was just way wrong. Like I needed a very very sharp knife to even cut it. Tasted ok but the texture was way too rubbery & off putting. Fenris, Athena, anyone – any ideas where I might have gone wrong / what to do differently next time? Thx ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332/63 "2014-06-16T03:03:22Z")
> [@fighting\_ignorant](#): > > I also got the Anova device, just last week. I spent the weekend making a boneless short rib. Basically, I salt & peppered it, then dropped it at 133F / 56C for 36 hours. It came out – rubbery. Looked pretty, the inside was an absolute perfect shade of pink - but the texture was just way wrong. Like I needed a very very sharp knife to even cut it. Tasted ok but the texture was way too rubbery & off putting. > > Fenris, Athena, anyone – any ideas where I might have gone wrong / what to do differently next time? > > Thx Well, I haven’t done short ribs that I can recall, but the Modernist Cuisine guidelines for them say 144F for 72 hours. So my guess would be you did them too cool for not enough time. Maybe I’ll give 'em a try this week and see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332/64 "2014-06-17T00:35:44Z")
ChefSteps has a pretty comprehensive short ribs section: [https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/sous-vide-cooking/#/short-ribs-time-and-temp](https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/sous-vide-cooking/#/short-ribs-time-and-temp) And yeah, looks like I used the wrong combo of time/temp. Will try again! ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332/65 "2014-06-17T04:31:29Z")
Something I found helpful is understanding the science behind sous vide (and cooking in general). I recommend [Cooking for Geeks](http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-Science-Great-Hacks/dp/0596805888). It explains what happens to meat when it cooks at different temperatures. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332/66 "2014-06-17T04:40:13Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Something I found helpful is understanding the science behind sous vide (and cooking in general). I recommend [Cooking for Geeks](http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-Science-Great-Hacks/dp/0596805888). It explains what happens to meat when it cooks at different temperatures. I just got that book! I can second the recommendation even though I haven’t fully read through it yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-with-the-sous-vide-supreme/536332.md?page=3)