The classic western food. No introductions necessary. To get the consistently perfect medium rare interior with a crisp seared exterior, a Sous Vide machine is paramount.
Ingredients
Serving: 1 person
- 1 1in thick CAB striploin steak
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp rosemary (fresh or dried)
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
Substitutions
- You can substitute any type of steak, but the cab striploin steak has a balance of flavour and tenderness. I have found tenderloin to lack flavour and tougher meats to be cumbersome to chew.
Equipment
Time
- Attended prep time: 10 minutes
- Unattended prep time: 13 hours
- Attended cook time: 5 minutes
- Unattended cook time: 0
Preparation:
- Season each side of the steak with 1 tsp of kosher salt and let air dry in the fridge for 8-12 hours3.
Instructions
- Season the steak with rosemary and vacuum seal (or use ziplock bags).
- Put in the water bath of 55C4.
- Leave for ~6 hours56.
- Remove the cooked steak from water bath.
- Preheat cast iron skillet to at least 550F78.
- Coat the steak with a thin layer of vegetable oil.
- Sear each side for 30 seconds.
- Remove and let steak cool for 5 minutes.
Serve
Can be served with mashed potatoes, steamed baby carrots, and red wine sauce.
Footnotes
I use ziplock bags and remove the air by putting the steak in and submerging it slowly in water until most of the air is out. The vacuum seal does not need to be perfect, just enough for water to make contact with the meat.↩︎
This is used to measure the surface temperature of the cast iron skillet. A good rule of thumb if you don't have a thermometer is to throw a few droplets of water on the skillet, the water should completely evaporate in less than 3 seconds if the skillet is hot enough and ready to sear.↩︎
I have often left the steak to air dry for upward of 24 hours. I haven't found much difference in flavour between 12 and 24 hours of aging.↩︎
Rare: 50C, Medium rare: 55C, Medium: 60C. Using Sous Vide would be pointless for anything beyond medium.↩︎
If cooking in a water bath below 55C, leave it for no more that 1.5 hours as that can incur safety concerns regarding spoilage and bacterial load.↩︎
I have found even 2 hours can be plenty, although 8 hours does provide mild benefits when it comes to tenderness of tougher cuts.↩︎
I tend to switch from C to F and vise versa depending on what I'm doing.↩︎
This is used to measure the surface temperature of the cast iron skillet. A good rule of thumb if you don't have a thermometer is to throw a few droplets of water on the skillet, the water should completely evaporate in less than 3 seconds if the skillet is hot enough and ready to sear.↩︎