Earlier in the year I was given a sous vide from Sous Vide Supreme and some Donald Russell meat and challenged to come up with some gourmet recipes.   I slightly steered off course and produced rhubarb compote and over night oatmeal in my machine, proving that a sous vide works very well for everyday food and does not have to be for meat.
I’ve slightly struggled with the gourmet aspect – the large cuts of meat I had to work with (ox cheeks, lamb shanks, pork osso bucco) certainly lend themselves to long slow cooking, but my oatmeal, compote, eggs and steak from the local butcher’s all tasted better than the lamb shank disaster that I had.
(Donald Russell meat is delivered frozen, packed with dry ice, inside an expanded polystyrene sarcophagus – there is lots of fun to be had with dropping the dry ice into bowls of hot water, but I wish that they could swap the polystyrene for a more eco friendly alternative such as woolcool.)
Sous vide is a completely different method of cooking and getting to grips with it for best results is a long process (the long cooking time makes recipe development a far longer process and meticulous notes are needed).
My signature style, leans towards Asian fusion versions of classic Western dishes, I’ve made a heavenly Asian Beef Wellington, which remains one of the creations I am the most proud of.  Using my much loved Japanese ingredients to flavour ox cheeks in the sous vide seemed the only way to go. The general rule of thumb is to be conservative on flavours. The long slow cooking intensifies flavours, and it is very easy to over do it.
After 60 hours at 60C the ox cheeks were amazing, soft and tender, but still medium rare in the centre. Â There was a large volume of liquid in the vaccuum bag, open it carefully and pour into a bowl.
If you master then, they try my Sous Vide Chicken Thighs!
Recipe: 60 Hour Sous Vide Japanese Inspired Ox Cheeks
Ingredients
- 2 Large ox cheeks (about 800g in total)
- 1/2 tbs brown miso
- 1 tbs tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbs toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbs mirin
- 2 Star anise
- Pinch chilli flake
Instructions
- Place the ox cheeks into a vacuum bag. Whisk the miso, tamari, sesame oil and mirin together, pour into the bag and add the star anise and chilli flake.
- Give the bag a shake to coat the ox cheeks and then seal.
- Put into the sous vide and cook at 60C for 60 hours.
- When cooked removed the ox cheeks from the bag reserving the juices. Sear the ox cheeks in a hot pan. remove the ox cheeks from the pan, add the cooking juices and reduce them over a high heal until halved in volume and looking glossy.
- Slice the ox cheeks and serve on a bed of noodles and leafy greens with a drizzle of the sauce.
I’ll be sharing some more thoughts about sous vide cooking, the Sous Vide Supreme and exploring other ways you can mimic cooking sous vide next week.
Fuss Free Flavours has been provided with a Sous Vide Supreme machine, vacuum sealer & cooking bags and meat from Donald Russell to write about the machine and to develop some recipes. This is a competition where our readers can also win a prize.
Follow the competition on social media #sousvidegourmet, and Sous Vide Supreme on social media Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
Franglais kitchen, Nazima
ooh this looks wonderful. We went to 48 hours with our ox cheeks but will have to try this out with the remaining portion. Love the flavours.
Helen
Thank you Nazima. It worked well. The rest is in the freezer!
Janice Pattie (@FarmersgirlCook)
Sous Vide certainly seems to be a bit of a challenge to master, but you seem to have done it here, Helen. That looks delicious and a real gourmet meal with low cost ingredients.
Helen
We were rather pleased with it Janice. Loads in the freezer too!
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry
I do so love your fusion recipes – plus I adore toasted sesame oil. Looks lush.
Helen
Thanks Bintu! We did enjoy this one!
Jan
Great flavours Helen and as Janice says a gourmet meal with low cost ingredients – delicious!
Helen
Thanks Jan. We did rather enjoy it!
Katie Bryson
What a wonderful combination of flavours Helen, not sure I could be patient enough to wait 60 hours though! Does it cost much to run the machine for that length of time?
Helen
Good question Katie! It is about the same as a slow cooker, so it is like having a light on powerwise.
Kavey
You know I adore ox cheeks and Japanese flavours, so I know I’d enjoy this!
Helen
Do let me know if you make it Kavey.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
Wow! These look incredible! I rarely see ox cheeks for sale… need to talk to the butcher.
Helen
Always make friends with your butcher!
Glamorous Glutton
This looks delicious with Japanese flavours. I was so impressed with how the Ox cheeks kept their shape and texture using the sous vide. I cooked mine for 72 hours in the end. Very delicious. GG
Helen
Lovely aren’t they? It is a perfect cut of meat for sous vide.
Morgan @ Peaches, Please!
Those ox cheeks look so juicy and tender! Now I’m getting hungry…
Helen
Come over any time Morgan.
Janie
Wow, that’s some serious cooking time! Looks utterly gorgeous though.
Janie x
Helen
The actual hands on time is very little, and you have the Sous Vide available for my overnight oats too.
Sylvia
Lovely looking dinner, very comforting ;) I probably never had ox cheeks before!
Helen
I am sure that they will become very popular. You need to ask your butcher for them!
Laura@howtocookgoodfood
I do love the way you pair Asian flavours with traditional dishes and manage to make them your own. This must have been well worth the wait and a big plateful of greens is the way forward with this as in your photo. The sous vide seems to be doing you proud so far!
Helen
Thank you Laura. We are loving Sous Vide cooking.
Lou, Eat Your Veg
Wow, 60 hours! Bet it was utterly delish and worth every minute though, gorgeous Asisan flavour pairing with the ox cheeks. Brilliant!
Helen
Thanks Lou. We did rather enjoy it!
Fiona P
these look so so good.
Helen
Any time Fiona!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
Great flavour combination!
Tina @ The Spicy Pear
I love miso and could put it in everything. The sous vide cooking must have really enhanced the asian flavours.
Helen
I am amiso addict. Have you had the Clearspring sweet white miso? So so good
Ren Behan
This looks like a lovely recipe and very gourmet, but I still think I’d be slightly scared of a Sous Vide machine in my kitchen. From what I have seen though the Donald Russel reviews it really does do justice to good quality meat.
Helen
I love the Sous Vide. Nothing to be scared of at all, it is even gentler than a slow cooker.