That delicious looking looking London Broil pictured above was the result of my first attempt to cook food using the Nomiku Sous Vide that I won in the Cooking for One contest in December (if you would care to know more about my thoughts and preparation for cooking Sous Vide style, please refer to my post "WHAT'S A NOMIKU SOUS VIDE).

Although I had my doubts about cooking a piece of meat sealed in a vacuum bag and placed in a tub of water for 10 to 12 hours, I thought,I'd give it a try! WOW, was I surprised! That London Broil was not only delicious; it was the most tender piece of meat that I have ever cooked - maybe the most tender cut of meat that I have ever eaten!

Although I could have prepared that dish in one day, I seasoned the raw beef with a dry rub and refrigerated it over night. The steps I used to produce this dish follow. . .

Step 1: INGREDIENTS USED

1 Thick Slice of Top Round (I had the local Publix butcher cut a slice of top round about 1-3/4" thick. After trimming off the fat, that slice weighed just over 3 lbs. I cut it in half when I got home and placed 1/2 of it in the freezer. The other half (pictured above) was used in this recipe).

FOR THE DRY RUB:

2 TBS coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
1/2 tsp roasted garlic powder
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Oil

FOR THE GLAZE THAT WILL BE USED TO SEAR THE MEAT AFTER IT IS FULLY COOKED:

1-1/2 tsp dried Oregano
2 tsp dried crushed Basil
1/4 tsp Chipotle Pepper powder (optional)
3 to 4 cloves raw garlic, minced (I used 4)
1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1 tsp Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Oil
+1 TBS Bertolli ELT Oil (will be used in skillet when searing meat)

Step 2: PREPARE THE DRY RUB; SEASON THE MEAT

If you do not have coarse ground Black Pepper on hand, Place the black pepper corns in a ziplock bag and crush them. (I used the back of a heavy metal meat tenderizer), than place them in a small bowl along with all of the other dry ingredients and mix them together.
Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of Olive Oil on top of the slice of top round; flip it over and repeat on the second side, then rub the dry mixture all over the piece of meat, pressing it in as you do so.
Place the meat in a ziplock bag and remove all of the air (a vacuum sealer would be ideal for this purpose, however, since I did not have one, I had to use another recommended procedure: Submerge the bag containing the meat (or other food) into a big container of water closed side down. Being careful not to submerge the open end of the bag, press down on the lower end of the bag and squeeze the air out as you move up toward the open end. Once the air is out of the bag quickly zip it shut).
Once the air has been removed from the bag you could actually begin cooking it in the Sous Vide food container (pot). If you are not ready to cook it right then, refrigerate it immediately to prevent the growth of bacteria. I chose to refrigerate it in the sealed bag over night, thus giving the dry rub time to work.

Step 3: COOKING LONDON BROIL SOUS VIDE STYLE . . .

I had predetermined that I would cook the London Broil for 11 hours; then test to see if it was was fully cooked. When I got up the next morning, I removed the sealed bag of top round from the refrigerator and set it aside; then I inserted the Nomiku Sous Vide pump into the pot (in this case, a Cambro 12 quart polycarbonate food container) and filled it to a point just above the minimum water mark indicated on the pump with hot tap water from my kitchen faucet (which proved to be 110 degrees). Then I covered the pot and set the pump temperature at 131 degrees F - a temperature recommended by several bloggers, vendors, and users.
When the temperature reached 131 F (this only took about 15 minutes), I inserted the sealed ziplock bag of meat and weighted it down with a small glass bowl of water to keep the bag from floating to the top (it needs to remain completely underwater for the entire cooking period, and the water level must remain between the minimum and maximum recommended levels. Adding the meat and the bowl of water did raise the water level to about the midway safe mark.
Then I went back to bed for a while!

After the London Broil had been "cooking" in the water bath for 10-1/2 hours, I removed the bag; opened it, and cut off a slice. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I got. The meat was cooked to perfection. Medium-rare and so tender it could be cut with a butter knife - or even a plastic knife. AWESOME. UNBELIEVABLE!

I let the meat rest on the counter top while I quickly prepared the glaze that would be used to sear it (see next step, please) . .

Step 4: FINAL STEP: GLAZE AND SEAR MEAT

While the London Broil rested on the kitchen counter I put a TBS of cooking oil into a heavy cast iron skillet and heated it on medium-high heat.

While the pan was heating I quickly minced the garlic cloves into a small bowl and added the herbs and spices indicated in step one (dried basil, oregano, chipotle pepper & salt). Then I added 1 tsp of Olive Oil and mashed everything into a paste.

I spread the paste over all sides of the meat, then seared it on all sides; just a minute or two on each side.

Now it was time to plate and serve.

Step 5: TIME TO EAT . . .

Earlier in the day I had cut some fresh Brussels Sprouts in half and steamed them until they were almost tender. It only took me a few seconds to heat up a small cast iron skillet with some unsalted butter and saute a sliced shallot along with the sprouts. Once the sprouts were heated through and coated with butter, I placed them in a bowl; squirted a little lemon juice over them, and topped them with shredded Parmesan.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner: A plate of tender, medium-rare London Broil, a side of healthy Brussels Sprouts, and a glass of red wine.

I usually calculate the nutrition of my recipes using the MyFitnessPal recipe calculator. While I have been able to do so here, the site is temporarily down and I cannot add a complete analysis, however, one serving of the London Broil (about 10 ounces is estimated to contain 268 calories.

NOTE: Although cooking with the Nomiku Sous Vide appliance produced truly remarkable results, it may be some time before I use it again; especially since I generally cook for one (me), and I like to make meals that are quick and easy. I do understand that more tender cuts of meat, and especially poultry and seafood, can be cooked much quicker than a thick slice of top round, and I may try cooking some chicken or duck Sous Vide style in the near future. I do believe that a could vacuum sealing would enhance the Sous Vide cooking procedure.

Bon Appétit