Sous Vide Tomahawk Steak (The King of Rib-eye) 慢煮斧頭扒
<English translation is after Chinese>
新年快樂！我喺度祝大家新嘅一年開開心心健健康康。煮多啲好嘢食俾你屋企人同埋身邊嘅朋友。 新年那一晚，我煮了一件三磅重的斧頭扒 (Tomahawk steak) 比屋企人食 (7個人)。當然大家都食得很開心。你一定會問一件36安士嘅厚牛扒點樣煮啊？
在外國，類似嘅牛扒會用BBQ的方式去烹調, 但在香港的小家庭, 幾乎不可能做到。當然你可以用焗爐烹調，但這種兩吋厚的牛扒，是需要一開始用低溫烹調一段時間然後用高溫煎鎖表面。所以焗爐不是一個最好的選擇，因為水份容易在烹調中流失。最近慢煮 (sous vide) 成為家中烹調的一個新選擇，原因是它的方法簡單, 而且控制容易, 所以就算你是烹飪新手, 只要你明白箇中的竅門，煮一件好味的牛扒一點也不難。 其實慢煮不是什麼新玩意，外國很多餐廳已用了這個方法很多年, 把食材部份處理好, 這樣不但能夠保證食物質素, 而且亦可以在一個短時間之內把一道道菜餚準備好。
Happy new year! I wish you a prosperous year ahead with a lot of creative and delicious dishes made for your family and friends. Guess what I had made on the new year? The super bone-in Tomahawk steak! Everyone just loved it so much!
In the U.S., BBQ style this super steak is common, but it is not something we can do easily in Hong Kong. Oven is fine, but I would highly recommend sous vide. Because a thick steak requires a longer time to cook. Low constant temperature at the beginning will make sure the meat not losing moisture during cooking.
牛扒的基本知識:
在美國，牛扒是分了三個等級：分別是 "Prime", "Choice" and "Select"。Prime 是油花最多肉質最好的級數，它大概是占了這三個等級的2%. Choice 是第二級，也是這三個級數中佔的比例最多的。 市面上很少見到 Select 級, 因為這個級數是很難在市面上出售的。 牛扒方面，香港普遍出售肉眼扒 (rib-eye/ rib cut) 和西冷扒 (sirloin), 我個人比較喜歡肉眼, 因它含比較多的油脂, 所以肉質帶有牛的香味和比較嫩。
斧頭扒其實是肉眼扒不過連着一支肋骨, 所以看起來像一把斧頭。
斧頭扒或肉眼扒是第6 至12節肋骨的部位 (牛有13支肋骨) 。斧頭扒比普通肉眼扒更勝一籌是因為骨頭中的味道會在烹調中流入肉內, 使其味道更加突出!
Grading:
In the U.S., steaks are categorized in three grading by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and they are: Prime, Choice and Select. Only 2 percent of the graded beef is considered Prime - heavily marbled with intramuscular fat. Choice grade is the majority and the meat is moderately marbled only. We generally don’t see Select graded beef sold in the market, so we can ignore this grade. If you really look for a premium steak, Prime steak is always your choice.
Cuts:
For steaks, there are two common cuts sold in Hong Kong – rib-eye (rib cuts) and sirloin. I prefer rib cuts more for both great beefy flavor and tenderness. Many people like sirloin because of its flavor but the meat may be too lean so that it can be chewy sometimes.
Tomahawk steak is actually a cut of bone-in rib-eye. It comes with a long rib bone so that the whole piece just looks like a tomahawk or axe. Bravo!
All prime rib and rib-eye are cuts of the 6th to 12th ribs (cow has 13th ribs, by the way). Size of Tomahawk steak is around 2” or 5 cm thick and flavor is usually better because the bone enhances the flavor of the meat during cooking.
慢煮的基本知識:
市面上有幾隻慢煮棍, 我稱佢為 “慢煮神棍” :O) 經過一番考慮和資料蒐集後，我選擇了ANOVA。至於容器方面，我用了光波爐的玻璃盆, 貪佢夠大。慢煮棍的原理是利用水流保持盆中每個角落的溫度一致, 這是一個簡單方便的烹調方法。 食物不會在低溫烹調下變過老。
需要注意的是大多數細菌在55°C以上開始被殺死, 所以千萬不要將溫度設置在55°C以下。
其實除了牛扒之外，其他肉類都能用慢煮方式去烹調，例如雞, 鴨, 魚, 蔬菜。要令到煮出來的食物甘香可口，慢煮後要把肉類煎香。我也試過用慢煮去烹調花膠， 效果係非常滿意。對於繁忙的香港人來說，慢煮是一個很好的選擇。因為食物可預先準備製作好，經快速降溫後, 連真空袋保存在冰格中，食之前只需稍作加工便好了。
Sous Vide Basic:
Perfect steaks can be cooked using Sous vide. Sous vide creates a cooking environment with low and constant temperature so that food cannot be overcooked. It is considered an easy and convenient cooking method. In general, especially for tough cut, cooking time does not need to be very precise. To save time and effort, foods can be prepared in advance and stored in frozen for a long time.
Most bacteria start being killed when temperature reaches 55°C and above. Therefore, never set the temperature below 55°C when you use sous vide to cook.
For busy family, food can always prepare in advance to save time. Once meats are cooked, just immerse them in cold water immediately to drop the temperature instantly to the safe point to prevent the growth of bacteria. Then, freeze the meats with the cooking bag. You will just need to reheat or sear before enjoying it.
慢煮斧頭扒的步驟 (慢煮需時最少 2.5 小時):
提前1.5天放牛扒在雪櫃保鮮格解凍 (室溫解凍比較容易滋生細菌) 。
不要洗牛扒，用廚房紙印乾血水。
如果你喜歡添加一些鹽和乾香料，可以灑在牛扒表面上。 我通常不添加任何東西，因為肉本身的味道已非常好。 提示：不要用新鮮大蒜因為低溫和密封環境下令大蒜味道變得不好。
牛扒放入food saver真空袋 或Ziploc（我個人喜歡使用food saver真空密封袋）
設溫度58 - 59°C (medium rare)，當達溫時, 放入已包裝好的牛扒, 烹飪至少2.5小時。如用Ziploc包，浸入水中後，從裝中擠出空氣並鎖定。
如果你喜歡 medium 或 medium well，1.5小時後, 將溫度提高至61 - 62°C。
當時間到了, 牛扒連袋浸在室溫或以下的冷水中快速冷卻, 約20- 30 分鐘。
去除袋內的肉汁, 印乾牛扒
放一小塊牛油在鑄鐵鍋中， 煎香牛扒兩邊和兩側, 每邊約2分鐘。 這是非常重要的步驟, 因炙熱令牛扒變得甘香。再用火槍將牛扒表面燒片刻, 令牛扒更香口。
提示：對於 一寸左右厚度的牛扒，將烹飪時間縮短為45分鐘至1小時。
Sous Vide instruction on Tomahawk steak (sous vide at least 2.5 hours):
Defrost/thaw a steak in refrigerator 1.5 days in advance (Do NOT leave it in room temperature to prevent bacteria growth)
Do not wash steak, pat dry it with kitchen towels
Vacuum steak using a food saver bag or put it in a Ziploc(I personally prefer food saver vacuum bags to ensure no leakage and easy storage)
Fill water inside a tank. Set temperature 58 – 59°C and cook for AT LEAST 2.5 hours. Once temperature is up, put steak inside the water. For Ziploc bag, after immersing in water, squeeze out air from the bag and lock it.
If you like a medium or medium well steak, set temperature 61 – 62°C after 1.5 hours.
Quickly cool down the steak by immersing in cold water (room temperature or below)
Remove the juice inside the bag, and pat dry the steak
Turn heat to high, add a piece of butter to a cast iron pan, and sear steaks for 2 mins on each side
If you have a blowtorch, use it for the final searing (like BBQ effect)
TIPS: for a regular size steak, reduce the cooking time to 45 mins to 1 hour.
Finished! The Super Tomahawk Steak!
