Owly055
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- Feb 28, 2014
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2 years ago I set out to develop a way to preserve meat in as fresh state without refrigeration. The idea was to be able to package steaks in a food saver bag so that they could be reheated to medium rare temp and eaten months later.
The original process involved first searing the steak with a large propane torch, then immediately sealing it in foodsaver bag, then subjecting it to 130F in Sous Vide for an extended period of time to kill all living bacteria. Pasteurizing is a function of time & temp.... The lower the temp, the longer the time. At 130F temp all the way through, several hours are needed. I used chuck steak and did 48 hours. The pre-sear was to kill any spores from spore forming bacterial like botulinum that happened to be on the meat.
The steaks were left for 90 days in a dark place at 80F approx, with the idea that this is sufficient incubation time for any spoilage to be apparent.
Two of the 3 steaks I did failed........the bags inflated. The third came through with flying colors, looking, smelling, and tasting like fresh.
I considered the experiment a success, as it proved that it was possible to achieve good results. In retrospect, I should have used a different sear method, and probably a different cut of meat, as chuck tends to have deep crevasses.
Now, I am repeating the experiment, still using chuck......... but using the deep fryer to get a good kill on any spores. Needless to say, I am rooting for a 100% success rate. The end of the experiment will be a few days before Thanksgiving, and I'll report the results.
What I'd like is a "ray gun"......... that is a gamma ray gun in a chamber that will contain the radiation. This is the industrial process for sterilizing foods by irradiating Unfortunately that is completely out of reach. If I get decent but not 100% success this time, I will move to a tighter steak like top sirloin....... Personally I like chuck for it's flavor and texture.
H.W.
The original process involved first searing the steak with a large propane torch, then immediately sealing it in foodsaver bag, then subjecting it to 130F in Sous Vide for an extended period of time to kill all living bacteria. Pasteurizing is a function of time & temp.... The lower the temp, the longer the time. At 130F temp all the way through, several hours are needed. I used chuck steak and did 48 hours. The pre-sear was to kill any spores from spore forming bacterial like botulinum that happened to be on the meat.
The steaks were left for 90 days in a dark place at 80F approx, with the idea that this is sufficient incubation time for any spoilage to be apparent.
Two of the 3 steaks I did failed........the bags inflated. The third came through with flying colors, looking, smelling, and tasting like fresh.
I considered the experiment a success, as it proved that it was possible to achieve good results. In retrospect, I should have used a different sear method, and probably a different cut of meat, as chuck tends to have deep crevasses.
Now, I am repeating the experiment, still using chuck......... but using the deep fryer to get a good kill on any spores. Needless to say, I am rooting for a 100% success rate. The end of the experiment will be a few days before Thanksgiving, and I'll report the results.
What I'd like is a "ray gun"......... that is a gamma ray gun in a chamber that will contain the radiation. This is the industrial process for sterilizing foods by irradiating Unfortunately that is completely out of reach. If I get decent but not 100% success this time, I will move to a tighter steak like top sirloin....... Personally I like chuck for it's flavor and texture.
H.W.