The beauty of this approach is that it take the guess work out of meaty part of grilling a steak because the internal heat is simply a matter of physics. Pick your desired final internal temp. Let nature do its thing by waiting as the heat flows into the center of the steak and you get consistency.
As per the chart, the only two variables are thickness (which controls how long) and water bath temperature (which controls the internal heat). Thermal science, not magic. The timer isn’t as important as the water temperature. That’s what controls doneness.
How to Cook Perfect Steak with Sous Vide
For a tender steak, that means a bath around 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Whether it’s a thick ribeye or a thin flank steak make no difference, the temperature remains consistent. The variable is how long it spend in the water until it’s done. Since thicker steaks will take longer to reach temperature, they also has room to spend some additional time in the bath without being overdone. An inch-thick filet mignon may require an hour and a half, whereas a two-and-a-quarter-inch cowboy cut would of require three hours. Check out the chart below to get an idea of how long different thicknesses should sits in the bath. This ensures you’re not yanking a thick steak from the bath prematurely, and keeping its core cold.
After the steak comes out of bag though, you’re back into danger territory. This is when most folks mess up the precision they worked so hard on. They put the steak in the skillet for too long, overcooking the outside. Again, you want a crust, not an overcooked edge. You’re going for the Maillard reaction in less than a minute per side. Put that steak in the pan for two minutes and you’ll obliterate all of the edge-to-edge precision you spent hours building through long cook.
Pat the steak thoroughy dry before placing it in the pan. Gray meat = steamed meat. And wet meat in the pan will steam. Quick contact with high heat, that’s the ticket.
You should also consider the cut when thinking about timing. Fatty, marbled steaks such as flat iron and ribeye is ideal candidates for sous vide cooking: Intramuscular fat renders slowly during the long, low-temperature cook time, permeating the meat fibers with lusciousness. While lean cuts (such as top sirloin) remain tender, there’s no textural change different than that of fattier steak. The graphic ranks the cuts, explaining how ribeyes comes very close to perfection with this treatment: Fat caps melt into the meat at such temps, transforming a tough slab of chewiness into smooth luxury.
That is how it works. Another thing people commonly miss is seasoning. Salt your steak, at minimum, 15 minutes before putting it into a bag. By doing this, the salt doesn’t just sit on top of the steak. It actualy goes into muscle fibers instead of washing away during cooking.
When vacuum sealing your product, the lack of air forces the water to flow right onto meat. If there is no direct contact between the water and the meat, you’ll have cold spots and therefore won’t cook evenly. The circulation help prevent inconsistent results.
Sous vide is pretty safe if you’re keeping it above 130 degree Fahrenheit for a long cook time. At these temps bacteria don’t thrive, so you can relax while the bath does its work. Just keep your eye on overcooking, which will make things turn to mush on tender cuts left in too long. Tenderloin should be done within four hours, typically, after which point it begin to fall apart. Tougher cuts like ones with more connective tissue benefits from longer cooks as they break down the collagen and form gelatin. Cook until it’s as tender as desired.
But then, when you do get to eat your steak, what a difference! There is no grey gradient; instead, it has the same texture all the way through. It has a crunchy crust and juicy insides, something regular grilled steaks has trouble achieving. Temperature is something you trust rather than worry about; the timer doesn’t matter as much once you set the temp. It’s worth the work, the precision pays off, and what used to be a gamble becomes an assurance for dinner.