How to Sous Vide Steak | Serious Eats

Steak is one of the most popular foods for first-time sous vide enthusiasts to cook, and with good reason. Cooking steak the traditional way, in a cast iron skillet or on the grill, leaves lots of room for error, and an over- or undercooked steak is a big mistake to make when there's a prime-grade dry-aged ribeye on the line. Sous vide cooking takes all of the guesswork out of the process, delivering steaks that are cooked to precisely the temperature you like each and every time. Not only that, because sous vide is such a gentle cooking process, you'll be able to achieve steaks that are more evenly cooked from edge to edge than what you'll find in even the best steakhouses in the world.

See More Like This!

Subscribe to Serious Eats!

Follow Us Elsewhere:

Serious Eats is a leading resource for all things food and drink: meticulously tested recipes that really work; in-depth, science-based explanations of cooking techniques; detailed reviews of cooking equipment; and guides to ingredients, dishes, and cuisines. We bring a democratic yet scientific approach to cooking the best dishes, busting food myths, and delivering strong opinions on what you should eat next, where, when, and why.

[simonmellor]

If I was cooking sous vide, I'd have that pan ungodly hot, oil smoking, then add a little more seasoning to get that crusty sear, then leave steaks down for 1 minute, whilst adding butter, garlic, and thyme, then flip, baste, 30 secs later, take steaks out, let them rest for 1 minute, and they're perfect for me, just a tad over medium rare, but utterly delicious. It such a personal thing though, so experiment with what works best for you, and enjoy.

[SousVideEverything]

Perfect steak EVERY TIME, 100% agreed!

[alyssadziminski]

*🤪🤪Great value for the money. Got this for my son and **MyBest.Kitchen** he made a 3 lb beef tenderloin for Christmas dinner. 😊😊😊Best filet I've had outside a top end steakhouse. ✅✅✅So good, I bought 2 for myself.*

[ianfong]

I prefer my cast iron pan hotter than that, I usually let it smoke for at least a minute first. Then I sear the fat cap first to get some oil in the pan. I also prefer oiling the meat, I feel like that gets it darker

[TheChiconspiracy]

You can do sous vide with thinner steak if you dunk the bag in ice water for about 30 seconds to lower the exterior temperature before searing, and also use a hotter searing application like a charcoal chimney starter. For non aged steaks you can give them a dry brine (about 1/2 a tsp of course salt per pound of meat) overnight in the fridge on a rack and it will do amazing things for their tenderness. You can even salt steaks and freeze them in the sous vide bag (or a ziplock bag) using a bowl of hot water to seal them.

[brutusmaximus]

Instead of a Searsall, I use a heat gun and dont worry about patting it dry. Water on the surface layer evaporates quickly when the heat gun is real close and on high. I just sear it that way till the right color is reached which is a dark brown with crispy burnt edges where the fat is located. I like to keep the hear gun longer on the fatty parts.

[peonchot]

To get a much better sear, let the steaks dry and rest in the fridge for 8-10mins before searing - gives it more time to sear, less greyness, more juices.

[NemanjaaVidic]

I know it doesn’t look good right now. But watch this

[lakeconroehouse]

This guy has a great personality and comes across very well.

[BiggMo]

7:52 to improve sear without overcooking, let the meat rest out of the sous vide (i do this in the bag/juices), drop temp to 120-124, this will give you more time in the pan to establish a crust. During the sear, you’ll essentially be bringing the meat back to 129 -130

[glenkay]

That torch over the pan full of grease looks like a good way to set your home on fire.

[pabuffa]

I did this yesterday on some decent ribeyea. About 1" thick. Seasoned with salt pepper garlic and onion. 130/1hour. Finished on hit grill to sear. Needed more salt me more time.

[pancudowny]

This sounds like a heck of a way to make burgers and breaded poultry pucks. (patties) Once they're pulled from the bath, just give 'em a quick pass or two with a kitchen torch, and they're perfect.

[AXLee]

If you place the steak in the fridge for 10 minutes, you can sear the steak 2x longer on the cast iron pan without overcooking the inside.

[nickcarnevalino]

throw the meat in the fridge for 15 min and you can get a better sear without messing with the internal temps.

[GreeneGene]

Coleman makes a support plastic ring stand to stabilize the propane tanks. I have one for my camp cooking small propane canister that I screw a burner top onto..

[nochaser]

When u pulled out the blow torch I hit the subscribe button 💯🤣👍🏾

[realcukiemonster]

Ok I had to pause this to advise people NOT to use the broader tanks actually, those green tanks will damage your torch if you tilt it during use, that's actually why you should be using the tank he is, those are made for use by plumbers so the torch isn't damaged when they have to turn it all different angles. I went through 2 torches before I finally realized the green tanks were what was messing them up.

[dinero]

Might want to invest into a flamethrower for a better sear

[seanfrank]

Tried this yesterday. Seared it too much on my grill. Steak was still good and flavourful but too well done because of over-searing. Going to try again and try to avoid the over-sear.