Rant: Tried sous vide vs old school pan sear for a pork chop last night

Watched all these videos about sous vide being the only way to get perfect pork. Spent 45 minutes in a water bath at 140 degrees, then seared it. My grandma's method of a hot cast iron pan with butter and thyme in 12 minutes flat beat it hands down. The sous vide one was tender but bland, and the pan sear had way more flavor and crunch. Anyone else find sous vide overhyped for certain cuts?

2 comments

2 Comments

williamd7011d ago

That water bath gives you that uniform pinkness but strips away all the good stuff that makes pork taste like pork. Grandma's cast iron with butter and thyme is doing way more with the Maillard reaction and browning in a fraction of the time. Do you think sous vide works better for tougher cuts like chuck roast instead of quick-cooking stuff like chops?

river_jones10d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree a little with @williamd70 but I get where you're coming from! The water bath definitely gives you that perfect pink center but you're right, Grandma's cast iron method wins for flavor every time. Sous vide is like a cheat code for tough cuts like chuck roast though, makes 'em super tender without drying out like a regular pan would.