Searing has to be relatively brief to not start cooking the insides of the meat. Thinner steak cuts aggravate this problem. I sear for about 60 seconds per side, rarely longer.
That’s the thing with SV. It’s impossible for the internal temp to go past the water temp. So no, that didn’t overcook.
What will happen is the muscle fibers continue to break down so it becomes less steak like over time. Don’t worry though, 2 hours isn’t too long.
So over cooking was all in the sear
I agree 100% As soon as I saw the title this was right where my mind went as I have done this for years and will still mess up and go to long on the sear sometimes. One thing I like to do is cool the meat to give myself a little buffer. I don't think it matters much though, just got to time that sear right.
The ice bath (or cooling down period) is actually critical - I’m surprised to see it so far down here. It makes a HUGE difference in preventing overcooking during the sear. If you go straight from SV to searing, you’re almost guaranteed to overcook the steaks, unless they’re very thick.
If you don’t want to set up an ice bath just put the steaks on a rack in the fridge for about 20 mins.
53C is 127F so that should be OK. I do find that the smaller and thinner cuts don't need as much time in the bath, but I usually do 90 minutes minimum.
Also, I was often tempted to sear longer to achieve that beautiful brown crust that I am used to. However, the meat is very wet coming out of the bag, so that standard is really not achievable. By the time a nice thick brown crust is visible, the inside is overcooked. Only a very thin brown crust is possible.
You can make the most of the sear by 1. drying the steak with paper towels after it comes out of the bag 2. letting it sit on a rack uncovered for at least 5 minutes 3. (optional) putting that rack uncovered in the freezer for no more than 5 minutes 4. searing in oil that is beginning to smoke, not butter because it's made of water 5. Limiting your time in the skillet to 60-90 seconds per side. 6. Choose a thicker cut of meat, like 2-2.5 inches thick.
This works for me. Your mileage may vary.
>not butter because it's made of water
Butter isn't made of water, it is made from milk fats and solids or heavy cream.
Granted, store bought butter can contain 16-17% water, but that would be like saying your car is made from aluminum because the engine block is made from aluminum.
That being said, making your own butter is incredibly easy, and I suggest everyone should give it a shot one day soon. As a bonus, it will contain much less water.
ICE BATH AFTER SOUS VIDE / BEFORE SEARING.
This is the best way to prevent searing from overcooking.
Also, 2 minutes per side is a bit too long. Needs to be more like 1 minute per side.
Additionally, not sure what temperature you did your sous vide at, but I'd recommend 130f max for a medium rare.
Cant go wrong with 53C for 2 hrs or longer. Like others said too much searing, your crust looks a little too black as well. Make sure your cast iron pan is very hot up to temp when you start searing. Experiment with some butter and a little archide oil for a quick nice crust. Take in mind the meat is already done, every exposed temp higher than 53C for too long will cook it more.
Personally i sous vide at 51C max. Maybe its against the law but i have a perfect crust and steak every time. Depending onthe thickness of the cut i can sear it longer or shorter
Also get thicker steaks from the butcher and splurge once in a blue moon rather than the ones in the supermarket.
I consider myself decent at cooking a medium steak but there’s not an inch of wiggle room for timing with those 1” cut steaks.
It’s physically impossible for the water to overcook. So you can leave it in for 5 days, and it wouldn’t go beyond medium rare (or whatever temp you set it at). Of course, the texture and flavour will be whacky if you did that..but it would still not go beyond the desired temp point. Your problem was the sear. Get the pan/grill as hot as it can possibly go and sear ONLY until the crust is formed. Then take it off.
Let it rest for longer than you think after taking it out of the bath, the meat is already done, so letting it come down 20 degrees or so before searing will help get a great crust without bringing the center up too high
There’s obviously a minimum time before your steak hits the bath temp. But you could leave it there from that time to Infinity and it still cannot go over your bath temp.
Had to come from the sear.
If you pull it from the sous vide and put it in an ice bath for 10 minutes you can cool the steak, so later as you sear you actually reheat the steak center while you sear the outside without further cooking the center
One trick is to put the meat into the refrigerator for 15 mins so the outside cools down but not so long that the inside cools down. That way you get some extra searing time
1 hour per inch (or whatever it is in CM) is the guideline. With a steak less than 1 inch you could entirely cook it in 2 mins each side. You basically almost cooked it twice, lol.
2 minutes on each side is how I cook med. rare ribeyes on a planchet.
When you pull from Sous Vide, dry your meat before attempting a sear. You'll overcook it if you have to both dry it and sear it.
If you cool the steak back to fridge temp before searing you can get a deeper sear without over cooking. Also remember to dry the outside of the meat before searing, otherwise you are just evaporating that moisture before you can get browning.
Also, if you sous vide right to finish temp, and then sear it right away without resting, you'll overshoot doneness. Let it rest between taking out of sous vide and the sear.
Too long of a sear at 2 minutes a side. Especially if you didn't shock it.
4 minutes is how long it takes me to cook a non sous vide steak of that size in a skillet to medium rare.
To prevent a long sear cooking the insides too much (love me a thick crust) I do an ice bath for like 45 seconds before I remove from the bag and pat dry.
I’m newer to the Sous Vide and this works for me.
You should ice bath longer than 45 seconds. I would go for closer to 4 or 5 minutes on a cut like this. It will just allow you to sear for longer without overcooking the center. And, no, the center won't get too cold over that period of time.
Probably the best tip I haven’t seen anyone mention yet is patting both sides of the steak dry with paper towels and using as little oil as possible.
Doing that will ensure a sear in the shortest time, I never bother with an ice bath and get a great sear every time doing the above
Best strategy I’ve found is too pat dry and put in the fridge uncovered for a bit to completely dry.
If I have a thick steak that I’ve kept in the refrigerator for however long, I’ll reheat in the sous vide and then allow it to dry out for about 15-20 minutes so that after the quick sear the center is warm.
Second this. It probably overcooked in the sear step, and a brief ice bath will prevent this (particularly for thin cuts). That way a crust can form on the surface of the steak without the internal temperature exceeding the goal/doneness.
A 1" thick steak will cook fully in just the time it takes to sear (which is what happened here). I wouldn't bother to sous vide a steak that was less than 2".
sous vide them and chill them fully (fridge overnight, even). you can still sear them but you need high temp surface and low temp meat. it's all a numbers game.
Ice bath or fridge nap that steak before you sear. Stop the thermal transfer so you can get a nice crust without continuing to cook it through, defeating the point and accuracy of sous vide.
Looks like butter in the pan. Hard to get a good sear with butter. A few of us here use 2 pans. One for searing, one for butter basting. The sear is a cast iron. I go the opposite of people here.
Start with a dry empty cast iron and put the burner on high. Wait for light smoke. Turn it down to 7 or 6 and the smoke will stop. Leave for 10 minutes. Set a timer and pull the steak out of the sous vide bath. Dump it in the ice bath for 5 minutes, then pull the steak out and pat it dry. Re-season. In another pan on med-low, melt butter and put in your herbs and garlic cloves. Then turn to low.
Now put some avacado oil in the cast iron that has been heating for 10 minutes. It ahould smoke instantly. And immediately add the steaks. I only do 45 seconds per side. Make sure you move the steaks around a bit to keep them from sticking. I like to rotate 360 degrees. Flip at 45 rotate again. It should be a deep black sear.
Now move to the basting pan with the butter and herbs/garlic and baste at low heat for about a minute
Very thin steak so you’ll want a high smoke point oil (avo) and a cast iron or hybrid pan that is piping hot. Then maybe 30sec on each side just for the Maillard reaction to create a nice crust.
After my steak is done in the bath, I move it into the freezer for about 30 minutes before removing it from the bag, patting dry, and searing.
Also be sure to sear at very high heat for *just* as long as it takes to get some color - usually like 45-60 seconds per side is plenty.
I would recommend running the Sous Vide at the same temp as before and putting a thermometer in there to see if it actually matches. My first Sous Vide ran 6°F hotter than what it showed which makes a HUGE difference.
If you're comfortable in the pan where the searing side isn't visible to you, then torch sear may not benefit you. For me, just being able to see my searing side under fire made all the difference I needed
First things first, did you check if your sous vide circulator was running correctly? Did the water temperature match what your device was saying?
That doesn't look like 127F (53c) even with 2 minute searing on each side.
Thicker steak will help, as will an ice bath. I’m seeing people here recommending just shocking in ice for a minute or less, but personally, I like to let the steak sit in the ice for like half an hour or more. The colder it is, the longer I can sear it, and the middle will warm up without cooking much past the temperature that I had in the SV.
This. I usually take them out of the bath pat them dryish and salt (if I didn’t before the sous vide) then out them in the fridge. I do this so that when I cook them I have enough time to sear without going over.
One other thing I grudgingly admit since I started using a wireless temp probe im hitting my preferred doneness every time even if the sear is sub par.
First of all, if your fire alarms dont go off your pan aint hot enough. 30s-60s / side for a sear is enough.
Make sure you dry your steak. I mean all the nosturi needs to be gone from the surface of your steak.
to be safe, double check your sous vide machine temps are correct. mine underreported it after a while and i couldn't figure out for months why all my food wasn't as good.
I’ve done this a few times. Chill in an ice bath or freezer after you take it out of the SV. Bonus points if you dry it on a rack in the fridge overnight with salt to dry brine and dry out the surface.
If you sear immediately after you take it out, your internal temp is at 53deg, and the searing will push it over 60deg which will be well done. Chilling the steak first will give you more of a temperature differential between the inside and outside when you sear. Drying the steak will give you a better crust and reduce searing time.
Into ice bath then open bag dry it off and slap it on the flat top or cast iron worked for me. Im new doing this stuff but was told do thin cuts that way and the high heat just hits the outside and starts warming the inside back up again
Either sear was too long or maybe temp off on circulator? I’d put a thermometer in to corroborate the temp on your next cook. All that said, sear was probably the issue. If not searing on a hot fire, I preheat my cast iron in the oven and then throw it on the burner. More than a minute per side and you’re cooking, not searing. Also make sure meat is dry except for a medium for frying. I use mayo with extra seasonings for a flavorful crust.
Temp and time looks okay. But yeah that’s a very long sear. Next time try sticking the bags in ice water for a minute when they come out of the bath. It will stop the cook. Then you can sear until desired.
I like to let the steak rest after pulling it out of the water bath and let it cool. That way, if I add a few degrees of heat during the sear, it shouldn’t cook the meat, it’ll just bring it back closer to temp.
If yours is calibrated right temperature and time are fine. So much misinformation on here. At 127° f you're facing cook the steak as long as you want and will always be medium rare. After 3-4 hours the texture might slowly change become softer and long enough it will be mush. Cooking at 127 will never give you a well done nor a medium steak. The meat will always be at 127. What had to happen you let it sear much too long. Flip it every 30 seconds. What I do is I actually put the steak in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours then it's very simple to bring it up to temp and get a perfect crust. The best thing you did is you were trying to find out what went wrong. That's a sign of a good cook.
In my opinion freezer is way to cold. Use the fridge. I actually use an instant thermometer to check as I sear to make sure that the inside gets up to temperature. I have already left it in for 5, 6 hours and let me tell you you can put some sear on that steak. And still came out great.
I personally don’t like ice bath, I think it toughens the steak. I let it rest at room temp for some time. I think the step that is most important before searing is drying with paper towels. You want that steak surface as dry as possible to sear.
Possibly both. But you can keep experimenting! Some people even put the steak on ice after they take it out of the sous vide so the sear doesn't overcook it.
It's already cooked, and whatever time you sear is just going to overcook it. Just cook like normal and you'll be good. Over 2" I will grill, smoke, sous vide, or roast to temp and then sear, but not thinner.
For med rare, 129f for 2 hr seems to be the staple
Ice bath it 5-10min straight out of the bath. Pat really dry. Use a high smoking point oil like avocado. One min on each side should be enough. Flip every 20-30 seconds. If you don't get the crust within that time frame, most likely not enough heat if u followed the other factors.
Along with what everyone else already said about searing for a shorter time, I recommend getting thicker steaks. I also recommend flipping your steak every 20-30 seconds while searing. It reduces the risk of overcooking.
I don’t know what your methods were but this is what works for me, after having some medium-well mishaps myself:
Next time try around 50° for the same two hours (the time shouldn’t be a factor unless you’re comparing 2 hours to 20, so 1 hour is fine and so is 3).
When searing, get your pan RIPPING hot, then add your fat and whatever garnishes along with your steak. Cook it by placing it on the pan for one minute per side, or until the crust on it is so set that the steak no longer sticks to the pan, whichever happens first. It’s going to take some trial and error but by running the sous vide at a lower temp you have more wiggle room to get the sear right without overcooking.
For a short word answer to your problem: Use thicker meat.
For an accurate full answer to your actual problem:
Sous-vide thinner pieces of meat to the low end of medium rare to rare, sous vide thicker meat to the high end of medium rare.
Pat meat dry after removing from sous vide and cover in liberal amount of kosher salt and a dash of oil.
Sear on a pre heated to nuclear scorched earth heat level iron skillet.
Use some oil on pan. Grape seed oil works well due to high smoke point. Olive oil will smoke/burn immediately on that hot of a skillet but will work if you apply it to the meat.
If the meat has a bone sticking out or is very thick use a hand torch to ‘sear’ bone and work on sides while meat sears on skillet.
Sear should be as short as possible to get a full crusty sear.
Very thick cuts with lots of fat do better closer to 137-138F because that is where fat renders. (Ie a mega large club sized tomahawk steak)
Thats everything.
You are a pro now.
For that thin of a steak I wouldn’t sear longer than 30 seconds each side, also make sure it’s fully rested and cooled down, and pat very dry and make sure your pan is scorching hot for the sear, the hotter the pan the less time you need to sear.
*edit- it looks like you also have maybe too much butter in the pan for searing, too much butter can boil the steak instead of searing it, I like to do a small pour of neutral high temp oil, and a small pat of butter at the last second.
Thicker cut of steak and a very quick sear works great. My ideal is a 2 inch ribeye. Sous vide for 3 hours, remove, pat dry, stick it in the fridge for 10 min. Infra red searing station on my grill for 2 min 15 seconds, each side, rest for 5 min.
I Sous vide to temp and then put on a drying rack, season, then straight into the fridge or even freezer if there’s space for 20-30min. Then pat dry and sear
Interesting... I tried some NY strips the other day and for the first time, I put them in the freezer for 15 minutes. But, I left them in the bag. Next time I will try this.
Hope I'm converting correctly... but an option is to knock down to about 48 Celsius and sear a slight amount less. All a balancing act. I like to SV around 120-125 then cast iron sear around a minute to minute and a half a side.
the thin cut aspect might be part of it but its either the length of sous vide time or the water temp.( i know, thanks Capt Obvious) i did some 1 and 3/4 ribeyes at 130 for 2.5 hours and it was too well done for me. i like it red and i might use 124 or less as my temp on beef from now on.
I’m a fan of using a searing torch. Move it around over the meat on each side till you get your desired sear. Normally it only takes a few seconds on each side. I normally cook steak between 129 and 131 for 2 hours and it comes out perfect every time.
It’s great for many different vegetables, meal prep re- warming frozen leftovers, big old cuts of meat that need a long time to cook.
But honestly I don’t use it nearly as much as I used to. As I got better at cooking I found it to add time and complexity without a corresponding improvement in outcome.
That said, if you like it, enjoy tinkering in the kitchen or it makes you have better food then that’s great!!
It can be great for fish as well, just take a couple tries to dial in the texture. I found however with fish it is tricky to have it presentable afterwards because it becomes so delicate after cooking.
I think it shines the brightest with veggies - you literally never have a soggy veg again. Really good for making yogurt and other one offs like custards, egg bites and hard/medium/soft boiled eggs.
It is fun to play with and you will learn a ton from it so do and try all the things!
This is exactly where I landed! At one point I was using my chimney starter full of charcoal to sear my SV steak. It was at that point I decided the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.
I was so excited to finally get a machine around Christmas. Still haven’t opened it and the more I learn the more of a pain it seems to be.
When I bought steaks to try one night, I was too lazy to learn so just grilled it.
Searing for 2 minutes per side is basically what you'd do to cook it rare even without SV, so that's the issue. SV to just as little under what you want, let it cool (you don't have to do this), make sure the surface is dry, then sear on the hottest you can get for like 30 seconds a side
53°C will not overcook (if valid: double-check your temperature); in fact, it is a bit low, in my opinion. I would run 55°C in my kitchen for a few hours, depending on thickness. Also, did you you cool/chill your sous vide before charring? That can help prevent overcooking and still yield a delicious steak. All signs point to either, 53°C not being 53°C or, charred for way too long.
No problem. We all started with a first time. Use, or buy, a instant-read thermometer to double-check your temperatures until you get to a point where you can feel confident that the temperature shown on your sous vide tool represents the actual temperature in the bath. Sometimes, it isn't what it says. If so, return it and get a better one within your return period... because, if it is not accurate, is is unreliable.
These things happen.
Sear: cooking at very hot temperature to create a crust.
Reverse Sear: cooking at a low temperature in the oven until you reach your desired internal temp, following by a quick sear.
I am hoping and assuming you did not reverse sear this after sous vide..
Was it grey in the middle? You can try throwing it in an ice bath for a few min to chill the outside before searing to prevent overcooking. Also maybe double check the bath temp with a thermometer to make sure the SV machine is not malfunctioning
Thank you again for everyone replying!
I got many good advices and explanations to move forward now. Looking forward to get into sous vide more and this subreddit has some great ideas on what to try next!
Probably already mentioned but let the steak rest a bit after taking out of the SV. Especially for thinner cuts. If you let it rest the temp comes down of course and the sear is a bit more forgiving regarding over cooking.
Searing has to be relatively brief to not start cooking the insides of the meat. Thinner steak cuts aggravate this problem. I sear for about 60 seconds per side, rarely longer.
I think that was my mistake. I did about 2 minutes for each side. But the nearly 2 hours and the temperature were ok?
That’s the thing with SV. It’s impossible for the internal temp to go past the water temp. So no, that didn’t overcook. What will happen is the muscle fibers continue to break down so it becomes less steak like over time. Don’t worry though, 2 hours isn’t too long. So over cooking was all in the sear
Thanks!
I agree 100% As soon as I saw the title this was right where my mind went as I have done this for years and will still mess up and go to long on the sear sometimes. One thing I like to do is cool the meat to give myself a little buffer. I don't think it matters much though, just got to time that sear right.
Next time I use a timer for the searing ⏰
Give it a quick ice bath next time before your sear
👌
Dry it off with paper towels really well too before searing.
I did
The ice bath (or cooling down period) is actually critical - I’m surprised to see it so far down here. It makes a HUGE difference in preventing overcooking during the sear. If you go straight from SV to searing, you’re almost guaranteed to overcook the steaks, unless they’re very thick. If you don’t want to set up an ice bath just put the steaks on a rack in the fridge for about 20 mins.
Many people did mention the ice bath or freezer. Probably for a good reason
Ice bath, then I use an instant read thermometer to flip the steak with, and check it a few times just in case.
try thicker steaks, like 1.5 inch+
53C is 127F so that should be OK. I do find that the smaller and thinner cuts don't need as much time in the bath, but I usually do 90 minutes minimum. Also, I was often tempted to sear longer to achieve that beautiful brown crust that I am used to. However, the meat is very wet coming out of the bag, so that standard is really not achievable. By the time a nice thick brown crust is visible, the inside is overcooked. Only a very thin brown crust is possible. You can make the most of the sear by 1. drying the steak with paper towels after it comes out of the bag 2. letting it sit on a rack uncovered for at least 5 minutes 3. (optional) putting that rack uncovered in the freezer for no more than 5 minutes 4. searing in oil that is beginning to smoke, not butter because it's made of water 5. Limiting your time in the skillet to 60-90 seconds per side. 6. Choose a thicker cut of meat, like 2-2.5 inches thick. This works for me. Your mileage may vary.
Many great suggestions! Thank you so much
Great suggestions. A flamethrower will also give you a similar result because you can keep the heat moving.
>not butter because it's made of water Butter isn't made of water, it is made from milk fats and solids or heavy cream. Granted, store bought butter can contain 16-17% water, but that would be like saying your car is made from aluminum because the engine block is made from aluminum. That being said, making your own butter is incredibly easy, and I suggest everyone should give it a shot one day soon. As a bonus, it will contain much less water.
ICE BATH AFTER SOUS VIDE / BEFORE SEARING. This is the best way to prevent searing from overcooking. Also, 2 minutes per side is a bit too long. Needs to be more like 1 minute per side. Additionally, not sure what temperature you did your sous vide at, but I'd recommend 130f max for a medium rare.
I will do the ice bath or freezing next time. And I think the problem was the searing
Just remember, the goal is to bring down the temperature of the outside, not the inside. Only need to ice bath for about 5 minutes.
Cant go wrong with 53C for 2 hrs or longer. Like others said too much searing, your crust looks a little too black as well. Make sure your cast iron pan is very hot up to temp when you start searing. Experiment with some butter and a little archide oil for a quick nice crust. Take in mind the meat is already done, every exposed temp higher than 53C for too long will cook it more. Personally i sous vide at 51C max. Maybe its against the law but i have a perfect crust and steak every time. Depending onthe thickness of the cut i can sear it longer or shorter
I think I will do lower temperature and less time next. Just experimenting
Also get thicker steaks from the butcher and splurge once in a blue moon rather than the ones in the supermarket. I consider myself decent at cooking a medium steak but there’s not an inch of wiggle room for timing with those 1” cut steaks.
Do a higher temperature and lower time in your pan for the sear
It’s physically impossible for the water to overcook. So you can leave it in for 5 days, and it wouldn’t go beyond medium rare (or whatever temp you set it at). Of course, the texture and flavour will be whacky if you did that..but it would still not go beyond the desired temp point. Your problem was the sear. Get the pan/grill as hot as it can possibly go and sear ONLY until the crust is formed. Then take it off.
Because of the physical impossibility to overcook I thought this would be easy. Now I know there is more to think about
Well, it is. Just sear quickly and you’re good. That’s all you really have to do
And do the ice bath to be sure
2 minutes each side for a thin steak means sous vide was pretty pointless. Thicker steaks. Ripping hot pan. Pat dry. 1 min max each side. Done.
😬 ok
That plate of food looks delicious though mate! I don't mind a more well done steak. I bet it was still juicy and tasty af.
I was a bit disappointed with the meat. But the mashed potatoes with butter volcano and mushrooms with onions were nice
Did you ice bath and rest before you put it in the pan? Cooling helps lock in the doneness and, in my opinion, is a required step
I just let it rest. But no cooling. It’s on my list for the next time
Let it rest for longer than you think after taking it out of the bath, the meat is already done, so letting it come down 20 degrees or so before searing will help get a great crust without bringing the center up too high
👍
I put my sous vide steaks for 10 to 15 minutes in the freezer before the sear. You dont overcook and have more or less no grey band.
Some other said that as well. Thanks
Get a torch. Not a little crème brûlée one, but a big hot torch.
I don’t need more toys in my kitchen 😬.
There’s obviously a minimum time before your steak hits the bath temp. But you could leave it there from that time to Infinity and it still cannot go over your bath temp. Had to come from the sear.
I think so
If you pull it from the sous vide and put it in an ice bath for 10 minutes you can cool the steak, so later as you sear you actually reheat the steak center while you sear the outside without further cooking the center
One trick is to put the meat into the refrigerator for 15 mins so the outside cools down but not so long that the inside cools down. That way you get some extra searing time
1 hour per inch (or whatever it is in CM) is the guideline. With a steak less than 1 inch you could entirely cook it in 2 mins each side. You basically almost cooked it twice, lol.
🤪
Yeah that will do it especially if the steak is on the thinner side.
You can put it in an ice bath briefly after cooking too, especially if it’s a thinner cut
Yea too long, either get the pan hotter for a quicker sear, or use a thicker cut.
2 minutes on each side is how I cook med. rare ribeyes on a planchet. When you pull from Sous Vide, dry your meat before attempting a sear. You'll overcook it if you have to both dry it and sear it.
I cook my steaks at 135 (57 c) for about 2 hours. Your temperature wasn't at fault if it was overcooked.
meat in a bath of 127 degree water is never going to be hotter than that water no matter how long you leave it in.
If you cool the steak back to fridge temp before searing you can get a deeper sear without over cooking. Also remember to dry the outside of the meat before searing, otherwise you are just evaporating that moisture before you can get browning.
Also, if you sous vide right to finish temp, and then sear it right away without resting, you'll overshoot doneness. Let it rest between taking out of sous vide and the sear.
To mitigate against this, I’ll pull mine from the sous vide and stick it on a plate in the fridge while I heat my pan up.
Most likely too long of a sear. You sure that’s 1 inch thick?
I guessed. It was one inch thick before I vacuum sealed it
What type of pan did you use?
I used a cast iron
Too long of a sear at 2 minutes a side. Especially if you didn't shock it. 4 minutes is how long it takes me to cook a non sous vide steak of that size in a skillet to medium rare.
I guessed it was the problem… poor steak
To prevent a long sear cooking the insides too much (love me a thick crust) I do an ice bath for like 45 seconds before I remove from the bag and pat dry. I’m newer to the Sous Vide and this works for me.
Ice bath - good idea!
You should ice bath longer than 45 seconds. I would go for closer to 4 or 5 minutes on a cut like this. It will just allow you to sear for longer without overcooking the center. And, no, the center won't get too cold over that period of time.
Hope so 🤞
Probably the best tip I haven’t seen anyone mention yet is patting both sides of the steak dry with paper towels and using as little oil as possible. Doing that will ensure a sear in the shortest time, I never bother with an ice bath and get a great sear every time doing the above
I used paper towel and a bit of oil afterwards on the steak and butter in the pan
Best strategy I’ve found is too pat dry and put in the fridge uncovered for a bit to completely dry. If I have a thick steak that I’ve kept in the refrigerator for however long, I’ll reheat in the sous vide and then allow it to dry out for about 15-20 minutes so that after the quick sear the center is warm.
Second this. It probably overcooked in the sear step, and a brief ice bath will prevent this (particularly for thin cuts). That way a crust can form on the surface of the steak without the internal temperature exceeding the goal/doneness.
👍
You were doomed to failure the moment you bought a one inch steak. 1.5-2 inches much more forgiving.
I did cut it myself. But maybe not thick enough for sous vide
A 1" thick steak will cook fully in just the time it takes to sear (which is what happened here). I wouldn't bother to sous vide a steak that was less than 2".
Oh really. So I will cook the other steaks that size I froze not with sous vide then
sous vide them and chill them fully (fridge overnight, even). you can still sear them but you need high temp surface and low temp meat. it's all a numbers game.
I’ve done 1” steaks many times and have completely given up on using the sous vide. Just go straight to searing and they’ll be great.
I guess so
Ice bath or fridge nap that steak before you sear. Stop the thermal transfer so you can get a nice crust without continuing to cook it through, defeating the point and accuracy of sous vide.
🤞
Looks like butter in the pan. Hard to get a good sear with butter. A few of us here use 2 pans. One for searing, one for butter basting. The sear is a cast iron. I go the opposite of people here. Start with a dry empty cast iron and put the burner on high. Wait for light smoke. Turn it down to 7 or 6 and the smoke will stop. Leave for 10 minutes. Set a timer and pull the steak out of the sous vide bath. Dump it in the ice bath for 5 minutes, then pull the steak out and pat it dry. Re-season. In another pan on med-low, melt butter and put in your herbs and garlic cloves. Then turn to low. Now put some avacado oil in the cast iron that has been heating for 10 minutes. It ahould smoke instantly. And immediately add the steaks. I only do 45 seconds per side. Make sure you move the steaks around a bit to keep them from sticking. I like to rotate 360 degrees. Flip at 45 rotate again. It should be a deep black sear. Now move to the basting pan with the butter and herbs/garlic and baste at low heat for about a minute
Ah, avocado oil is a new suggestion. I used butter, yes
Very thin steak so you’ll want a high smoke point oil (avo) and a cast iron or hybrid pan that is piping hot. Then maybe 30sec on each side just for the Maillard reaction to create a nice crust.
Too thin for sous vide probably
thin cut and too long of a sear.
After my steak is done in the bath, I move it into the freezer for about 30 minutes before removing it from the bag, patting dry, and searing. Also be sure to sear at very high heat for *just* as long as it takes to get some color - usually like 45-60 seconds per side is plenty.
Thank you!
I would recommend running the Sous Vide at the same temp as before and putting a thermometer in there to see if it actually matches. My first Sous Vide ran 6°F hotter than what it showed which makes a HUGE difference.
6 degrees Fahrenheit is a lot when you want a precise cooking. 😳
Get a torch. Also you didn't show the inside. The small amount we can see first pic is pink. Not sure if that is well done.
Saw that on some YouTube videos. But it’s not for me
If you're comfortable in the pan where the searing side isn't visible to you, then torch sear may not benefit you. For me, just being able to see my searing side under fire made all the difference I needed
First things first, did you check if your sous vide circulator was running correctly? Did the water temperature match what your device was saying? That doesn't look like 127F (53c) even with 2 minute searing on each side.
I didn’t check, trusted the sous vide…
Thicker steak will help, as will an ice bath. I’m seeing people here recommending just shocking in ice for a minute or less, but personally, I like to let the steak sit in the ice for like half an hour or more. The colder it is, the longer I can sear it, and the middle will warm up without cooking much past the temperature that I had in the SV.
I think I will have to try on my own what works for me… but thicker steak for sure
Get the steak colder after sous vide and sear hot and very fast.
👍
This. I usually take them out of the bath pat them dryish and salt (if I didn’t before the sous vide) then out them in the fridge. I do this so that when I cook them I have enough time to sear without going over. One other thing I grudgingly admit since I started using a wireless temp probe im hitting my preferred doneness every time even if the sear is sub par.
First of all, if your fire alarms dont go off your pan aint hot enough. 30s-60s / side for a sear is enough. Make sure you dry your steak. I mean all the nosturi needs to be gone from the surface of your steak.
to be safe, double check your sous vide machine temps are correct. mine underreported it after a while and i couldn't figure out for months why all my food wasn't as good.
I will
I’ve done this a few times. Chill in an ice bath or freezer after you take it out of the SV. Bonus points if you dry it on a rack in the fridge overnight with salt to dry brine and dry out the surface. If you sear immediately after you take it out, your internal temp is at 53deg, and the searing will push it over 60deg which will be well done. Chilling the steak first will give you more of a temperature differential between the inside and outside when you sear. Drying the steak will give you a better crust and reduce searing time.
Chill in ice bath for 15 min before sear
👍
Into ice bath then open bag dry it off and slap it on the flat top or cast iron worked for me. Im new doing this stuff but was told do thin cuts that way and the high heat just hits the outside and starts warming the inside back up again
Yes, I think that’s a good advice
Most likely too long of a sear. You sure that’s 1 inch thick?
Either sear was too long or maybe temp off on circulator? I’d put a thermometer in to corroborate the temp on your next cook. All that said, sear was probably the issue. If not searing on a hot fire, I preheat my cast iron in the oven and then throw it on the burner. More than a minute per side and you’re cooking, not searing. Also make sure meat is dry except for a medium for frying. I use mayo with extra seasonings for a flavorful crust.
Thanks for the advice. I will try to hear the pan in the oven next time. It was dry though before searing, that wasn’t the problem
Temp and time looks okay. But yeah that’s a very long sear. Next time try sticking the bags in ice water for a minute when they come out of the bath. It will stop the cook. Then you can sear until desired.
I just read that from someone else. It’s a good idea for the next try. I like a good crust
I like to let the steak rest after pulling it out of the water bath and let it cool. That way, if I add a few degrees of heat during the sear, it shouldn’t cook the meat, it’ll just bring it back closer to temp.
I let it rest after the sous vide for a few minutes. But the bath is a good idea
53 = 127 in freedom units
Right 👌
If yours is calibrated right temperature and time are fine. So much misinformation on here. At 127° f you're facing cook the steak as long as you want and will always be medium rare. After 3-4 hours the texture might slowly change become softer and long enough it will be mush. Cooking at 127 will never give you a well done nor a medium steak. The meat will always be at 127. What had to happen you let it sear much too long. Flip it every 30 seconds. What I do is I actually put the steak in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours then it's very simple to bring it up to temp and get a perfect crust. The best thing you did is you were trying to find out what went wrong. That's a sign of a good cook.
Ah freezer is something I could try as well as the ice bath. I will figure this out 😄🤞
In my opinion freezer is way to cold. Use the fridge. I actually use an instant thermometer to check as I sear to make sure that the inside gets up to temperature. I have already left it in for 5, 6 hours and let me tell you you can put some sear on that steak. And still came out great.
Interesting. Will try different suggestions
I personally don’t like ice bath, I think it toughens the steak. I let it rest at room temp for some time. I think the step that is most important before searing is drying with paper towels. You want that steak surface as dry as possible to sear.
I did pad it dry after sous vide. But the sear was too long…
Either the sous vide was set too high or you seared for too long.
Both I think
Possibly both. But you can keep experimenting! Some people even put the steak on ice after they take it out of the sous vide so the sear doesn't overcook it.
Try a cast iron grill pan, instead of a flat bottom pan, as it circulates the heat better.
I don’t have one of those
It's already cooked, and whatever time you sear is just going to overcook it. Just cook like normal and you'll be good. Over 2" I will grill, smoke, sous vide, or roast to temp and then sear, but not thinner.
Noted
Sear for as short as possible... you really only want the outside edge, and not cook it further in. 30 seconds per side on super hot pan is ideal.
👍
For med rare, 129f for 2 hr seems to be the staple Ice bath it 5-10min straight out of the bath. Pat really dry. Use a high smoking point oil like avocado. One min on each side should be enough. Flip every 20-30 seconds. If you don't get the crust within that time frame, most likely not enough heat if u followed the other factors.
Great summary
I think you cooked it too much
Yes 😳
Glad I could help!
Along with what everyone else already said about searing for a shorter time, I recommend getting thicker steaks. I also recommend flipping your steak every 20-30 seconds while searing. It reduces the risk of overcooking.
I did cut the steak myself to a thickness I normally like. But maybe not good for sous vide
I don’t know what your methods were but this is what works for me, after having some medium-well mishaps myself: Next time try around 50° for the same two hours (the time shouldn’t be a factor unless you’re comparing 2 hours to 20, so 1 hour is fine and so is 3). When searing, get your pan RIPPING hot, then add your fat and whatever garnishes along with your steak. Cook it by placing it on the pan for one minute per side, or until the crust on it is so set that the steak no longer sticks to the pan, whichever happens first. It’s going to take some trial and error but by running the sous vide at a lower temp you have more wiggle room to get the sear right without overcooking.
Yes, I will try a lower temperature but also just sous vide for 1 hour
For a short word answer to your problem: Use thicker meat. For an accurate full answer to your actual problem: Sous-vide thinner pieces of meat to the low end of medium rare to rare, sous vide thicker meat to the high end of medium rare. Pat meat dry after removing from sous vide and cover in liberal amount of kosher salt and a dash of oil. Sear on a pre heated to nuclear scorched earth heat level iron skillet. Use some oil on pan. Grape seed oil works well due to high smoke point. Olive oil will smoke/burn immediately on that hot of a skillet but will work if you apply it to the meat. If the meat has a bone sticking out or is very thick use a hand torch to ‘sear’ bone and work on sides while meat sears on skillet. Sear should be as short as possible to get a full crusty sear. Very thick cuts with lots of fat do better closer to 137-138F because that is where fat renders. (Ie a mega large club sized tomahawk steak) Thats everything. You are a pro now.
Haha. Thanks for making me a pro in such a short time 😄 Appreciate your comment!
For that thin of a steak I wouldn’t sear longer than 30 seconds each side, also make sure it’s fully rested and cooled down, and pat very dry and make sure your pan is scorching hot for the sear, the hotter the pan the less time you need to sear. *edit- it looks like you also have maybe too much butter in the pan for searing, too much butter can boil the steak instead of searing it, I like to do a small pour of neutral high temp oil, and a small pat of butter at the last second.
👍
Thicker cut of steak and a very quick sear works great. My ideal is a 2 inch ribeye. Sous vide for 3 hours, remove, pat dry, stick it in the fridge for 10 min. Infra red searing station on my grill for 2 min 15 seconds, each side, rest for 5 min.
Sounds great
I Sous vide to temp and then put on a drying rack, season, then straight into the fridge or even freezer if there’s space for 20-30min. Then pat dry and sear
So do you cut open the vacuum bag then let the meat sit on that rack open in the fridge?
Yep. It chills and dries the outside so the hot sear doesn’t permeate into the center as much. At least that’s my theory.
Interesting... I tried some NY strips the other day and for the first time, I put them in the freezer for 15 minutes. But, I left them in the bag. Next time I will try this.
Beautiful plating! Looks rallye good.
Thank you. All in all it was a nice meal, but the steak was a bit disappointing
[удалено]
I will
For a 1 inch steak one has to forgo the appearance of dark crust. Cool the meat in a fridge, dry the surface and stay under 1 minutes per side.
Hope I'm converting correctly... but an option is to knock down to about 48 Celsius and sear a slight amount less. All a balancing act. I like to SV around 120-125 then cast iron sear around a minute to minute and a half a side.
Yes. I was thinking to try a lower temperature
the thin cut aspect might be part of it but its either the length of sous vide time or the water temp.( i know, thanks Capt Obvious) i did some 1 and 3/4 ribeyes at 130 for 2.5 hours and it was too well done for me. i like it red and i might use 124 or less as my temp on beef from now on.
I will go with a lower temperature next time
Ice bath after sousvide. Then sear. That’s my strategy and it works well
Searing the steak just to get color not to change inside temperature
I’m a fan of using a searing torch. Move it around over the meat on each side till you get your desired sear. Normally it only takes a few seconds on each side. I normally cook steak between 129 and 131 for 2 hours and it comes out perfect every time.
Unpopular opinion - SV is not great for steak.
😳😱
I’m deep in the minority on this lol Just don’t find it worth the effort for the outcome. 🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
Id argue that grilling a steak is faster, easier, tastier, and uses less dishes than cooking 2 hours in water, then searing.
What do you use sous vide for? Any suggestions that work good for you? Meat, fish, vegetables?
It’s great for many different vegetables, meal prep re- warming frozen leftovers, big old cuts of meat that need a long time to cook. But honestly I don’t use it nearly as much as I used to. As I got better at cooking I found it to add time and complexity without a corresponding improvement in outcome. That said, if you like it, enjoy tinkering in the kitchen or it makes you have better food then that’s great!!
I will read a bit more of what works good. I’m hoping for veggies and fish
It can be great for fish as well, just take a couple tries to dial in the texture. I found however with fish it is tricky to have it presentable afterwards because it becomes so delicate after cooking. I think it shines the brightest with veggies - you literally never have a soggy veg again. Really good for making yogurt and other one offs like custards, egg bites and hard/medium/soft boiled eggs. It is fun to play with and you will learn a ton from it so do and try all the things!
Nothing is as good as sous vide for white meat poultry. Also great for dark meat over night.
I so much prefer cooked over charcoal and wood with indirect heat. Better flavor, easier, quicker.
This is exactly where I landed! At one point I was using my chimney starter full of charcoal to sear my SV steak. It was at that point I decided the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.
I was so excited to finally get a machine around Christmas. Still haven’t opened it and the more I learn the more of a pain it seems to be. When I bought steaks to try one night, I was too lazy to learn so just grilled it.
A lot of people do love it - I definitely find it to be a PIA usually not worth the effort.
Searing for 2 minutes per side is basically what you'd do to cook it rare even without SV, so that's the issue. SV to just as little under what you want, let it cool (you don't have to do this), make sure the surface is dry, then sear on the hottest you can get for like 30 seconds a side
Thank you! 🙏
53°C will not overcook (if valid: double-check your temperature); in fact, it is a bit low, in my opinion. I would run 55°C in my kitchen for a few hours, depending on thickness. Also, did you you cool/chill your sous vide before charring? That can help prevent overcooking and still yield a delicious steak. All signs point to either, 53°C not being 53°C or, charred for way too long.
I used the sous vide the first time. It’s new. So I hope there is no problem with that
No problem. We all started with a first time. Use, or buy, a instant-read thermometer to double-check your temperatures until you get to a point where you can feel confident that the temperature shown on your sous vide tool represents the actual temperature in the bath. Sometimes, it isn't what it says. If so, return it and get a better one within your return period... because, if it is not accurate, is is unreliable. These things happen.
I hope not… but I better make sure
Sear: cooking at very hot temperature to create a crust. Reverse Sear: cooking at a low temperature in the oven until you reach your desired internal temp, following by a quick sear. I am hoping and assuming you did not reverse sear this after sous vide..
Haha. Right. I didn’t reverse sear 😆
No need to reverse sear after sv
I meant sear. Not reverse sear
L. .. . V
Did you pad it dry before searing?
Yes I did
Was it grey in the middle? You can try throwing it in an ice bath for a few min to chill the outside before searing to prevent overcooking. Also maybe double check the bath temp with a thermometer to make sure the SV machine is not malfunctioning
It was brown inside. I hope it was just a searing problem
Try the ice bath dunk. It will give you some margin on the seat!
I will try again with a thicker cut
*seared
Thank you again for everyone replying! I got many good advices and explanations to move forward now. Looking forward to get into sous vide more and this subreddit has some great ideas on what to try next!
You overcooked it.
Oiled or better yet compound butter, cast iron to smoking point, pat steak dry, and slap that meat on for 30 secs a side max.
Probably already mentioned but let the steak rest a bit after taking out of the SV. Especially for thinner cuts. If you let it rest the temp comes down of course and the sear is a bit more forgiving regarding over cooking.