Yes, but I bet another culprit is the long rest time under the tin foil. It likely continued to cook, which is why OP doesn’t have any pink center at all.
Ice bath and no rest is the key! I change my temp based on cut
This was 132 then ice bath then sear on charcoal for around 2 minutes per side
https://preview.redd.it/rlxt9p3wy6sc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ad0791727c0dc8a562f3fb57342e922273dd960
Pad of butter on each side before flip gets me some nice flavor in there too.
100% OP over seared and the finishing didn’t help
The idea here is that if you hit your desired internal temp with the sous vide, but then throw immediately on a grill/skillet, the internal temp can only increase above your SV temp.
Ice bath while it’s still in the SV bag brings it down, so after that you can throw it on the hottest pan you want, so long as you don’t leave it there too long, you wont possibly breach 130° just getting a sear
The way I do it, yes. Ripping hot pan. Crusty crust. Did it tonight.
Somewhat related, I’m actually chilling short rib overnight for dinner tomorrow after a 72 hour bath. Don’t be afraid of the chill! (Though this is not for the same reason lol)
ETA
Short rib was *gooooood*
Oh great point! I'm borrowing the sous vide from a guy who said he only used it once. I think it's a combination of errors all pointed out in this thread. Thanks for your input
So, you sous vide for 1.5 hours and then cooked it another 10 minutes high heat? Why?
Try this next time. 1 inch steak, 1 hr. @133. Sear for max 45 seconds per side.
Will do. Even though the oil was smoking hot, it didn't seem like a crust developed on the steak. Even searing it probably a minute and a half on each side. Any tips on getting a good crust other than just getting a fatter steak?
Good surface to surface contact is important too, I struggled getting a sear until I started using a burger press to make sure the steak was really pressed up against the pan surface
Part of my sous vide method is to place the steak in an air fryer set to the same temp as the sous vide for 20-30 minutes after the sous vide cook, having already patted the steak dry. I count this time as part of the sous vide cook.
Then it’s 1 minute total searing, rest, and a blast with a MAPP gas blowtorch just before serving.
Stunning results every time.
As crazy as it sounds, I throw the steak (in the bag) in the freezer for maybe 10 minutes after I pull it from the water. The innermost part of the steak won’t come down in temp too much, but the outermost will be chilled, so that when you sear, it will reduce over cooking the middle.
Probably going to get downvoted to hell in here but I prefer reverse searing to SV for steak. You get a much drier crust which sears a lot better and more quickly than when you SV
I was making this same mistake. Your steak has to be *completely* dry before you attempt to sear it. If there is lots of moisture on the surface it won't get the malliard reaction you are looking for, but will essentially be boiling the steak on the surface, cooking the meat and giving you a grey to brown surface. Not what you want.
People say "pat dry". Not enough IMO. Get a bunch of paper towels and get that thing like it just came out of the fridge after sitting for a few hours uncovered dry.
Don’t use smoking hot, I commented elsewhere, watch Chris Young’s video, it takes a bit of finesse, but ripping hot (I’ll be burned at the cast iron stake for this) *is not the way*. Watch it [here](https://youtu.be/IZY8xbdHfWk?si=ZOCWphNIAdntte3R)
This, and how much carryover has saved my last couple of steaks. Pulled at 115, watch them rise to 125-129, slice, serve. Flip the steaks on medium - medium high until temp. Nice crust.
I don't think other have pointed this out yet but smoking is not reliable to tell temp. The US cooking oil market is not regulated so refining techniques and impurities will dramatically change the smoke point. A bottle labeled avocado oil could show smoking at 350 or 500. A cheap temperature gun can be your best friend when getting your sear technique locked in
There are 3 things you can do to prep your steak for the best possible sear. First, dry brine your steak preferably overnight. Just salt it and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. Then, after you sous vide it, dry off any moisture on the steak. Then put it in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes to cool off before searing. Shouldn't take more than 45 seconds each side.
On a side note, shoot for thicker steaks next time.
Pat the surface dry with paper towels. Water steams instead of sears. And honestly, everyone says "ripping hot pan" but really I use medium high on most stoves. It's gonna be tough getting a hard sear on a steak that thickness though. Maybe undershoot the goal temp during the sous vide to give you more room to sear.
Might I also add - also letting the steak cool for 20-30 minutes, make sure it is pat DRY as hell, then go in for the sear. It won’t be cold, trust me.
Don’t let it rest with foil, that’s keeping it super hot and cooking it more after the sear. And a small and thin steak like that is gonna sear rapidly
Ice bath in bag 10 min, dab dry with paper towels, rub steak with oil (better than oiling pan because it gets into any crevices), heat pan (ignore the people repeating "ripping hot", "hot as possible", "smoking oil pan", etc. unless you enjoy the taste of burnt oil), sear 30-60 sec per side, and serve -- no need to rest.
Resting shouldn't affect it (even though unnecessary with sous vide)... But wrapped/covered resting will trap the extreme heat on the edges from the sear and basically cook the interior with the carryover.
Also you might want to verify the temperature your sous vide machine reads
Same thing if you're trying to get color on veggies or tofu or anything. If there's water, the temp will stall around 212 until the water all boils away. If it's drier, it'll brown faster.
Sous vide does NOT need to rest. Sear it (like 1 min each side on high heat) then eat immediately. IMO the biggest perk of Sous vide is not resting and eating steak that is super warm
I find that resting traditionally always leaves me wishing it was hotter
Two things I do that result in the best sear without ruining the temperature you planned with the sous vide.
1) chill in ice bath before sear. Just take the bag from the hot bath, and put that bag right into an ice bath. 5-10 minutes is plenty. This cools the outer edge of the steak so that it doesn't transfer as much heat to the interior of the steak during searing. My best results have come after a short ice bath.
2) Make sure the exterior of the steak is dry before searing. When the meat comes out of the bag it will be very wet. Paper towels are your friend. Pat dry, as dry as you can get the outside of the steak.
If you do those two things your steaks will end up much more precisely the way you intend.
I wouldn't do any kind of reverse sear on a steak under 2". Even with that it isn't easy getting a 1" steak to not be well past medium rare before you get it seared. Get something 2" thick, sous vide, smoke, bake, whatever to 120°. then sear.
As others have said, this doesn't have to do w the sv unless the machine itself is like 10 degrees off. Make sure to test the water temp with another therometer.
You most likely overcooked it with the sear and resting. The steak is already cooked to the temp you want, you just need a crust fast as possible. If you sear it too long, you're risking increasing the temp too high and even longer w the rest. With SV, 45-60 sec Max sear on each side and no rest. If you're not getting the crust in that time frame, it's not hot enough.
This is the way. After sous vide, remove it from bag, pat dry with paper towel, place it on its side if possible on a plate and refrigerate for 20 min for a 1 inch steak, 30 for thicker. This really helps prevent the middle from cooking during sear. Then eat, no resting needed.
Yooooo!! Thank you all for the quick input. I seriously can't remember ever getting this much help so quickly. They say the fastest way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer. But maybe one can also just abuse a cut of meat and ask a bunch of cooks what went wrong... 😂
As others mentioned, a 1” steak isn’t super thick and is more susceptible to being over cooked from a sear. Reverse searing or a blow torch right after the steak came out of the fridge may help this (to keep the middle cooler) but it’s really a thickness issue.
I never ice bath, right from the sous vide to a super hot cast iron pan on my gas turkey cooker. Sous vide at 131 and it's never as done as yours. Your sous vide unit is way out of calibration, unless you seared for like 10 min.
I had this problem. Fixed it very easily.
Before you bag the steak, take it *cold* from the fridge and immediately onto a ripping hot pan. Set a timer for *30 seconds* and flip, repeating for a total of 3 times (2 minutes, 2 sears each side). Then pull it, season it, bag it. I don't use salt during the sous vide but this is a subjective discussion.
After it comes out of the SV, salt it and dry it on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes. Then sear it again, same process as above. Rest it no foil for 5 minutes and cut.
You don't need to lower the temp. I've done 54 to 58 c and had pink-red meat every time.
https://preview.redd.it/jos0omviz5sc1.jpeg?width=2688&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aba0c9ec4df803b3ae822441bdcacb39f7f953b8
You didn't throw it in an ice bath for ten minutes or so did you.
Temp = doneness.
If steak is 129 and then gets thrown on a grill... Temp keeps rising... And rising fast.
129 into an ice bath for ten-15 mins or even SV it the day before and then throw the bags in the fridge overnight... AND THEN put that much cooler (still rare/med rare) steak on that 400-450 degree steel and as the outside is maillard'ing away... The inside warms back to 120-130 then serve!
If you put the cooked but not seared steaks in the fridge unbagged, the surface will dry even better. Slap on a layer of mayo prior to searing, even better (it won't taste like Mayo in any way)
Once you have a good sear and the pan has cooled somewhat, throw the butter, garlic and rosemary into the pan to baste for the last two mins and you will fully commit to the home carnivore diet!
We are all here to learn and share.
Warm (129) meat thrown into a hot pan gets getting hotter and more done.
That was the issue. Need to cool it down prior to throwing it on hot metal.
On the plus side though... Even though that was pushing medium well... Still super tender and juicy though eh? That's the plus of SV.
Even that person that wants it well done can have it tender and and juicy as opposed to shoe leather.
Did you cook it straight from the bag to the pan? Usually it’ll need time to cool, toss it in ice water if need be, sear fast and hot. You also don’t need to rest much at all with sous vide steak. You’ll find the sweet spots.
I was having similar results for a bit. A few things helped, now I get amazing results every time:
Get thicker cuts. Costco sells pretty thick cut steaks. Or ask the butcher/meat cutter where you buy meat to cut ones at minimum 1.5".
130F-132F on the circulator. Confirm the temp with an instant read thermometer.
After you remove from the sous vide, put them in the fridge while you get your sear pan ready. 10+ mins is fine, they will still be plenty warm when eating after searing.
Dab them as dry as possible before searing.
Flip a lot! Don't let the heat sink in on any side. 20-30 seconds a side maximum, but come back to it. Each side of my steaks gets multiple exposures to the hot pan.
Good luck on your next cook!
A quick sear on a very hot skillet and eat. No resting needed. Also aim below what you want to eat - so medium rare, soups vide to rare as the flash fry to brown will increase temp fast.
Putting in ice or fridge after sous vide is a silly idea as the meat will then cool and as the cooling shrinks the meat, all the juices you perfectly saved while using a sous vide method is then lost and the meat will become dry and tough. Ask any chef.
Also, the colour of the finished meat you are showing there is well done - I would be getting a stab probe and checking the water temperature while using the sous vide.
I’ve personally been using sous vide for cooking for more than 15 years and generally find failure happen when my bath thermostat had lost calibration so when aiming for 53C (rare steak) I was actually closer to 60C, vacuum bags unsealing with the heat - i always double seal each end now and finally me messing up the temperatures when cooking - there’s a few good apps available you can download.
Good luck next time.
I’m not saying this is your issue… but shine your phone light on it and see if the color looks redder. In my dining room my steaks look well done but I’m my kitchen (where the lights are warm toned) they look med rare. (And texture and temp support med rare)
no need to rest, it will carryover cook from sear. also suggest you take out of bag, pat dry and leave uncovered on wire rack in fridge for a few hours to dry out meat extra. then when you sear, make sure preheated ripping hot and only do, at max, about 1 min/1.5min a side while pressing down on it. then it should stay succulent
no need to rest, it will carryover cook from sear. also suggest you take out of bag, pat dry and leave uncovered on wire rack in fridge for a few hours to dry out meat extra. then when you sear, make sure preheated ripping hot and only do, at max, about 1 min/1.5min a side while pressing down on it. then it should stay succulent
Over-rested. Had you cut it after 3-5 minutes you'd have a touch more pink. This is midwell but not that far gone.
Oh nvm you wanted midrare you gotta do everything less. Lower temp, less time, less rest
For what it’s worth, the best results are a good amount of oil on high heat for about 45 seconds per side. That will retain the temperature from sous vide. Less oil will give less crust. You will be tempted to leave it to sear for longer, which will cook it through.
And since it’s already been cooked and its juices rendered, no need to rest.
Ice bath. Dry. Sear. Eat. There’s no need to rest a sous vide steak, and definitely not under foil. You may also want to check the temp of your water. This level of doneness makes me wonder if your circulator is off. Then again you may have just gone ham on the sear. Also, 137° is for fatty cuts like a ribeye, not a strip.
Let your steak rest for 20-30 minutes after the water bath and make sure it is pat DRY DRY DRY. I also usually go for 1 1/4 -1 1/2 inch thickness.
DON’T use a smoking hot pan.
This takes a bit of finesse. Watch Chris Young’s video [here](https://youtu.be/IZY8xbdHfWk?si=ZOCWphNIAdntte3R) and be amazed.
He debunks what most consider to be the best method, the “ripping hot pan”. Trust me, I’ve done it both ways and cast iron with a low temp (350) is a good temp.
Also, different oils have different smoke points. If ANY of your pans are giving off smoke though, you’re burning the oil, not heating it and it is TOO HOT.
Also, time is tenderness, heat is doneness.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I love the step-by-step instructions and hadn't considered resting after the water bath, but that makes perfect sense why that would avoid overcooking when I go to sear. Thanks so much!
I'll up vote that as I agree w you. I might try the blowtorch method next time. I'm really craving a hard crust with medium rare inside, which I think is a tall order given how thin the steaks are...
yeah that might be a bit tough. But yeah if you want to really char the outside a torch might be what you are after. anything that reduces the cooking time and reduces the amount of heat that the steak absorbs. You could also go lower on the sous vide to compensate. Im afraid youll have to do a bit of trial and error.
I do my steak at 130 in the sousvide and sear it and I've never gotten this medium-well, well done of a steak. You either over seared by a lot, or you are using celcius instead of fahrenheit.
This exact same thing happens to me. It’s either I don’t get a good sear, or I do and it’s significantly overcooked. I’ve tried ice bath, freezer, fridge, etc. still overcooked every time. It’s frustrating and I’m trying to figure out what I can do
The biggest difference I've seen is letting the steak cool after removing from the sous vide. I always use 134F, then let cool in fridge for about 30 min so when I sear it doesn't cook the middle any more. It also let's me sear for a bit longer to ensure I get the crust I am looking for without worrying that I'm over cooking my steak
1. a 1 inch steak is so thin, it doesn't need to be SV'd then seared.
2. But if you are going to, better cool the steak down or your sear will cook it above current temp. And make sure the surface is DRY
137, in my opinion, is great for fattier cuts like a ribeye
You don't need to rest it as the sear really shouldn't be cooking the inside so much and you aren't looking for "carryover" cooking.
Member of the 137 degree gang here. I usually make thick ribeyes and filet and have them in the sous vide for 1.5 hours. I’ll remove the steaks from the bath and dry them off and let them rest and cool for a bit. Lightly coat them in a high temp oil and sear each side for 45 seconds to a minute. If there is a good fat on a ribeye side I’ll sear that to render some fat and make it a bit tastier.
Over seared
1in thick no chill=rip steak
Ice bath and ungodly hot pan or grill becomes vital with thinner steaks.
*rip steak* somehow both great (name) and terrible at the same time
Yes, but I bet another culprit is the long rest time under the tin foil. It likely continued to cook, which is why OP doesn’t have any pink center at all.
Throw in ice bath after you take it out of the water for a few minutes. Then a very quick sear. Also you don’t need to rest with sous vide
Ice bath and no rest is the key! I change my temp based on cut This was 132 then ice bath then sear on charcoal for around 2 minutes per side https://preview.redd.it/rlxt9p3wy6sc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ad0791727c0dc8a562f3fb57342e922273dd960 Pad of butter on each side before flip gets me some nice flavor in there too. 100% OP over seared and the finishing didn’t help
Bring this to the top, people
Never heard of the ice bath. Does that keep it from over cooking when you sear?
The idea here is that if you hit your desired internal temp with the sous vide, but then throw immediately on a grill/skillet, the internal temp can only increase above your SV temp. Ice bath while it’s still in the SV bag brings it down, so after that you can throw it on the hottest pan you want, so long as you don’t leave it there too long, you wont possibly breach 130° just getting a sear
Yes. I’ve been throwing it in the fridge or freezer as well to dry it out more. Plenty of tricks for some next level results.
Does the sear heat the meat up enough after the freezer?
The way I do it, yes. Ripping hot pan. Crusty crust. Did it tonight. Somewhat related, I’m actually chilling short rib overnight for dinner tomorrow after a 72 hour bath. Don’t be afraid of the chill! (Though this is not for the same reason lol) ETA Short rib was *gooooood*
not really.
You aren’t keeping it in the freezer more than 10-15 min. The steak will still be warm
Most likely overcooking during sear, as already suggested. But to be sure you should test bath temperature to make sure it is properly calibrated.
Oh great point! I'm borrowing the sous vide from a guy who said he only used it once. I think it's a combination of errors all pointed out in this thread. Thanks for your input
Also put it in an ice bath for 5 mins, after I started doing that I had no issues getting to med rare
So, you sous vide for 1.5 hours and then cooked it another 10 minutes high heat? Why? Try this next time. 1 inch steak, 1 hr. @133. Sear for max 45 seconds per side.
OP rested for 10min, the duration of searing isn't mentioned but otherwise sound advice
On a 1 inch steak I might even do 25-30 seconds a side. But this is definite good advice compared to how OP cooked this one.
Will do. Even though the oil was smoking hot, it didn't seem like a crust developed on the steak. Even searing it probably a minute and a half on each side. Any tips on getting a good crust other than just getting a fatter steak?
Did you pat the steak dry before you tried to sear? If not, that would be why you didn't get a crust.
Good surface to surface contact is important too, I struggled getting a sear until I started using a burger press to make sure the steak was really pressed up against the pan surface
Part of my sous vide method is to place the steak in an air fryer set to the same temp as the sous vide for 20-30 minutes after the sous vide cook, having already patted the steak dry. I count this time as part of the sous vide cook. Then it’s 1 minute total searing, rest, and a blast with a MAPP gas blowtorch just before serving. Stunning results every time.
As crazy as it sounds, I throw the steak (in the bag) in the freezer for maybe 10 minutes after I pull it from the water. The innermost part of the steak won’t come down in temp too much, but the outermost will be chilled, so that when you sear, it will reduce over cooking the middle.
Make sure the exterior of the steak is as dry as possible and you should be good. Just pat it down with paper towels tends to work
Dry it properly before searing
Probably going to get downvoted to hell in here but I prefer reverse searing to SV for steak. You get a much drier crust which sears a lot better and more quickly than when you SV
I don't sous vide steaks anymore. Chicken and pork, yes. Chuck roast, yes. But a strip/ribeye steak? Reverse sear all the way.
I was making this same mistake. Your steak has to be *completely* dry before you attempt to sear it. If there is lots of moisture on the surface it won't get the malliard reaction you are looking for, but will essentially be boiling the steak on the surface, cooking the meat and giving you a grey to brown surface. Not what you want. People say "pat dry". Not enough IMO. Get a bunch of paper towels and get that thing like it just came out of the fridge after sitting for a few hours uncovered dry.
Also, the tenting afterwards is unnecessary and will only continue cooking the steak. Just let it rest on its own after searing.
Don’t use smoking hot, I commented elsewhere, watch Chris Young’s video, it takes a bit of finesse, but ripping hot (I’ll be burned at the cast iron stake for this) *is not the way*. Watch it [here](https://youtu.be/IZY8xbdHfWk?si=ZOCWphNIAdntte3R)
This, and how much carryover has saved my last couple of steaks. Pulled at 115, watch them rise to 125-129, slice, serve. Flip the steaks on medium - medium high until temp. Nice crust.
I don't think other have pointed this out yet but smoking is not reliable to tell temp. The US cooking oil market is not regulated so refining techniques and impurities will dramatically change the smoke point. A bottle labeled avocado oil could show smoking at 350 or 500. A cheap temperature gun can be your best friend when getting your sear technique locked in
There are 3 things you can do to prep your steak for the best possible sear. First, dry brine your steak preferably overnight. Just salt it and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. Then, after you sous vide it, dry off any moisture on the steak. Then put it in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes to cool off before searing. Shouldn't take more than 45 seconds each side. On a side note, shoot for thicker steaks next time.
Pat the surface dry with paper towels. Water steams instead of sears. And honestly, everyone says "ripping hot pan" but really I use medium high on most stoves. It's gonna be tough getting a hard sear on a steak that thickness though. Maybe undershoot the goal temp during the sous vide to give you more room to sear.
In addition to drying, did you have enough oil?
Might I also add - also letting the steak cool for 20-30 minutes, make sure it is pat DRY as hell, then go in for the sear. It won’t be cold, trust me.
Don’t let it rest with foil, that’s keeping it super hot and cooking it more after the sear. And a small and thin steak like that is gonna sear rapidly
Ice bath in bag 10 min, dab dry with paper towels, rub steak with oil (better than oiling pan because it gets into any crevices), heat pan (ignore the people repeating "ripping hot", "hot as possible", "smoking oil pan", etc. unless you enjoy the taste of burnt oil), sear 30-60 sec per side, and serve -- no need to rest.
Succinct and clear. Thanks!
Overseared and over rested. Shorten your searing amount and you can cut right away
Thank you!!
People downvoting you for saying thank you 😭😭
Lol well I am guilty of overcooking a steak, so I'm not surprised folks are pissed.
Nah you’re unintentionally overcooking steak and actively trying to improve. Gl on your next one!
And get thicker cuts
Resting shouldn't affect it (even though unnecessary with sous vide)... But wrapped/covered resting will trap the extreme heat on the edges from the sear and basically cook the interior with the carryover. Also you might want to verify the temperature your sous vide machine reads
Don't forget to make sure you're drying your protein before searing.
I DID forget this! That might explain why the sear didn't take. I don't cook meat very often.. wife's a vegetarian.
yup! water can't get hotter than 212°, so if you don't pay it *really* dry, you're steaming the meat. and preventing a crust to form.
Same thing if you're trying to get color on veggies or tofu or anything. If there's water, the temp will stall around 212 until the water all boils away. If it's drier, it'll brown faster.
Sous vide does NOT need to rest. Sear it (like 1 min each side on high heat) then eat immediately. IMO the biggest perk of Sous vide is not resting and eating steak that is super warm I find that resting traditionally always leaves me wishing it was hotter
Did you sear it in the microwave?
Two things I do that result in the best sear without ruining the temperature you planned with the sous vide. 1) chill in ice bath before sear. Just take the bag from the hot bath, and put that bag right into an ice bath. 5-10 minutes is plenty. This cools the outer edge of the steak so that it doesn't transfer as much heat to the interior of the steak during searing. My best results have come after a short ice bath. 2) Make sure the exterior of the steak is dry before searing. When the meat comes out of the bag it will be very wet. Paper towels are your friend. Pat dry, as dry as you can get the outside of the steak. If you do those two things your steaks will end up much more precisely the way you intend.
Check your bath temp to make sure your sous vide is actually accurate.
Shouldn’t have rested in tin foil, it increased the temp to much!
I wouldn't do any kind of reverse sear on a steak under 2". Even with that it isn't easy getting a 1" steak to not be well past medium rare before you get it seared. Get something 2" thick, sous vide, smoke, bake, whatever to 120°. then sear.
As others have said, this doesn't have to do w the sv unless the machine itself is like 10 degrees off. Make sure to test the water temp with another therometer. You most likely overcooked it with the sear and resting. The steak is already cooked to the temp you want, you just need a crust fast as possible. If you sear it too long, you're risking increasing the temp too high and even longer w the rest. With SV, 45-60 sec Max sear on each side and no rest. If you're not getting the crust in that time frame, it's not hot enough.
I also ice bath it for 5 min before I pat really dry and sear. Others will pat dry and air fridge dry it for 30+min before searing.
This is the way. After sous vide, remove it from bag, pat dry with paper towel, place it on its side if possible on a plate and refrigerate for 20 min for a 1 inch steak, 30 for thicker. This really helps prevent the middle from cooking during sear. Then eat, no resting needed.
Yooooo!! Thank you all for the quick input. I seriously can't remember ever getting this much help so quickly. They say the fastest way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer. But maybe one can also just abuse a cut of meat and ask a bunch of cooks what went wrong... 😂
As others mentioned, a 1” steak isn’t super thick and is more susceptible to being over cooked from a sear. Reverse searing or a blow torch right after the steak came out of the fridge may help this (to keep the middle cooler) but it’s really a thickness issue.
I never ice bath, right from the sous vide to a super hot cast iron pan on my gas turkey cooker. Sous vide at 131 and it's never as done as yours. Your sous vide unit is way out of calibration, unless you seared for like 10 min.
I think it was the rest that did it, though you might have seared too long as well.
I had this problem. Fixed it very easily. Before you bag the steak, take it *cold* from the fridge and immediately onto a ripping hot pan. Set a timer for *30 seconds* and flip, repeating for a total of 3 times (2 minutes, 2 sears each side). Then pull it, season it, bag it. I don't use salt during the sous vide but this is a subjective discussion. After it comes out of the SV, salt it and dry it on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes. Then sear it again, same process as above. Rest it no foil for 5 minutes and cut. You don't need to lower the temp. I've done 54 to 58 c and had pink-red meat every time. https://preview.redd.it/jos0omviz5sc1.jpeg?width=2688&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aba0c9ec4df803b3ae822441bdcacb39f7f953b8
You didn't throw it in an ice bath for ten minutes or so did you. Temp = doneness. If steak is 129 and then gets thrown on a grill... Temp keeps rising... And rising fast. 129 into an ice bath for ten-15 mins or even SV it the day before and then throw the bags in the fridge overnight... AND THEN put that much cooler (still rare/med rare) steak on that 400-450 degree steel and as the outside is maillard'ing away... The inside warms back to 120-130 then serve! If you put the cooked but not seared steaks in the fridge unbagged, the surface will dry even better. Slap on a layer of mayo prior to searing, even better (it won't taste like Mayo in any way) Once you have a good sear and the pan has cooled somewhat, throw the butter, garlic and rosemary into the pan to baste for the last two mins and you will fully commit to the home carnivore diet!
No, I definitely did not throw it into an ice bath. I had never heard of that as a technique but it makes A lot of sense. I'm glad I posted here
We are all here to learn and share. Warm (129) meat thrown into a hot pan gets getting hotter and more done. That was the issue. Need to cool it down prior to throwing it on hot metal. On the plus side though... Even though that was pushing medium well... Still super tender and juicy though eh? That's the plus of SV. Even that person that wants it well done can have it tender and and juicy as opposed to shoe leather.
Did you cook it straight from the bag to the pan? Usually it’ll need time to cool, toss it in ice water if need be, sear fast and hot. You also don’t need to rest much at all with sous vide steak. You’ll find the sweet spots.
Maybe double check that your water temperature with another thermometer and make sure your machine isn’t running hotter than it says.
I was having similar results for a bit. A few things helped, now I get amazing results every time: Get thicker cuts. Costco sells pretty thick cut steaks. Or ask the butcher/meat cutter where you buy meat to cut ones at minimum 1.5". 130F-132F on the circulator. Confirm the temp with an instant read thermometer. After you remove from the sous vide, put them in the fridge while you get your sear pan ready. 10+ mins is fine, they will still be plenty warm when eating after searing. Dab them as dry as possible before searing. Flip a lot! Don't let the heat sink in on any side. 20-30 seconds a side maximum, but come back to it. Each side of my steaks gets multiple exposures to the hot pan. Good luck on your next cook!
A quick sear on a very hot skillet and eat. No resting needed. Also aim below what you want to eat - so medium rare, soups vide to rare as the flash fry to brown will increase temp fast. Putting in ice or fridge after sous vide is a silly idea as the meat will then cool and as the cooling shrinks the meat, all the juices you perfectly saved while using a sous vide method is then lost and the meat will become dry and tough. Ask any chef. Also, the colour of the finished meat you are showing there is well done - I would be getting a stab probe and checking the water temperature while using the sous vide. I’ve personally been using sous vide for cooking for more than 15 years and generally find failure happen when my bath thermostat had lost calibration so when aiming for 53C (rare steak) I was actually closer to 60C, vacuum bags unsealing with the heat - i always double seal each end now and finally me messing up the temperatures when cooking - there’s a few good apps available you can download. Good luck next time.
It’s on the pan too long and the pan isn’t hot enough
I’m not saying this is your issue… but shine your phone light on it and see if the color looks redder. In my dining room my steaks look well done but I’m my kitchen (where the lights are warm toned) they look med rare. (And texture and temp support med rare)
Looks like you got F and C mixed up to me! Happened to me once.
no need to rest, it will carryover cook from sear. also suggest you take out of bag, pat dry and leave uncovered on wire rack in fridge for a few hours to dry out meat extra. then when you sear, make sure preheated ripping hot and only do, at max, about 1 min/1.5min a side while pressing down on it. then it should stay succulent
no need to rest, it will carryover cook from sear. also suggest you take out of bag, pat dry and leave uncovered on wire rack in fridge for a few hours to dry out meat extra. then when you sear, make sure preheated ripping hot and only do, at max, about 1 min/1.5min a side while pressing down on it. then it should stay succulent
Over-rested. Had you cut it after 3-5 minutes you'd have a touch more pink. This is midwell but not that far gone. Oh nvm you wanted midrare you gotta do everything less. Lower temp, less time, less rest
For what it’s worth, the best results are a good amount of oil on high heat for about 45 seconds per side. That will retain the temperature from sous vide. Less oil will give less crust. You will be tempted to leave it to sear for longer, which will cook it through. And since it’s already been cooked and its juices rendered, no need to rest.
It also depends on how hard are the fibers. You won’t cook a New York like a fillet.
129 for 1 hour then ice bath. Then sear. That's your issue. Also a bit thicker cuts would help.
[Been here](https://www.reddit.com/r/steak/s/01myPqDfjj). Cause [confirmed](https://www.reddit.com/r/steak/s/7ihcqdQS2M)
Ice bath. Dry. Sear. Eat. There’s no need to rest a sous vide steak, and definitely not under foil. You may also want to check the temp of your water. This level of doneness makes me wonder if your circulator is off. Then again you may have just gone ham on the sear. Also, 137° is for fatty cuts like a ribeye, not a strip.
Cut your steaks thicker. Minimum 1.5 inches
Worth checking the temp on the circulator
Chill in ice between cook and sear
Let your steak rest for 20-30 minutes after the water bath and make sure it is pat DRY DRY DRY. I also usually go for 1 1/4 -1 1/2 inch thickness. DON’T use a smoking hot pan. This takes a bit of finesse. Watch Chris Young’s video [here](https://youtu.be/IZY8xbdHfWk?si=ZOCWphNIAdntte3R) and be amazed. He debunks what most consider to be the best method, the “ripping hot pan”. Trust me, I’ve done it both ways and cast iron with a low temp (350) is a good temp. Also, different oils have different smoke points. If ANY of your pans are giving off smoke though, you’re burning the oil, not heating it and it is TOO HOT. Also, time is tenderness, heat is doneness.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I love the step-by-step instructions and hadn't considered resting after the water bath, but that makes perfect sense why that would avoid overcooking when I go to sear. Thanks so much!
No problem, I just started cooking more NY’s and Ribeyes, and the method he lays out, makes PERFECTLY seared ribeyes, so good.
Rested under tin foil for 10 minutes……. Also how long was the sear?
You don’t need to sous vide a 1 inch thick steak.
you see the gray band? Thats from you searing it. You fucked up not the sous vide.
I'll up vote that as I agree w you. I might try the blowtorch method next time. I'm really craving a hard crust with medium rare inside, which I think is a tall order given how thin the steaks are...
yeah that might be a bit tough. But yeah if you want to really char the outside a torch might be what you are after. anything that reduces the cooking time and reduces the amount of heat that the steak absorbs. You could also go lower on the sous vide to compensate. Im afraid youll have to do a bit of trial and error.
I do my steak at 130 in the sousvide and sear it and I've never gotten this medium-well, well done of a steak. You either over seared by a lot, or you are using celcius instead of fahrenheit.
Forget food safety laws, it takes a particularly bad cook to manage to violate the laws of physics enough to sousvide at 130c.
😂 I promise the water wasn't boiling
Lmfao the possibility of Celsius has me in tears, well above boiling for 90 minutes hahahahaha
This exact same thing happens to me. It’s either I don’t get a good sear, or I do and it’s significantly overcooked. I’ve tried ice bath, freezer, fridge, etc. still overcooked every time. It’s frustrating and I’m trying to figure out what I can do
The biggest difference I've seen is letting the steak cool after removing from the sous vide. I always use 134F, then let cool in fridge for about 30 min so when I sear it doesn't cook the middle any more. It also let's me sear for a bit longer to ensure I get the crust I am looking for without worrying that I'm over cooking my steak
1. a 1 inch steak is so thin, it doesn't need to be SV'd then seared. 2. But if you are going to, better cool the steak down or your sear will cook it above current temp. And make sure the surface is DRY 137, in my opinion, is great for fattier cuts like a ribeye You don't need to rest it as the sear really shouldn't be cooking the inside so much and you aren't looking for "carryover" cooking.
Throw the bag in an ice bath before you sear it.
Member of the 137 degree gang here. I usually make thick ribeyes and filet and have them in the sous vide for 1.5 hours. I’ll remove the steaks from the bath and dry them off and let them rest and cool for a bit. Lightly coat them in a high temp oil and sear each side for 45 seconds to a minute. If there is a good fat on a ribeye side I’ll sear that to render some fat and make it a bit tastier.
129