How To Cook Sous Vide Chuck Roast
Chuck Roast is rich in connective tissue. Connective tissue is primarily constructed of collagen, which is difficult to chew. The good news is, collagen can be broken down via the long term application of heat. Even better, collagen breaks down into gelatin, which is unctuous and delicious.
Traditionally, cooking techniques like braising and stewing are used to make tough cuts of beef, like chuck roast amazingly tender and yummy. We have had little choice in the 'doneness' of chuck roast, as braising and stewing require high temperature cooking over a long period of time.
With the availability of sous vide, we can take advantage of persistent, accurate low temperature cooking to achieve unique results. Since we know that collagen starts to break down in the 130F range, we can utilize sous vide over a longer period of time to break down collagen while keeping chuck roast medium-medium rare. This technique can make inexpensive cuts like chuck roast similar to premium cuts of beef. This cut can generally be cooked at temperatures in the medium-rare - medium range of the chart for many hours and up to three days. It is not advised that you go below 130ºF with this type of cut.
Sous Vide Chuck Roast Recipe/Time
The most simple way of preparing chuck roast is to:
- Bring your sous vide setup up to the proper temperature (see chart below).
- Cut it into portions.
- Put the chuck roast into individual bags, along with a cooking fat like butter or olive oil, as well as some salt
- Seal the bag and place it in the water bath for some time.
- Remove the bag from the water bath, and the chuck roast from the bag
Sous Vide Chuck Roast Temperature Chart
| Rare: | 125-130°F |
| Medium Rare: | 131-139°F |
| Medium: | 140-149°F |
| Medium Well: | 150-155°F |
| Well: | 156+°F |
Additional Sous Vide Chuck Roast Recipes
Sous Vide Grass Fed Shredded Beef Chuck Roast
Sous Vide Chuck Roast cooked for 24 hours at 160ºF, then shredded with marinara sauce and sauted mushrooms.
More Fun with Sous Vide | Eat It, Atlanta
Beef Chuck Roast cooked for 40 hours at 137F. The author also experiments with eggs at 63-64C.
A 22 hour chuck roast, sous-vide
A 3 pound chuck roast at 131F for 22 hours. The chuck roast is coated with onion and garlic powders, cracked black pepper, red and cayenne pepper powder, paprika, crushed red peppers, slivers of garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. The author also utilizes the bag jus to make a pan sauce.
Similar Beef Cuts
Sous Vide Mock Tender RoastSous Vide Cross Rib Roast
Sous Vide Chuck Arm Roast
Sous Vide Chuck Eye Roast