How to Cook the Perfect Steak Using Sous Vide

In this instructable, my friend Justin and I will show you how to cook the perfect steak using sous vide. Sous vide is a method of cooking in which the item being cooked is placed in a bag or sometimes a jar and cooked in a water bath for a long period of time at a very low temperature. This ensures even cooking throughout. I had my doubts about cooking my steak sous vide style, but oh my does it taste amazing, perfectly medium rare, just how I like it. With that said, you can adjust the temp and get medium, medium well, and well done if you prefer. Cooking a steak using sous vide is easy to do, I we can do it, you can do it, let's get started!

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If you have any questions or comments leave them down below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Follow the easy steps below or watch the video tutorial or do both. :)

Step 1: Ingredients/Tools

You can print the recipe here if you want.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of Steak (we use a New York strip in the video)
• 1/2 tsp. of salt (2g)
• 1/2 tsp. of onion powder (2g)
• 1/2 tsp. of pepper (2g)
• 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder (2g)
• Avocado oil for searing (you can use other oils)
• 2 Tbsp. of butter for basting

**You can play with the amounts of the seasonings according to your tastes.

Tools:

• Sous Vide machine
• Container (Igloo or Special Sous Vide container)
• Cast iron skillet or normal skillet or use your BBQ Grill
• plate
• paper towels or clean kitchen towels
• straw
• ziplock freezer bag or silicon reusable bag

Cooking Temps for Steak:

• Rare (120 F/49 C)
• Medium-Rare (129 F/54 C)
• Medium (135 F/57 C)
• Medium Well (145 F/63 C)
• Well-Done (156 F/69 C)

*Some cuts of steak take less time then others but generally 1 to 3.5 hours is long enough to get the desired doneness.

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Step 2: Season That Steak!

First let's season our steaks. We are using a New York Strip cut in this demonstration. Season the steak with some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Make sure to get both sides. You may also season the steak once it is in the bag already.

Step 3: Bag It

Now we need to bag the steak, a little trick to keep the seasonings and steak juices off the zip lock part is to fold the top part of the bag over. Place the steak in and we are ready for the next step.

Step 4: Vacuum Seal It

Now we need to vacuum seal the steak. We do this so the bag and steak doesn't float at the top. You can use the straw method where you push most of the air out then suck the rest out with a straw then seal it really quick. Or you can use the water method where you place the bag in the water and allow the water pressure to force the air out then seal it. OR you can use a professional vacuum sealer too if you like. :) Also you will notice we are just using a small deep igloo container for our sous vide, but you can buy containers more specific to it. The container doesn't matter a ton, as long as it is really deep.

Step 5: Attach and Turn It On

Next we attach our sous vide machine to our container and turn it on to our desired temp. Since we want a medium-rare steak we are going to set it at right around 129 F. And let it cook for 3 hours. Some cuts of meat will take less time.

Here is a handy chart for temps:

Cooking Temps for Steak:
Rare (120 F/49 C)

Medium-Rare (129 F/54 C)

Medium (135 F/57 C)

Medium Well (145 F/63 C)

Well-Done (156 F/69 C)

*Some cuts of steak take less time then others but generally 1 to 3.5 hours is long enough to get the desired doneness.

*Also one note if you really want a super well done steak, there really isn't a reason to cook via sous vide, just slap in on the grill or skillet and cook until there is no pink whatsoever in the middle. : )

Step 6: Remove and Dry It

After the 3 hours are up we take the steak out of the bag and pat it dry with paper towel or a clean cloth towel. Notice how the steak looks grey? That is perfectly normal. Then after it is dry place the steak in the fridge for about 10 minutes while the skillet and oil are heating up. It is important that the steak gets dry. We don't want there to be excess water on the steak.

Step 7: Heat and Sear

Next we heat up our skillet with about 2 Tbsp. or so of oil. We are using avocado oil, but you can use your favorite oil. The heat is set to medium high, so we have it really hot. Then drop in the steaks and sear each side. It doesn't take very long, all together the searing only takes about 2 minutes total for all the sides. See how the grey steak winds up looking amazing. :) Top them off with butter at the end if you like.

Alternatively you can sear off the steak on your BBQ grill if you like. Especially if you already have the grill ready for other foods like veggies or pineapple, etc.

Step 8: Remove and Rest

Now remove the steaks from the skillet and place on a plate or cutting board and allow the steak to rest for a few minutes. Now cut into it and enjoy! :)

Step 9: Video Tutorial

Now watch those steps in action by checking out the video tutorial. :)

Comments

[GrzegorzK1]

Thx for sharing.

Question tho, aren't those fridged steaks cold when finished? After all only spend only 2 min on the pan so no way they will get hot inside.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

No not cold at all. :) The pan is really hot and it warms them right back up after searing. not everyone puts the steaks in the fridge, you can probably skip that step, but definitely don't skip drying the steak. We don't want it wet when adding to the hot skillet.

[craftyv]

Thanks for the vid and all the tips and temperature details etc. My son and I have been Sous Vide ing for some time now and find it very successful. The main point for us is how we can set it up with the timer etc carry on with our day and not stand there watching it, in the sure knowledge it will be perfect. I hope some people try it and think of that angle.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

You are welcome! Yeah it is so awesome just a short prep, then walk away come back get a quick seer and boom! ready a perfect steak.

[jshtex]

Does the Avocado Oil your searing in add to or change the flavor? I have never used it and am just curious.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

It doesn't really add to it or change it. :) You can use pretty much any high heat oil. Avocado oil is on the expensive side as well. But it is fairly healthy. haha

[memjr73]

I tried the sous vide thing and it is definitely not for me. I get that is gets you the perfect steak, but 1 it takes entirely too long for me and 2 it still needs to be seated when it comes out of the sous vide so you'll end up getting angrily/skillet dirty anyway.
The only reason I am willing to wait a long time for meat to get done is if I am slow cooking/smoking brisket or ribs and such.

In the end, the solution for me was to learn how to cook a perfect steak on the skillet/grill using the 3 finger test. Very easy to learn and the steak comes out perfect every time!.

[gromanski]

I sear on my grill on one side while I sear the top using a grilling blow torch. Perfect temperature and texture.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

I still regularly cook my steaks on the grill as well, or in the skillet (Gordon Ramsay method) But sous vide is pretty cool. My friend Justin the on in the video with me does it everyday, and lots of people seem to like it, so I thought I would show it. With that said it is way easier to get a perfect steak with sous vide then grilling it on a grill outside at least for beginners. But then again, it also requires owning the sous vide machine. haha