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Sous Vide Steak

by Matt Kennard

140 to 145°F for medium-plus, a 10-minute rest, then a hard sear. Works for every thick cut, including the cheap ones worth knowing.

Serves
4
Bath time
1-3 hours
Total
2 hr 15 min
Bath temp
140°F / 60°C
Sous vide SearedBeefDinnerEntertainingMake-ahead
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Every steak I cook goes through the bath. Ribeye, strip, filet, sirloin, tri-tip -- the method does not change, only the time, and even that barely. The sear is the only part with any timing pressure, and it lasts a minute.

I run 140 to 145F, which comes out medium-plus: warm through, still juicy, no red center. That is how my table likes it. Adjust down for yourself -- 133 to 135 is medium-rare, 129 to 131 is rare -- and the method is otherwise identical.

Ingredients

4

Method

  1. Prep 140F for medium-plus

    Set the bath to 140F for medium-plus, or lower for less done.

  2. Prep sealed

    Bag the steaks plain. Vacuum seal, or a zip bag and the water displacement method.

  3. Heat 1-3 hours · through at bath temperature

    Cook 1 to 2 hours for a 1 to 1½ inch steak, 2 to 3 hours for anything thicker. From frozen, add 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. Rest 10 min · surface dry

    Take them out of the bag and rest them on a rack for 10 minutes. The surface dries as it sits, and the steak cools a little, so the sear builds crust instead of pushing the inside past where you set it.

  5. Prep dry and seasoned

    Pat completely dry, then season -- salt, pepper and garlic powder as the base.

  6. Heat 45-60 sec a side · crusted

    Sear in a ripping hot cast iron or stainless pan with a neutral oil, or over a hot grill. 45 to 60 seconds a side, no more. The steak is already cooked; you are building color.

  7. Rest 5 min · rested

    Rest 5 minutes with a coin of compound butter on top, and pour over a pan sauce if you are making one.

If it's not right

What you seeWhyWhat to do
Grey band under the crust The sear ran too long, or the pan was not hot enough when the steak went in. Hotter pan, shorter sear.
No crust Not dry enough, or it went to the pan straight from the bag. Rest it on a rack, then pat it dry twice.
More done than you wanted The bath was set too high. Drop the bath temperature, not the sear. The bath sets doneness.

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