Sous-Vide Short Rib Pot Au Pho
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 5 servings
- Total: 3 days 1 hr 10 min
- Active: 1 hr 35 min
Ingredients
Sous-Vide Beef Short Rib:
4 beef short ribs
Salt and ground pepper
8 tablespoons pho fat or any kind of fat, such as canola oil, olive oil or butter, plus more for searing
Pot au Pho Broth:
5 pounds beef bones
2 large yellow onions, charred (see Cook’s Note)
One 10-inch piece fresh ginger, charred (see Cook’s Note)
1 teaspoon star anise, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (about 1 seed), toasted (see Cook’s Note)
1 teaspoon cinnamon stick, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
1 teaspoon cloves, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
Rock sugar, granulated sugar, salt, fish sauce, optional and MSG, optional, for seasoning
5 pounds rice noodles or pho noodles (see Cook’s Note)
Recommended condiments: Fresh basil, beansprouts, thinly sliced onion, green onion, cilantro, hoisin sauce, sriracha, lime, ground black pepper, fresh chile or jalapeño
Directions
Special equipment:
a sous-vide stick and 6-liter water bucket; a vacuum bag and vacuum sealer; cheesecloth or sachet- For the sous-vide short ribs: Preheat a sous-vide stick to 58 degrees C in an approximately 6-liter water bucket. Wash and clean the beef short ribs, then pat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat up a pan until smoking hot, add some fat, then sear the short ribs on all sides. Put aside to cool down. Add the short ribs to a vacuum bag, then the fat and seal the bag using a vacuum sealer. Add the sealed ribs to the water bath and cover the bucket with foil or a cloth to help prevent losing too much water due to evaporation. Sous-vide for 72 hours.
- For the pot au pho broth: Meanwhile, wash the beef bones well and add to a pot of water. Bring it up to a boil; this stage is called blanching and will help remove blood and impurities. Remove the bones and wash well to rinse off all the impurities that stick to the bones. Add the blanched bones back to a new pot, then cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim the impurities, then lower the heat to a low simmer. Add the charred onions and ginger, then make a spice bag with the toasted spices and add to the broth. Simmer for 24 hours.
- Turn off the heat. Using a strainer, take out all the bones, the spice bag, onions and ginger. Strain the broth through a fine sieve. Season the broth with rock sugar, granulated sugar, salt, fish sauce and MSG, if using.
- For the pho noodles: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pho noodles and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Strain, then set aside.
- Remove the ribs from the vacuum bag and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat a pan on medium-high heat. Add fat to the pan and sear the ribs on a side, then take out and let rest for 7 minutes. Slice up the ribs.
- In a bowl, add the cooked pho noodles, short ribs, bean sprouts, basil, onions, cilantro, green onion and fresh ground pepper. Bring your pot au pho broth to a boil, then pour in the broth. Serve with a side of jalapeño, limes, hoisin sauce and sriracha. Bon appétit.
Cook’s Note
To save time, I recommend store-bought rice noodles, preferably fresh. If you use dry noodles, you must soak them in water to soften up before use. To char the onion and ginger, heat the oven to 450 degrees C, and bake until brown. To toast the spices, add the spices to a dry pan over medium heat and keep tossing for an even toasting. Once the spices start to smoke, turn off the heat. Searing the ribs before adding to the vacuum bag will boost the flavor of the ribs due to the Maillard reaction, the stage where protein caramelizes. Although we start out with 6 liters of broth, as we cook it for 24 hours, the broth will reduce down to about 5 liters. If the broth is too reduced, feel free to add more water to maintain at least 5 liters of finished product. Pro tip: Once you’re comfortable with cooking pho, try adding more beef cuts, such as brisket, beef balls, tripe, tendon, etc. This will give your broth a much deeper and bolder flavor.