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Medium-Rare Sous Vide Steak for Dummies
Get ready to cook a perfect medium-rare steak without breaking a sweat. Sous vide is your secret weapon to impressing even the biggest steak snobs. No more babysitting your steak and crossing your fingers - with sous vide, you can truly set it and forget it. This recipe is meant to be a general guide to achieving medium-rare sous vide steak. I have recipes for specific cuts if you want to get into the nitty gritty! Make sure to scan the notes below for extra tips to help you nail it.
Ingredients
- 2 steaks, any cut, any weight
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tbsp ghee, or another high smoke point fat
Instructions
- Preheat your water bath using an immersion circulator to 124 degrees F for rare, 129 degrees F for medium-rare, 135 degrees F for medium, or 145 degrees F for well done. I like 129 degrees F for my steaks.Tip: Starting with hot water helps to preheat the bath faster!
- Season your steaks liberally with the kosher salt and pepper. Don't be shy! If you have the time, season your steaks a few hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to cook, or even consider dry brining.
- Vacuum seal the seasoned steaks or use another air removal method with a zipper top plastic bag or reusable bag.You can absolutely add multiple steaks to one bag - as many as will fit! Just keep them in a single layer; do not stack them.Tip: Cuff the bag a few times before adding the steaks to keep the seal line clean and ensure a good seal.
- Add the sealed bag of steaks to the preheated water bath and make sure they're submerged. I like to use sous vide magnets to keep bags in place in the bath, but you can also use a ceramic bowl or plate placed over the top if your bag is trying to float. Cook for 1-3 hours. I recommend at least 2 hours if using bone-in or frozen steaks.
- Remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the steak from the bag and place on a plate or cutting board. Pat the steak completely dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat until the skillet is smoking. Make sure to turn on the vent over your stove! Once smoking, add the ghee. Add the steak and sear for about 30 seconds on each side, until browned. Be careful to not go too long or you'll risk overcooking the steak. A grill press can be helpful for this if you have one.
- Remove the steak to a cutting board. Let rest for a few minutes, then slice, if desired. Serve with creamy horseradish sauce, chimichurri, or blue cheese butter.
Notes
The only piece of equipment you need to make this recipe is an immersion circulator. A vacuum sealer and a cast iron skillet are helpful, but you can use other air removal methods and a heavy duty skillet if you don't have either. If you don't have a dedicated sous vide container, a stock pot works just fine! I like to use sous vide magnets to keep my bags submerged, but if you don't have them and find your bags wanting to float, place a ceramic plate or bowl on top of the bag!
Feel free to use your favorite seasoning salt, like Montreal, in place of salt and pepper.
When cooking at temperatures less than 130 degrees F, never cook your food longer than 3 hours for food safety. 2 hours tends to be my go-to cook time for steak.
Ghee (clarified butter) is my preferred fat for searing because it has a high smoke point. Delicious butter flavor that won't burn! You can also use butter or anther oil with a high smoke point, like avocado oil.
The keys to a great sear? Drying the steak well and a smoking hot pan.
If you want your steaks to be different "donenesses," sous vide for the rarer temperature and sear the steak you'd like to be more done longer.
If you'd like to freeze the steak, I recommend doing so after vacuum sealing, before cooking. You can sous vide frozen steak.
Calories: 536kcal, Protein: 45g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Cholesterol: 157mg, Sodium: 118mg, Potassium: 606mg, Vitamin A: 34IU, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 4mg
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