First time using the water bath. Pulled a strip steak out of the bag after two hours at 130F and it looked like something that had been left in the sink, pale grey outside and damp all over. It smelled fine and the bag was sealed the whole time. Is this what everyone else sees at this stage or did I do something wrong?
Two things that are also normal and worry beginners: white streaks of coagulated protein in the bag juice, and the meat feeling oddly soft when you poke it through the bag. Both fine. The things that are not normal are a bag full of liquid that smells sour, or a bag that has come unsealed and taken on water.
The soft feel throws everyone. You are used to judging doneness by firmness and that cue simply does not work here.
One habit worth building now: rest the steak out of the bag for five to ten minutes before searing, on a rack, uncovered. Surface dries, temperature drops slightly, and the sear gets much better. Then no rest is needed after searing, which is the opposite of how you cook a steak in a pan.
Also do not add butter or garlic to the bag on your first few cooks. Garlic in particular goes strangely harsh over a long low cook, and people then blame the method. Aromatics belong in the finishing pan.
Good to know, every recipe I read had a sprig of something going in the bag.
If the grey appearance bothers you even before the pan, seasoning the steak and leaving it uncovered in the fridge overnight beforehand helps. It comes out of the bag looking a bit less washed out and crusts faster.
@sam_the_temp · last yr. · 3 replies
That is exactly what it should look like and it is the reason nobody photographs this stage. Browning needs high heat and a dry surface, neither of which exists in a water bath, so the outside just cooks pale while the inside comes to temperature. The sear is not optional decoration, it is the entire flavour step.
Dry it thoroughly, sear it hard and fast, and it will look completely different in 90 seconds.
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@drainfield_dez · last yr.
It did. Went from a hospital looking lump to something I would order in a restaurant.
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@sear_after_sam · last yr.
The first time you cut into one after the sear is the moment the whole method makes sense. Edge to edge pink is hard to unsee.
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