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does adding fat to the bag really help roasts come out more tender?


Asked by on Saturday, October 05
hi! just started reading here and have the book 'beginning sous vide' and i see that some folks suggest adding fat to the bag for, say, a lean cut such as an eye of round roast, to add moisture to the finished product. does that really help? seems to me that the fat can't [or won't] penetrate the muscle, so it might add a greasy film to the surface only. just learning and want to get the moistest meat possible. i'm using a crock pot and a dorkfood temp controller i bought from amazon.com. [please excuse the lack of caps... arthritis makes the shift key unpleasant to use.]

2 Answers to This Question

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Hi @cathycatfish, that's a good question. While the fat adds flavor to the final dish, it's mainly through the sauce. It doesn't penetrate into the meat and studies have shown it doesn't affect the flavor of the meat itself. The moisture level and tenderness of the meat also aren't affected. <br /> <br />I know a few recipes in Beginning Sous Vide use the addition of fat to the dish, but lately I haven't been adding it to my dishes. If I want some more richness for leaner meats like the eye of round I'll add some extra fat to a sauce that I serve with the meat instead of into the bag itself. <br /> <br />I also agree with ElsieD, the eye of round makes great sandwiches and French Dips! <br /> <br />Hope that helps. Thanks and happy sous viding! <br /> <br />Jason Logsdon
Answered by Jason Logsdon on Monday, October 07
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I can't answer your fat question as I have never added fat, but i can tell you that I have cooked eye of round sous vide and it comes out incredibly tender. i cook it at 133 and it is perfect every time. Makes great sandwich meat. i know this doesn't answer your question but i thought you might be interested in the experience of one who has cooked eye of round this way. <br /> <br />Elsie
Answered by ElsieD on Sunday, October 06
You can also find a lot of sous vide information, as well as over 100 recipes, in our book Beginning Sous Vide which you can get at Amazon.com or as a pdf download.

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