- Sous Vide Beef
- Dairy-free Mains
- Gluten-free Mains
- Steaks
- Porterhouse Steak
Thanks to precise temperature control, this steak turns out more consistently than traditional steak, every time.
By
J. Kenji López-Alt
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Updated March 03, 2024
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Why It Works
- Slow, precise cooking followed by high heat gives you perfectly even results with a nice dark crust.
Sure, with a little technique, it's not difficult to produce excellent steaks through pan-searing alone. But for flawlessly even edge-to-edge cooking and consistently foolproof results, sous vide is absolutely the better way.
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To achieve a nice crust along with that perfectly cooked meat, finish these sous vide steaks in a pan or on the grill. For information on what temperature settings to use and how long to cook steak sous vide, see the note at the bottom of this recipe.
Sous Vide Steak Guide | The Food Lab
Portions of this recipe were developed as part of our partnership with Anova Culinary.
March 2010
Recipe Details
Sous Vide Steaks
Prep20 mins
Cook65 mins
Active20 mins
Total85 mins
Serves4 steaks
Ingredients
2 (1 1/2– to 2-inch-thick) ribeye, strip, porterhouse, or T-bone steaks (about 1 pound/450g each), or 4 tenderloin steaks (6 to 8 ounces/170 to 225g each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs thyme or rosemary (optional)
2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 shallots, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil (if pan-searing; optional)
2 tablespoons (30g) butter (if pan-searing; optional)
Directions
Preheat a sous vide cooker to desired final temperature. (See note below for temperature and timing charts, or find the same charts here.) Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Place in sous vide bags along with herbs, garlic, and shallots (if using) and distribute evenly. Seal bags and place in water bath for desired time according to charts.
To Finish in a Pan: Turn on your exhaust vents and open your windows. Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Add vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil to a heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet, then place over the hottest burner you have and preheat skillet until it starts to smoke.
Gently lay steak in skillet, using your fingers or a set of tongs. If desired, add a tablespoon of butter; for a cleaner-tasting sear, omit the butter at this stage.
After 15 to 30 seconds, flip steak so that the second side comes into contact with the pan. Repeat, flipping steak every 15 to 30 seconds, until it has developed a nice brown sear, about 1 1/2 minutes total. If you did not add butter earlier, add butter to skillet about 30 seconds before steak is done for added richness. Serve steak immediately.
To Finish on the Grill: Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate.
Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Place steak directly over hot side of grill and cook, turning every 15 to 30 seconds, until a deep, rich crust has formed, about 1 1/2 minutes total. If the fire threatens to flare up as the steak drips fat into it, suffocate the fire by closing the grill lid until the flames die out. Alternatively, transfer steak to cooler side of grill, using a set of long tongs, until flames subside. Do not allow steak to become engulfed in flames.
Transfer cooked steak to a cutting board or serving platter and serve immediately.
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Special Equipment
Immersion circulator; tongs; heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet, or grill
Notes
Strip, Ribeye, Porterhouse/T-Bone, and Butcher's Cuts: Temps and Times
| Doneness | Temperature Range | Timing Range |
| Very rare to rare | 120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C) | 1 to 2 1/2 hours |
| Medium-rare | 129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C) | 1 to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C) |
| Medium | 135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C) | 1 to 4 hours |
| Medium-well | 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C) | 1 to 3 1/2 hours |
| Well-done | 156°F (69°C) and up | 1 to 3 hours |
Tenderloin: Temps and Times
| Doneness | Temperature Range | Timing Range |
| Very rare to rare | 120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C) | 45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours |
| Medium-rare | 129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C) | 45 minutes to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C) |
| Medium | 135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C) | 45 minutes to 4 hours |
| Medium-well | 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C) | 45 minutes to 3 1/2 hours |
| Well done | 156°F (69°C) and up | 1 to 3 hours |
Read More
- The 3 Best Ways to Cook Steak: A Pros and Cons List
- Sous Vide Cooking: How to Get Started
- Dry-Aged, Sous Vide, Torched-and-Seared Bone-InRibeyes (a.k.a. The Ultimate Steak) Recipe
- Reverse-Seared Steak Recipe
- Perfect Pan-Seared Steaks Recipe
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 369 | Calories |
| 26g | Fat |
| 0g | Carbs |
| 34g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 369 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 26g | 33% |
| Saturated Fat 11g | 57% |
| Cholesterol 106mg | 35% |
| Sodium 708mg | 31% |
| Total Carbohydrate 0g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 0g | |
| Protein 34g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 17mg | 1% |
| Iron 3mg | 18% |
| Potassium 380mg | 8% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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