On Mondays, we have made a glorious habit of visiting and dining with my wife’s grandparents. Then after dinner (and some sot of amazing baked concoction Gramma makes for dessert), my sous chef heads off to archery practice, and my wife and I stay behind to play pinochle! Anyway, most Mondays, Gramma cooks…but we try to trade off here and there, and this time, it was my turn!
Faced with the task of transporting food for about an hour, we normally rely on the slow cooker and have in the past brought Crockpot Duck Confit, Unstuffed Shells, and Hoisin Ribs. Unlike in the past though, we now have a Sous Vide, which opens up ne’er before possible opportunity! New toy and cooking method in hand, we went about passively cooking a 2 lb London Broil all day, stashing it in an insulated container, transporting it, and searing it at their house. The method worked to perfection, and we all enjoyed a perfectly tender medium rare steak with a nice crispy sear!
Shortly before, we made Swiss Hay Soup, and we had some leftover hay stock from that, so we decided to whip up a quick batch of earthy gravy as well for anyone who felt daring enough to try it. I was very surprised at how everyone did, especially since there were some avid hay skeptics in the group. But overall, it really went over well, and most people even had a second helping of the gravy!
Time: 8.5 Hours
Ingredients:
- London Broil
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Optional Beef and Hay Gravy:
- Hay
- Water
- Vegetable Boullion
- 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 Tbsp Warm Water
Method:
- Set your Sous Vide to 133 degrees F.
- Pat your beef dry with paper towels, and generously sprinkle your salt, black pepper, and garlic powder on the top and bottom. Then, place in a large zip top bag.
- While holding the top of your unsealed zip top bag, slowly dip your meat into the hot water bath. Then, zip the top until there’s only about an inch left unsealed. Continue to immerse the bag in water until all of the air is squeezed out by displacement, and finish sealing.
- Allow to cook for about 8 hours to break down some of the tougher fibers in the meat.
- If using hay in your gravy, grab a handful of hay, and put it in a saucepan. Add some vegetable bouillon, cover with water, cover your pot, and simmer for an hour or two. Then pour your stock through a strainer to remove hay residue, and set aside.
- When your beef finishes its hot tub bath, remove from the water. Remove the London broil from your bag, and pat it dry. Keep the juices in the bag for gravy.
- Make your Gravy:
- Pour your beef juice and optional hay stock into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer.
- Combine your corn starch and water, and stir to fully incorporate.
- Pour your corn starch mixture into your saucepan, and allow to thicken and bubble.
- Heat up a cast iron pan, and add in a little vegetable or avocado oil. Then, sear your meat for about 60 seconds per side. Set your meat on your cutting board.
- Slice your meat thinly on a bias.
- Plate, drizzle with gravy, devour, and enjoy!
