Milk Marinade Sous Vide Prime Rib

Got milk? We sure hope you do because we’re cooking a beautiful milk marinade sous vide prime today! Stick with us because this milk marinade makes this sous vide prime rib so juicy that you'll never want to try it any other way. If you’ve never used a sous vide before, or are wondering why we use a milk marinade, then keep reading because we’re going to explain the advantages of both!

What is sous vide?

Sous vide is a cooking technique that uses precise temperature control to deliver a consistent level of quality every time. Often used in Michelin star restaurants, sous vide cooking cooks food to the exact level of doneness desired every time. It used to be limited to professional kitchens, or people with a lot of money to burn, but in the modern age it’s readily available for cooks of all walks of life. Sous vide translates to “under vacuum” in French. The term is used because when using a sous vide you vacuum seal the food in a bag then cook it in your precision heated water bath.

Another big advantage is the waste reduction. When you cook a prime rib traditionally, you’re going to lose a decent amount of meat but when you sous vide it, not only is it more juicy but it retains its size better. A mighty appealing prospect because who doesn’t want a plumper juicer prime rib?

A milk marinade?

We’ll be the first to admit that a milk marinated sous vide prime rib sounds dubious at best but we assure you that it works wonders. Let’s back it up to the two most common methods for tenderizing meats: Pounding it with a tenderizer, and marinating it. Pounding is self explanatory but marinades are different. Marinades don’t penetrate the surface of the meat, it can lead to an overly soft outside and a chew inside. That means choosing what your marinade is made of is probably one of the most important parts!

Popular ingredients include vinegar, and citrus due to their acidity, when done right they can leave meat tender but wait too long and they’ll dry it out, or worse, make it too soft. It’s difficult, but that’s when milk walks into the equation. If you’re from the South, or Midwest to an extent, then you might be familiar with whole milk and buttermilk marinades from Southern cooking. Milk soaked meat marinades tenderize but don’t make things chewy or mushy! The acid found in milk, and buttermilk, is just mild enough to soak the meat for hours without damaging the surface. Meaning you get perfectly marinated meat every time!