The Everything Guide to Cooking Sous Vide (18 page)

Crispy Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

This Asian glaze is sweet and sticky with a hint of spice. The toasted sesame seeds stick to the sauce and add a nice flavor to the chicken.

Ingredients

Serves 4–6

6 tablespoons hoisin sauce, divided

5 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

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cup rice vinegar, divided

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

12 chicken drumsticks

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

Vegetable oil, as needed

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Twice Cooked

The combination of sous vide and a deep fryer can ensure that the chicken drumstick is juicy and perfectly cooked while the skin it crispy and delicious! This method is also used to create some of the best chicken wings around.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Toss the drumsticks in the marinade mixture.
   
2. Place the coated chicken drumsticks and the marinade in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal it. Make sure the chicken is lined up side by side and not stacked or piled. Use multiple bags if necessary. If desired, let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 1–2 hours before cooking them in the sous vide.
   
3. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 176°F.
   
4. Place the chicken in the water bath and cook sous vide for 4–6 hours.
   
5. In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil with the honey and sriracha sauce on medium. Let it simmer for about 5–10 minutes so that it thickens to a nice glaze consistency. Set the hoisin glaze aside.
   
6. Take the chicken drumsticks out of the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
7. Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 400°F. Place the drumsticks in the deep fryer just long enough to crisp up the skin, 2–3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
   
8. Toss the crispy drumsticks in the hoisin glaze and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
   

Crispy Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

Crispy Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks

Crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, and tossed in barbecue sauce, these chicken drumsticks are as good as they get!

Ingredients

Serves 4–6

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons sea salt

12 chicken drumsticks

2 tablespoons hot sauce

Vegetable oil, as needed

1 cup barbecue sauce

1. Sprinkle the paprika, garlic powder, and salt all over the chicken drumsticks.
   
2. Place the spiced chicken drumsticks and hot sauce in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal it. Make sure the chicken is lined up side by side and not stacked or piled. Use multiple bags if necessary. If desired, let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 1–2 hours before cooking them in the sous vide.
   
3. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 176°F.
   
4. Place the chicken in the water bath and cook sous vide for 4–6 hours.
   
5. Take the chicken drumsticks out of the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
6. Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 400°F. Place the drumsticks in the deep fryer just long enough to crisp up the skin, 2–3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
   
7. Toss the crispy drumsticks in the barbecue sauce and serve.
   

Crispy Sous Vide Chicken Wings

Making sous vide chicken wings results in moist and tender meat and super crispy skin.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 pounds whole chicken wings

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cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

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teaspoon black pepper

1. Cut the chicken wings into 3 pieces. Keep the drumettes and wingettes (flats), but throw away the wing tips.
   
2. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 176°F.
   
3. Place the chicken wing pieces in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure they are lined up side by side and not stacked or piled. Use multiple bags if necessary.
   
4. Place the chicken wings in the water bath and cook sous vide for 3 hours.
   
5. Remove the chicken wings from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
6. Dredge the wings in the flour. Shake off excess flour and deep-fry the chicken in 350°F oil for about 8–10 minutes.
   
7. Place the wings on paper towels to remove the excess oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the wings.
   

Chapter 9

Beef

The Perfect Steak

These simple instructions will allow you to cook a steak that is as good as one you would pay plenty of money for at a high-end steak house.

Ingredients

Serves 1

1 steak, 1" thick (strip loin, sirloin, rib eye, or other boneless steak)

1 tablespoon oil with a high smoke point (like peanut, sunflower, corn, vegetable, or safflower oil)

1 tablespoon butter

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teaspoon sea salt

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Up to Your Personal Preference

Everyone has their own preference for how they like their steaks prepared. Therefore, the temperature guide in
Appendix A
shows a range for each level of doneness. After a number of tests, I discovered that my personal favorite steak is cooked at 133°F. Use the guide as a resource and try different temperatures to see what you like best.

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 134°F for medium rare. If a different doneness for steak is desired, check
   Appendix A: Time and Temperature Charts
   .
   
2. Place the steak in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag.
   
3. Place the steak in the water bath and cook sous vide for a minimum of 1 hour. For thicker steaks, refer to
   Appendix A: Time and Temperature Charts
   . Do not worry about cooking the steak too long, as it is impossible to overcook the steak; once the core of the steak reaches the temperature of the water, it will hold there.
   
4. Remove the steak from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
5. Heat the oil in a medium skillet on high heat. Sear the steak in the skillet for about 45–60 seconds per side. While the steak is searing, add the butter to the skillet and use a spoon to baste the melted butter on top of the steak.
   
6. Remove the steak from the skillet and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
   
7. Let rest for 3–4 minutes. Serve.
   

The Perfect Steak

Steak with Herb Compound Butter

This simple recipe strips away any extra flavors and showcases the meat. Change things up by substituting the herbs in the butter or switching the lemon juice with lime, or adding some minced garlic.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 steaks (strip loin, sirloin, rib eye, or other boneless steak), 1" thick

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cup salted butter, softened

3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons oil with a high smoke point (like peanut, sunflower, corn, vegetable, or safflower oil)

1 teaspoon sea salt

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

More or Less Servings

While this and many of the other steak recipes in this chapter are written to serve 4, it is easy to modify it to serve more or less. In the case of this compound butter, any extra can stay in the fridge for about 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Compound butter is also great on sous vide salmon or chicken breast.

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 134°F for medium rare. If a different doneness for steak is desired, check
   Appendix A: Time and Temperature Charts
   .
   
2. Place the steaks in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the steaks are lined up side by side and not stacked or piled. Use multiple bags if necessary.
   
3. Place the steaks in the water bath and cook sous vide for a minimum of 1 hour.
   
4. Make the compound butter by mixing together the softened butter, fresh chives, rosemary, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Form into a long cylinder that is about 1
   ¹
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   " in diameter. Roll the butter in plastic wrap and twist the ends. Place in the fridge for the butter to harden.
   
5. Remove the steaks from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
6. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear the steak in the skillet for about 45–60 seconds per side.
   
7. Remove the steak from the skillet and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
   
8. Take the compound butter out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Slice the butter into
   ¹
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   –1/2" rounds.
   
9. Put each steak on a dinner plate and top with 2–3 slices of the compound butter. Serve.
   

Steak with Herb Compound Butter

Steak and Scallops with Chipotle Cream

This recipe is one of the more complex ones in this chapter but it is well worth it. The flavors blend together to create a dish that will be extremely memorable!