DIY Sous Vide Build
Discussion
After getting inspiration from Nefarious on this forum I decided to purchase the bits to build my own PID controlled water bath. the last of the parts finally arrived on Wednesday and over the last couple of days I have built my system. I thought I would share my details:
I purchased the following components:
TET612 PID controller with SSR connection(you can get cheaper controllers but I have seen this used successfully in other setups online so decided to go for it knowing that it would work) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DUAL-DIGITAL-F-C-ALARM-P... £26
PT100 thermocouple http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-450-deg-C-PT100-Temper... £4 (bolts to side of the container and make waterproof seal).
40A Solid State Relay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-SSR-40-DA-Solid-Stat... £4
fish tank pump http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eheim-Compact-Pump-300-2... £13
Rocker Switch http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte... £2
Orbit 1000w travel kettle (which I nicked the element from) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORBIT-COMPACT-PORTABLE-H... £10 The element needs to be bolted onto the side of the container and made waterproof
13A wire 3m = £2
For the container I used a 24litre plastic storage box. I wrapped it in foil and then some left over loft insulation that I had and then duck tape. its not the prettiest thing in the world but it holds temperature really well and cost about £5 to make.
The equipment box is a small sturdy piece of Tupperware with a piece of sheet stainless steel to mount the SSR and earth cable to. £1.50
I used this wiring Layout:
The PID was simple to set up. using this manual: http://auberins.com/images/Manual/SYL-2362B%20inst...
Here are a couple of pics of the system in its current working state.
inside (Test egg slow cooking)
I may upgrade all containers at a later date for something a bit smarter but I'm not planning on having this on show so it doesn't really bother me.
Very Satisfied with how well it works. It holds temps to within 0.1dc which is perfect for the purpose. The total cost was just under £70.
Now that I know it works I'm going to buy a vacuum packer and start using it in earnest. Any recommendations on Vacuum packers would be great.
Cheers
Pete
I purchased the following components:
TET612 PID controller with SSR connection(you can get cheaper controllers but I have seen this used successfully in other setups online so decided to go for it knowing that it would work) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DUAL-DIGITAL-F-C-ALARM-P... £26
PT100 thermocouple http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-450-deg-C-PT100-Temper... £4 (bolts to side of the container and make waterproof seal).
40A Solid State Relay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-SSR-40-DA-Solid-Stat... £4
fish tank pump http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eheim-Compact-Pump-300-2... £13
Rocker Switch http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte... £2
Orbit 1000w travel kettle (which I nicked the element from) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORBIT-COMPACT-PORTABLE-H... £10 The element needs to be bolted onto the side of the container and made waterproof
13A wire 3m = £2
For the container I used a 24litre plastic storage box. I wrapped it in foil and then some left over loft insulation that I had and then duck tape. its not the prettiest thing in the world but it holds temperature really well and cost about £5 to make.
The equipment box is a small sturdy piece of Tupperware with a piece of sheet stainless steel to mount the SSR and earth cable to. £1.50
I used this wiring Layout:
The PID was simple to set up. using this manual: http://auberins.com/images/Manual/SYL-2362B%20inst...
Here are a couple of pics of the system in its current working state.
inside (Test egg slow cooking)
I may upgrade all containers at a later date for something a bit smarter but I'm not planning on having this on show so it doesn't really bother me.
Very Satisfied with how well it works. It holds temps to within 0.1dc which is perfect for the purpose. The total cost was just under £70.
Now that I know it works I'm going to buy a vacuum packer and start using it in earnest. Any recommendations on Vacuum packers would be great.
Cheers
Pete
Edited by Pete Franklin on Friday 2nd March 22:04
I have now added a cage around the element and the temp probe to avoid contact with them and the food.
The Vacuum sealer arrived this morning. I'm off to the butcher at lunch to get some nice cuts of meat to experiment with.
Do any of the Sous Vide experts have any recipe ideas for things to try out fist. I'm thinking long and slow: beef cheeks @57 for 72hrs or pork belly @62 for 48hrs?
Any advise or ideas welcome.
The Vacuum sealer arrived this morning. I'm off to the butcher at lunch to get some nice cuts of meat to experiment with.
Do any of the Sous Vide experts have any recipe ideas for things to try out fist. I'm thinking long and slow: beef cheeks @57 for 72hrs or pork belly @62 for 48hrs?
Any advise or ideas welcome.
Dr G said:
Possibly a silly question; will this be expensive to run?
Difficult to say but it shouldn't be too bad. I could possibly use a smaller element which would make it more efficient but less responsive. It uses slightly more than 1kw when on but the element is only on about 5% of the cooking time (my guestimate) so by my calculation if I want to cook something for 48hrs @ 13p per kwh it will cost 31p which is pretty cheap in the scheme of things. even if you double or treble that its still not bad.In comparison a 3kw oven would cost about 13p per hour to run (assuming 1/3rd on time). to get similar results for say pork belly that would take at least 3hrs of cooking so 39p
I think I'll stick to cooking veg the normal way for the time being...
Went a bit mad in the butcher shop and bought ox cheeks, pork chops, short rib and belly pork. the short ribs and cheeks are in at 57dc for 48 and 72 hours and I'll get the wife to drop the chops in mid day tomorrow for 6 hrs, I'll do the belly at the weekend. Interested to see what medium rare ox cheeks end up like.
Went a bit mad in the butcher shop and bought ox cheeks, pork chops, short rib and belly pork. the short ribs and cheeks are in at 57dc for 48 and 72 hours and I'll get the wife to drop the chops in mid day tomorrow for 6 hrs, I'll do the belly at the weekend. Interested to see what medium rare ox cheeks end up like.
The first attempt was not the biggest success if I'm honest. I cooked pork chops for 6 hrs at 57 and then immediately seared on a smoking griddle. for half a min either side. result was slightly over done pork chops. the problem is that if you cook something thin on hot griddle when it is already at the perfect temp it will raise to a higher temp than if cooking from cold. its obvious really when you think about it. the answer is to chill it immediately after it is out of the bath in ice and then sear it from cold (another process). I'm starting to wonder if it is really worth the effort for lean cuts? There was still a bit of medium rare meat by the bone that was really nicely textured so I guess the answer would be to use thicker cuts for this type of meal and treat it with a bit more intelligence. So all in all user error creates average results.
Onwards and upwards- tomorrow is 48hr beef short ribs- I'll make sure to treat these properly!! and will take some pics of the results- assuming its a success...
lesson so far is that sous vide isn't necessarily a fast track to perfection. A fair bit of knowledge and skill is required. I'm learning.
Onwards and upwards- tomorrow is 48hr beef short ribs- I'll make sure to treat these properly!! and will take some pics of the results- assuming its a success...
lesson so far is that sous vide isn't necessarily a fast track to perfection. A fair bit of knowledge and skill is required. I'm learning.
You're in the 'honeymoon period' with your SV right now.
Once you've tried it on lots of different foods, I reckon you'll end up with 3 categories:
1. Stuff you will never cook SV again
2. Stuff you may cook SV sometimes, but which turns out different to traditional cooking
3. Stuff you will always cook SV from now on
The texture of meat is one thing you'll find will be different in many cases and that's going to be a subjective thing.
Fat and connective tissue doesn't always render down completely and dissolve into a sauce as in a stew cooked in the oven or on the hob. It changes state but stays within the meat. This has led to some discussion between me and the OH, as to which method we prefer for particular cuts of meat.
Beef brisket is one cut we'll probably SV every time from now on. It ends up tender but firmer than slow oven cooking and the leftovers are much better for using up in different ways because the meat holds together better.
Fennel I will always cook SV. Perfectly cooked to your taste and you can still char-grill it just before serving.
Ice cream bases and creme anglais/custard take 1/4 of the time to make, turn out perfect every time and there's almost no washing up to do.
Pork belly and duck confit are much easier and less messy to cook and can be done way ahead of time and put in the fridge or freezer ready to serve later.
One thing - don't be afraid to adjust published temperatures and times to suit your own tastes or compensate for differences in the calibration or performance of your equipment.
Looking forward to seeing your 'honeymoon photos' over the coming weeks
and what you think of this method. I'm a big fan, but it's not the be-all and end-all.
Once you've tried it on lots of different foods, I reckon you'll end up with 3 categories:
1. Stuff you will never cook SV again
2. Stuff you may cook SV sometimes, but which turns out different to traditional cooking
3. Stuff you will always cook SV from now on
The texture of meat is one thing you'll find will be different in many cases and that's going to be a subjective thing.
Fat and connective tissue doesn't always render down completely and dissolve into a sauce as in a stew cooked in the oven or on the hob. It changes state but stays within the meat. This has led to some discussion between me and the OH, as to which method we prefer for particular cuts of meat.
Beef brisket is one cut we'll probably SV every time from now on. It ends up tender but firmer than slow oven cooking and the leftovers are much better for using up in different ways because the meat holds together better.
Fennel I will always cook SV. Perfectly cooked to your taste and you can still char-grill it just before serving.
Ice cream bases and creme anglais/custard take 1/4 of the time to make, turn out perfect every time and there's almost no washing up to do.
Pork belly and duck confit are much easier and less messy to cook and can be done way ahead of time and put in the fridge or freezer ready to serve later.
One thing - don't be afraid to adjust published temperatures and times to suit your own tastes or compensate for differences in the calibration or performance of your equipment.
Looking forward to seeing your 'honeymoon photos' over the coming weeks
and what you think of this method. I'm a big fan, but it's not the be-all and end-all.FurtiveFreddy said:
good advise
I think I know what you mean. Its really the long slow cooked cuts that interest me so hopefully they will be the ones that will be successful and be repeated.How do you do your pork belly sv? I have a slab ready to be experimented on. I was going to try 57dc for 24hrs (as thats what temp im cooking the cheeks at) and then a further 24hrs at 62dc... unless you can persuade me otherwise.
also how do you cook and finish your brisket?
Cheers
Pete
I began my experiments using a temperatures around the 55-59°C range but even with very long times (up to 3 days) I was finding the connective tissue and fat were still too firm for my and my GF's liking. I don't mind a nice fork-full of gelatinous pork fat and 57 will give you this, but other parts of the meat don't break down enough IMO.
So I've ended up going for higher temperatures for most of my meat. This underlines what I said about finding the right combination of temp and time for your tastes. It's easy to think that because someone like Baldwin has put so much effort into the science, he must have published the definitive temps and times, but not in my experience.
So here are my current favorites:
Ox cheeks - 80°C for 24 hours
Pork belly - 83°C for 9-12 hrs (I now remove the skin and crisp it up completely separately to the meat)
Whole lamb shoulder - 63°C for 48 hrs or 80°C for 24 hrs
Beef brisket (rolled or flat, any size) - 80°C for 12-18 hrs
What I have also started to do, which is not something most SV recipes advise, is to brown the meat before the SV cooking and for some cuts of meat brown it after as well. I feel the first browning adds flavour and also makes the meat look more attractive when it comes out of the water bath. Browning SV meat with a blow torch or a hot pan afterwards doesn't generally work as well, apart from steaks or maybe chicken breasts.
For meat such as brisket, I'll also add some raw shallots, garlic and thyme into the bag before sealing, as it gives the meat more flavour and you'll get ready-made gravy at the end of cooking which then just needs a bit of reducing and thickening.
Once it's done, cool the brisket down quickly in an ice bath and refrigerate for an hour or so while you cook the rest of the meal and then you'll be able to thinly slice the cold brisket (difficult to do when hot without it falling apart), which can then be heated up in the gravy just before serving.
HTH. Are your cheeks done yet?
So I've ended up going for higher temperatures for most of my meat. This underlines what I said about finding the right combination of temp and time for your tastes. It's easy to think that because someone like Baldwin has put so much effort into the science, he must have published the definitive temps and times, but not in my experience.
So here are my current favorites:
Ox cheeks - 80°C for 24 hours
Pork belly - 83°C for 9-12 hrs (I now remove the skin and crisp it up completely separately to the meat)
Whole lamb shoulder - 63°C for 48 hrs or 80°C for 24 hrs
Beef brisket (rolled or flat, any size) - 80°C for 12-18 hrs
What I have also started to do, which is not something most SV recipes advise, is to brown the meat before the SV cooking and for some cuts of meat brown it after as well. I feel the first browning adds flavour and also makes the meat look more attractive when it comes out of the water bath. Browning SV meat with a blow torch or a hot pan afterwards doesn't generally work as well, apart from steaks or maybe chicken breasts.
For meat such as brisket, I'll also add some raw shallots, garlic and thyme into the bag before sealing, as it gives the meat more flavour and you'll get ready-made gravy at the end of cooking which then just needs a bit of reducing and thickening.
Once it's done, cool the brisket down quickly in an ice bath and refrigerate for an hour or so while you cook the rest of the meal and then you'll be able to thinly slice the cold brisket (difficult to do when hot without it falling apart), which can then be heated up in the gravy just before serving.
HTH. Are your cheeks done yet?
Cheeks still in the bath...
Had the short ribs tonight. Came out medium rare and fork tender. Very odd. The flavour was intense. The short ribs had been well aged which is how I like my beef usually but after 48 hrs sous vide it was too much for me and I like 7 week aged steak. The flavour was not dissimilar to cave aged gruyere!! I will upload some pics later. I assume that a less aged piece of meat will come out milder.
So far Mrs f isn't too impressed with my invention. I think i'll do the belly to your specs ff. I'll remove the skin first- would you brown before bagging with belly?.
Cheers Pete.
Had the short ribs tonight. Came out medium rare and fork tender. Very odd. The flavour was intense. The short ribs had been well aged which is how I like my beef usually but after 48 hrs sous vide it was too much for me and I like 7 week aged steak. The flavour was not dissimilar to cave aged gruyere!! I will upload some pics later. I assume that a less aged piece of meat will come out milder.
So far Mrs f isn't too impressed with my invention. I think i'll do the belly to your specs ff. I'll remove the skin first- would you brown before bagging with belly?.
Cheers Pete.
Edited by Pete Franklin on Friday 9th March 23:46
She'll come round to it... hopefully...
If I've managed to plan ahead, one of my favorite pork belly recipes is to sprinkle the meat with a mix of crushed fennel, coriander, cumin seeds, black pepper and sea salt.
Put it in the fridge overnight, then vacuum pack and into the water bath for the given temp/time.
I don't do any browning/frying with pork belly before the SV cooking.
Once cooked SV it can be quickly cooled and stored in fridge or freezer in it's bag until needed. This is a very good way to prepare slow cooked belly in advance which can then be finished very quickly when you need it.
When you want to finish it, remove from bag and brown skin side down in a very hot pan and then finish in a hot oven for 10-15 mins.
If I've managed to plan ahead, one of my favorite pork belly recipes is to sprinkle the meat with a mix of crushed fennel, coriander, cumin seeds, black pepper and sea salt.
Put it in the fridge overnight, then vacuum pack and into the water bath for the given temp/time.
I don't do any browning/frying with pork belly before the SV cooking.
Once cooked SV it can be quickly cooled and stored in fridge or freezer in it's bag until needed. This is a very good way to prepare slow cooked belly in advance which can then be finished very quickly when you need it.
When you want to finish it, remove from bag and brown skin side down in a very hot pan and then finish in a hot oven for 10-15 mins.
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