Food & Vac Series Part 1: Vacuum Meats Food Prep
This concise, quick-hitting introduction focuses on my experiments with marinating and brining with a simple vacuum chamber set. Because there’s so much to share and discuss on the topic, I will present the larger picture in a five-part series instead of writing one long treatise.
Part 1: Vacuum Meats Food Prep
Part 2: Down the Rabbit Hole
Part 3: Vac Chamber vs. Sealer Comparison
Part 4: Science of Vacuum, Marinades & Brines
Part 5: Putting it Into Practice, LET'S MEAT!
(skip to the end for the recommended process setting)
We’ll cut to the chase and start with examples from our journey, then return to where we began to explore how we got here and what we learned. There will be detailed insights supported by fascinating resources for those who want to dive deep. The series will include sections on equipment, science, processes, cautions, techniques, and more. Let’s get the ball rolling by examining some of the experiments that brought us here and encouraged me further each time.
Traditional brining and marinating are time-honored food preparation techniques that have proven their value. I often use them and enjoy both the process and the results. I appreciate simplicity, fundamental techniques, and tradition in cooking. That reflects my character and personal view, making me most comfortable in the kitchen. At the same time, I also embrace advancements in technology as long as they offer real benefits. It's not about incorporating tech merely for the sake of having more shiny tools. If there’s no significant advantage, I’m not interested. With this mindset, I needed to ensure that adding a vacuum chamber application to meat preparation would be truly impactful, affordable, and without undue complication. Fortunately, those in my online community who are familiar with my previous work likely already have a vacuum chamber set, meaning there’s nothing to purchase and no cost to try this out! After two years of refining it, I believe it’s now worth sharing.
EXPERIMENTING ON THE ROAD TO GET HERE
Marinating Chicken Under Vacuum
It all began with marinating chicken thighs for the grill. Full vacuum was applied, and the chamber was placed in the fridge, still under vacuum, for one hour. It worked wonderfully, and I was motivated to continue.
Pickled Onions and Jalapeno
One of my favorite condiments is pickled red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro (colored with beets). Full vacuum was applied for ten minutes, it was off to the races.
Marinating Flank Steak
Side-by-side flank steak comparison. One flank steak was seasoned traditionally with just kosher salt. The other was vacuum marinated for five minutes, then allowed to rest for five minutes after the vacuum was released. The vacuum process was repeated, with the final resting time extended to 30 minutes.
The marinade penetration and concentration in the meat were surprising for the short time. The side-by-side photo shows the stark difference between the two flank steaks before they hit the grill.
Chimichurri Sauce
Fresh chimichurri sauce is already delicious, but it takes time for the flavors to meld. I wanted to drive the flavor train, so I placed the chimichurri in the vacuum chamber and cycled the vacuum in and out four times at two-minute intervals.
This is where I learned to be careful because plant matter expands a lot with vacuum. However, the sauce was excellent.
Pork Butt Brine, Butt-by-Butt
Pork butt is naturally so good, easy to smoke, and pretty hard to mess up. Butt, that didn’t stop me from trying to take it to the next level with a vacuum trial and a butt-by-butt comparison. One butt was prepared normally with a rub, and the other with a brine under full vac in the fridge for an hour then rubbed.
Four out of four testers in a blind tasting chose the brined pulled pork as more flavorful and tender. That was a fantastic result for a one-hour brine on a nine-pound chunk. Something good happened here in a short time.
Marinating Choice NY Strips, Strip-by-Strip
Choice NY Strips from Sam’s Club. Half of the steaks were salted one hour before grilling. The others were put in marinade bags and held down with magnets. I ran two cycles: five minutes of full vacuum with the bags in the chamber, then five minutes of rest without vacuum. I repeated five minutes of full vacuum and finished with ten minutes of rest without vacuum. It was seriously good, with a big difference in tenderness and a deep, flavorful penetration of marinade.
Culinary Mushroom Prep
More on this at a different time.
Oil Infusions of All Kinds
Simple carrier oil infusion with a wide range of herbs, prepared by soaking in oil, can be sped up with higher compound concentration under vacuum. I’m pretty excited about this.
