"I can’t understand why people are so emotional about sous vide. You seem emotional about it, too, no? :) " Possible. I try not to. Because there is no mystery and no excitement to the science of temperature control. It’s not a new invention, and it is just plain cooking with control heating. Very boring stuff. Funny it can get people very upset that I cook meat with electronic temperature control instead of poking with my fingers. Take a look below a PM I got recently in another cooking forum from a chef: [““You sir, are a belittling, know it all, think your better than everybody else, piece of trash. ------- You are ignorant, arrogant, and aren't worth a peas weight in food knowledge. Your a foodie hipster.-------Congratulations on your little home cooking competition wins. Your dishes look atrocious and wouldn't even be found and on a 1M star menu. Your technique and style bogus and outrageous.------- Get lost on your other forum where immersion circulators and SV are all buzz. Hippie. Good day sir.”] “I think any negative emotions are in part a reaction to the seeming fanatacism of some. “ Frankly, I don’t know which side is more fanatic. Each time all I said my dinner was cooked sous vide, a ton of people will immediately blame me for taking over the cooking world. “You're right, meat isn't smart, on the inside it does not know what the external heat source is. BUT, meat reacts differently to heat over time, hence so much discussion about cooking times. So while technically it may be true that you cannot overcook a steak in a SV bath, I'm here to say that in my experience a naturally "good" steak starts to go south with times stretching past what is needed to bring the core to temp.” And you are not wrong in your statement above. But why would anyone cook a steak longer than necessary? SV does not mean long cooking. It means by controlling precise temperature, if the kind of meat requires longer cooking time, you will not be over cooking it in the SV method. “An aside, the notion of saving money because the steak retains more water doesn't fly with me. Water is cheap. I don't think you can value the water loss at $10/lb or $20/lb or whatever. You're not going to be more full because you ingested a tablespoon or two of water. The question really becomes whether the water retention is beneficial to the final cooked product.” I am very confused. I hope you are not saying meat shrinkage is not a bad thing to meat texture. “In the case of our modern day pork chop, I'll say yes. In the case of a prime steak, I'm not sure. “ When you have a nice prime steak, SV will not take any longer than other cooking methods. But tell me do you have a way to cook London Broil into tender steak using any normal method? I am not talking about cutting the meat thinly across grain kind of tender, I am talking about tender as in butter tender. Well, that takes me 48 hours in the SV cooker. Do you have a way to cook brisket medium (cheap select grade, not prime) fork tender ? I just had pulled brisket tonight, fork tender. It took 72 hours. Good luck with you steaks. A billion people have enjoyed a billion steaks cooked the normal way. No doubt another billion for sure will be done the same way and enjoyed the same way. dcarch

I agree that if what you are speaking of is a New York strip then it should be tender. However, I do not think they are as tender as a ribeye or filet m. But, that said, I like my steaks medium. Nice and pink but not bloody with a good sear on the outside. I marinate mine for about 30 minutes in soy sauce, lime juice, olive oil and garlic powder. I find they turn out best if I let them warm up some before cooking. I don't think I've ever let them get to room temp but they do sit at least 30 minutes on the counter. I also cook mine on the grill outside. In the winter, I'll still only marinade for 30 minutes with soy sauce, rosemary and garlic. I then sear on high heat in a cast iron pan, flip, put in high heat oven 400 - 450, cook a couple of minutes and flip again. Sorry I can't give exact times. The thickness and coldness of the steak determines the length of time. I use the push test to see if it is the right done-ness and always err on the side of underdone. I can always stick them back in the oven a bit if too pink. On more thing, did you let them rest before serving? I'm sure you did, but just checking.

I like my beef medium rare, more on the rare side for sure. I'm not sure how the flank would turn out well done. One thing for sure, you want to slice it across the grain. I've always done this cut on a hot grill maybe two to three minutes at most on each side depending on how thick it is. Here is a great Fajita recipe that my group has made more than once. Oh, and welcome to the forum!! This place rocks when it comes to food, recipes, and fun! David Here is a good recipe that my BIL made for us last year or the year before...my group has used it several times. Beef Fajitas Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003 Show: Emeril Live Episode: Macho Nachos 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1/4 cup tequila 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon dried crushed Mexican oregano 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 2 pounds flank steak, fat trimmed 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 6 large flour tortillas 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced 1 large white onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon minced garlic Lime wedges, accompaniment Cold Mexican beer, or tequila shots In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, tequila, garlic, cilantro, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the Worcestershire sauce, oregano, pepper flakes, cumin and coriander. Pour into a large zip-lock bag, add the steak, and seal. Place in a baking dish and refrigerate for at least 12 and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally. Remove the meat from the bag and pat dry. Season on both sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Preheat the grill to high, and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes to warm and soften. Remove from the oven and keep warm in the aluminum foil. Cook the steak over the grill to preferred temperature, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions, and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic, remaining teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Thinly slice the steak against the grain. Divide among the warmed tortillas and top with the vegetables. Squeeze with lime juice and serve immediately with cold beer or tequila shots. Our normal sides are chips and salsa, refried beans, mexican rice, chopped lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, pico de gio, LOTS of sour cream, and grilled onions and peppers. Lots of salsa too. Margaritas are our drink of choice with a side of ice water!!

Bisteces Rancheros Flank or Shoulder Steaks Braised with Tomatoes, Potatoes & Poblano Peppers From "All About Braising" by Molly Stevens serves 4 to 6 2 mdm poblanos (about 8 oz) 2 lbs Flank steaks Or thin-cut chuck or shoulder Coarse salt and pepper 4 tbsp olive oil 2 mdm white onions 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted/ground 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted/grounds 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice 1 lb small red or white potatoes 2 tbsp red wine vinegar Heat oven to 325 degrees Roast peppers - directly on gas burner until charred, about 8 minutes) Transfer to a mdm bowl, cover. Peel peppers - When peppers are cool enough, slip off the charred skin with your fingers. Slice the peeled peppers open, cut away stems, remove seeds. Cut into 1/4" strips. Set aside. Prep steaks - Lay steak flat on a large cutting surface. With a large knife, cut the steak crosswise into 8 to 10 thin slices, holding the knife at a very steep angle so you are cutting more horizontally than downward. The steaks should be about 1/4" thick, 3" wide, and a long as the flank steak was wide (about 6 inches). Brown steaks - Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over mdm high heat until it shimmers. Add 1/2 the steaks and cook, turning once with tongs, until they develop a ruddy brown exterior, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a large cazuela or shallow, 3 quart, baking dish. Brown the second batch. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the steaks. Remove browned steaks to the shallow baking dish Aromatics and braising liquid - When the steaks are browned, pour oil out of the pan. If the skillet is blackened, clean before continuing, but if there is just a chocolate-brown crust of drippings, continue with the skillet as is. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat over mdm-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, stir and saute until limp and beginning to brown in spots, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook for another minute. Pour juice from tomato can into the skillet. Then break up whole tomatoes with your hands and drop them into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, stir and simmer the juices to thicken them a bit, about 4 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Braise - Slice the potatoes into 1/8" thick rounds, and layer them over the steaks. Stir the vinegar into the tomato sauce and spoon it over the potatoes. Top with the strips of peppers. Cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty foil and slice it onto the middle oven rack. Braise until steaks and potatoes are fork-tender, but not falling apart, about 1 hour. The finish - Remove the foil, increase oven temp to 375 degrees, and braise until tomato sauce is brown and crusty around the edges, another 20 to 25 minutes. Serving - Carry the dish to the table with thick pot holders, and use a large serving spoon to serve. Enjoy. Ann H.