Above: Lipavi C10 container, N10 polycarbonate rack. Lipavi C10L lid.

Serves 4-6
Level of difficulty: 2.75

Ingredients:

Beef chuck roast/steak, approximately 2 lbs/1 Kg.
Powdered egg white, as needed.
Preferred seasonings of your choice–salt not to exceed 2 teaspoons/lb. of meat.
Onion, 0.5 each, chopped fine.
Tomato paste, 1 oz/30 g, diluted with
Red wine, 2 oz/60 ml.
Mushrooms, sliced, 2 oz.
Flour, 2 Tablespoons/20 g.
Water, 1 cup/225 ml.

Equipment requirements:

A large skillet, a wooden spoon and a spatula. This is one of those recipes.

Starting Point: No Patter, Just the Facts

Any roast labeled “Chuck steak” or “Chuck roast” will work in this recipe. Thick is preferred over thin. This one was cut from a generic “chuck roll” that I purchased at the local “wholesale to the public” warehouse. I recommend selecting one that looks as much like this as possible, within obvious limits.

Preheat the sous vide bath to 128 F/53 C.

Vacuum seal the roast in heat rated plastic, stage into a rack and lower into the bath.

Process at 128 F/53 C for 48 hours.

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#1 Remove the package from the bath.
#2 Pinch gently to check tenderness.
#3 Harvest the juices.
#4 Bring the juices just to boil in a microwave or sauce pan–less than one minute.
#5 Strain the liquid through a colander lined with a moist paper towel–the moisture prevents the juices from clinging to the fabric.
#6 Set aside clarified juices to make the sauce.

We’re In the pink now…

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#1 Pat the steak/roast dry. Ignore the pallid color–that is the hue of denatured myoglobin that has not been “Maillardized” yet.
#2 Dust lightly with powdered egg white (or brush with fresh).
#3 Mist with water to reconstitute the sticky surface.
#4 Sprinkle with preferred seasonings. Turn the steak over and repeat the process.
#5 Spray or drizzle with a little vegetable oil. Preheat a large skillet to 300 F/150 C. Add a few drops of oil to the pan and
#6, add the steak.

And in the pink we will stay…

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#1 Sear the steak on the first side–it should take about thirty seconds. Turn the steak over and continue to sear for another thirty seconds. The next step is very important: REMOVE THE STEAK FROM THE PAN. Keep warm in a 140 F/60 C oven or on the back of the stove until service.
#2 Add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and add the onions. Cook until translucent, but do not actually “brown” them. Combine the tomato paste with the red wine and
#3 add to the pan.
#4 Reduce completely–red wine provides color and flavor, but NOT volume. The pan should be dry enough that you can clear a space as shown in slide #5.
#6 Add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil and the sliced mushrooms to the empty space. Don’t panic. This works.
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#1 Stir to coat the mushrooms.
#2 If you push the mushrooms to the side, you should see a few drops of oil gathering in the pan. Stir again.
#3 Use a shaker/dredge/kitchen strainer to dust the pan with a scant Tablespoon of flour–when you stir the pan the flour should disappear.
#5 Add 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper if desired and the clarified juices.
#6 Stir well and bring to a simmer. Scrape the bottom gently and reduce to the desired thickness–it should “coat the back of a spoon.”
Done properly, the sauce will not stick to the pan.
Sauce

Family style…

or ala Carte…

Parsley coulis, tomato oil.

Norm King

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