Sous Vide Steak

14 Comments

  1. That’s great. You mention everything except flavor. My grilled and seared steak will taste must better than your vacuum sealed water bath steak.

    1. Nicholas – We have a follow-up post coming where we’ll tackle what do do after the steak, fish, etc. comes out of the water bath. You’ll want to sear the outer layer to produce a crispy, flavorful crust.

    2. I just bought a Anova One Precision Cooker and made my first sous vide Ribeye steak yesterday for steak and eggs. FANTASTIC. I have never tasted a steak like the one I cooked yesterday. I had purchased a prime grade of Ribeye steak and I wanted to cook it to my exact doneness. I’m also aware of the nice crust and flavor you get when grilling a good steak, but seriously, I never have tasted a steak like I did yesterday. I’ve read that when the steak hits the correct temperature, you can remove it from the bag and dry the steak with paper towels to subsequently sear the steak on a cast-iron pan for an effective Maillard reaction. I was crunched for time so I skipped the sear in the pan and just served the steak sliced for steak and eggs. I’m hooked on my sous vide cooking.

  2. You need to go on beyond the sous vide. The steak coming out of the water bath at 120-130 is pale and naked looking. I used the cooler method a couple times and then bought a cheap circulator on eBay. It takes a minute or so in a hot skillet to add some crust and allow you to serve it hot with a little butter. I suppose fish would need the same attention. Hope you have a follow on soon.

    1. Following up sous-vide cooking a steak by searing on a skillet can certainly be done, but for me wasn’t necessary. I couldn’t believe the flavor of my steak without searing. Sure, you’ll get a Maillard reaction by searing, but I was lazy and didn’t want to sear. I certainly disagree with fish. I made a salmon that was phenomenal without a sear. It had great texture and taste without searing. For me, my wife and kids it tasted great.

  3. Sounds great but how do you get a steak seasoned properly and the top and bottom browned and brazed to get the normal steak taste

    1. Great question, and something we’ll be sure to tackle in a future blog post. Seasonings can be added to the meat before it’s vacuumed sealed. Not the rosemary with the steak and the lemon and chives with the salmon in the vacuum packs – in the photos. After your food is cooked, you can sear it in a hot pan, or if you’re super serious, take a blow torch to the surface of the food and get the Maillard reactions started. That will crisp up the outer layer and make it savory and delicious.

  4. It is not true that you cannot overcook food using sous vide. You cannot overheat food, yes, but cooking is a function of temperature and time. For example, I have cooked cod sous vide at the same temperature, but for different times. In both cases the fish equilibrated to the bath temp. The shorter time resulted in fish with a proper texture and was pleasing to eat. The longer time caused the flesh to become mushy in texture and it was not pleasing to eat. This may not be as apparent for a steak, but it is misleading to suggest that you cannot overcook food using sous vide. Another way to think about it is how does pasteurization work? It can be accomplished with higher temperatures in less time or at lower temperatures for a longer time (see Douglas Baldwin’s white paper.) At the lower temperature, enzymatic reactions are sped up relative to body temperature, proteins slowly denature, eventually the bacteria die. It just takes longer at lower temperature. The same reactions are happening in meat–changes are happening as a function of time once the meat equilibrates to the bath temp. A primary effect is on texture. The 24 hour short rib reaches bath temperature in a few hours, but it is by no means “done”. Time is needed to break down the structural proteins that ultimately result in a tender product. A one week short rib would probably not be very pleasing to eat.

  5. It seems that there is something important that has been left out of this article. This method never raises the temperature of the exposed outside surfaces which bare the potential for the presence of bacterial contamination, to a temperature high enough to kill the bacteria. I would hope that there is a final step on the bbq or grill that will kill any external bacteria.

  6. @Gary G.

    There are a of couple options. First is use a quality product where the meat is intact. No ground meat. No tenderizing by penetration. This minimizes risk of surface bacteria and the inside of meat is generally considered bacteria-free. A strong brine followed by a rinse will also reduce surface bacteria. Aesthetically, searing following cooking is desirable for many meats and will reduce surface bacteria. Some people even sear prior to sous vide.

    Another approach is to refer to the pasteurization tables in Appendix C of this white paper:

    It is possible to essentially sterilize food using the appropriate time@temperature conditions. Rapid chilling in an ice bath following pasteurization will result in a product that is safe for weeks if kept very cold (not freezing.) Airlines have been doing this for years.

  7. Your sous vide steak recipe is absolutely mouthwatering! The precision of the cooking method really brings out the perfect tenderness and juiciness in the meat. I love how your recipe highlights the natural flavors of the steak while adding just the right amount of seasoning. Can’t wait to give it a try!

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