While I had been planning to smoke a pork shoulder and duck this Sunday, a trip to Los Angeles this coming week made me rethink my leftover plans and switch to sous vide pork chops. This actually turned into a big disappointment and was the first time I was not happy with my sous vide.
I selected six, very lean-looking, boneless pork chops from the grocery store. Four were seasoned with a mustard-tarragon sauce and two were left to just salt and pepper.
Temperature: 145 F
Time: 6 hrs
Mustard-Tarragon Sauce
4 tablespoons brown spicy mustard
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
The sauce was mixed and placed in the vacuum bags.
I was very disappointed in the results, specifically the tenderness and texture of the pork. They were very dry and appeared overcooked. I'm not sure if that was a result of remaining in the water bath for so long, or the cooking temperature. This was also the first time I attempted to sear the meat on the propane grill. That worked better since I could do them all at once and was easier to clean up than Canola oil splashed on the range.
Next time, I think I will try 141 F and I would like to test 3 hrs vs 6 hrs in the water bath.
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| The mustard-tarragon sauce. I think this would actually make a good glaze if reduced in a sauce pan. That's something for next time. |
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| Vacuumed up and ready for bath time. |
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| When I opened the bags, I poured out the sauce into a pan. I was thinking about heating it and serving it, but didn't get around to it. I will next time. |
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| Notice the colorization difference between the plain and those cooked with the sauce. |
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| After searing on the propane grill for about 30 sec each side. I achieved some nice colorization. |
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| Kinda tough, kinda dry, kinda "overcooked". I don't consider it a success. |
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