Weekend Cooking Adventure
Earlier this month, Jen’s best friend, Meagan, and her husband, Graham, along with their two daughters, came to stay with us for a weekend visit. They brought their sous vide immersion cooker on their last visit (back in July) and converted me from someone who enjoyed ridiculing people who “sous vide” their food into a true believer. I got one for Christmas and have had a blast exploring new foods (and continually making a few family favorites) since.
During planning discussions for this trip, Megan and I talked about how great it would be to just have a weekend of amazing menus with two cookers going simultaneously. The concept continued to evolve and a weekend cooking adventure was born.
Prior to their drive to North Carolina, I went to a local butcher to buy brisket and flank steak. This is my new favorite place.
We’ve made the latter several times recently and we love the recipe because it takes almost no effort and tastes great. I’d never tried making brisket in the sous vide and had some significant reservations about making a meat traditionally smoked for hours by boiling it in water and then cooking it in the oven for three hours. It just seemed like it would turn into a block of coal.
I got a 2.65-pound cut of flank steak, added some kosher salt and ground peppercorn, and vacuum-sealed it in a bag. Then threw it in the fridge since I wouldn’t be cooking it for a while.
Then I unwrapped the brisket to prepare it. The recipe Graham had sent me explained the difference between the tip cut and the flat cut, emphasizing how much more marbled the tip cut is and suggesting that readers get that if it’s available. It was. And I did.
The rub for this was really simple: I mixed 1/3 cup of freshly ground black peppercorn and 1/4 cup of kosher salt, and applied it generously to the brisket. I should point out here that I don’t have an electric spice grinder; I use a mortar and pestle. Grinding 1/3 cup of pepper manually is not awesome. Get a spice grinder or just buy the ground black peppercorn — I didn’t know you could buy until I went to replace my depleted peppercorns — your forearms will appreciate you not doing it by mortar and pestle. Vacuum-seal the brisket and it’s ready to go into the sous vide for 72 hours (yes, for three days).
I dropped the brisket into the cooker mid-afternoon so that it would come out about the same time on the day we were planning to eat it — it still has to go into the oven to finish cooking and create the bark. First thing in the morning on day 2, I dropped the flank steak in with it so that it could cook for 36 hours; we were having this the night before the brisket and since they’re cooking at the same temperature, they might as well keep each other company.
Day 1
After 36 hours in the cooker — and on the day Megan and Graham arrived with their family — I took the flank steak out and put a rosemary rub on it. I seared it for 90 seconds each side on the grill and it was ready to serve.
Day 2
We spent much of the second day cooking. After Megan made her famous crêpes, I made crème brûlée for dessert and Megan and Graham made homemade meatballs, breaded chicken, and lasagna. They left enough food with us to have a couple nights of not cooking each week for at least a month or so, which was such a welcome gesture given how busy we’ve been since we had the baby in March.
We also had chicken tacos for lunch, along with Jamaican-style Caribbean jerk wings.
We took the brisket out, patted it dry with paper towels, and gently applied the rub again. It goes in the oven (300F) for three hours to dry it out and create the bark. I was skeptical of this but the butcher (who has used a crock pot, but not a sous vide) said the brisket would actually be two wet to eat prior to going into the oven (especially the fattier tip cut). I really didn’t have much of an expectation when it comes to a bark similar to one you’d get in a smoker. I was wrong.
It was amazing. Totally amazing.
We made some cocktails in the sous vide to celebrate — a mojito (very good) and cherry-infused bourbon (way too damn strong). The kids had a movie night on blankets and pillows and we all went to bed exhausted, some of us from playing all day, others from cooking all day.
Day 3
On the third (and final) day of their visit, we had both cookers going at the same time for a while. We made filet mignon and salmon and finished the steaks on the grill, both served with a Hollandaise sauce. We broiled broccoli with lemon juice and also had grilled red cabbage with vinegar and oil drizzled on it. I hadn’t tried steaks in the sous vide yet but a number of folks have told me they were really good and tender; they didn’t disappoint.
After dinner, it was time to say goodbye. We are definitely going to do it again. Maybe we’ll rent a cabin in the mountains in the fall next time. It’s perfect that such close friends have such similar interests — we really do have the most amazing time with them.
