Testing the Beer Cooler(Thermopot) steak

[Matthew Y]

Saw an article about making Sous-Vide steak with a beer cooler. Beer cooler steak

I decided to try this out with my Thermopot with a beef tenderloin.

Pat dried the the steak and put it into a ziplock bag. Water was 135. 132 after putting the meat in.


Took the steak out 2 hours later. Water was 128. Fired up the grill to cook the steak afterburner method. About 20 seconds sear each side.


Results


Pretty juicy. Would try it again, but have the water at 130. One of the steaks became medium.

 

[CaseT]

Looks Tasty! I still haven't convinced myself that the extra step for doing Sous Vide is something I want to add to my game plan for cooking. Maybe someday.

 

[Matthew Y]

Took me a while to convince myself to try this. Always had the fear of ruining a good steak. IMO ruins the fun of being outdoor enjoying the charcoal aroma longer.

 

[CaseT]

Yeah I really like to cold smoke, or slow smoke a steak, then sear it off to finish. I can't say that I've ever had a tough steak using that method. Nothing beats outdoor cooking!

 

[Barb D]

That is some awesome cooking and the pics tells it all.

 

[Matt Rector]

What a fun, different way to cook a steak.

 

[Benji Chong]

Wow that looks great, amazed at the temp holding abilities of that thermopot! I need to try this, hopefully this weekend!

 

[Cliff Bartlett]

Interesting post Matthew. Thanks for the link.

 

[Luke P]

That final pic is a perfect example of seared tender steak! Impressively done!

 

[Dwain Pannell]

I mash my grain for home brew in a beer cooler for an hour in the mid 150(s)*F and loose about 1*F. I can't believe I never thought about using it at 130-ish* for sous vide. Great idea.

 

[JeffG]

Like...

 

[Mary Teal]

Great and interesting article! Thank you for sharing. Who knew, a beer cooler? I just might get gutsy and try this.

 

[Benji Chong]

How did you know after 2 hours it'd be at around 128 internal temp?

 

[Matthew Y]

How did you know after 2 hours it'd be at around 128 internal temp?

I was aiming to cook the steak after 65 min, but got carried away getting my brisket cooking. I didn't know it would be 128 after 2 hours. I figured there would be 1-2 degree temperature lost per hour. I recommend using a thermometer probe in the cooler to make sure the temp doesn't drop below 125. I believe bacteria/salmonella can grow below that.

You can test how much heat lost with an empty cooler. Check every hour.