Sous Vide Rib Eye is the way to steak perfection. You cook the steak carefully at the optimum temperature to give you just the right doneness, and sous vide steak cooking is surprisingly easy!
Why make sous vide rib eye?
Because it’s DELICIOUS! The meat is tender, and you can really control the level of doneness depending on your preference.
There’s hardly a risk of overcooking it like there usually is when making it on a grill, or cooking it on the stovetop or in the oven. This is because the only high temperature the steak gets subjected to is a brief sear at the very end of the process.
What is sous vide cooking?
Sous vide cooking is a method of cooking things under very precisely controlled temperatures in a water bath. This used to be just a pro method, but has become much more accessible for home use due to devices, like the Anova (which I have) and the Joule.
The advantage of cooking sous vide is that you can perfectly cook foods that can be a little tricky, without overcooking. Things can remain in the water bath for a few hours without over cooking, so this gives flexibility when preparing food.
The best cuts of meat to sous vide:
Precision sous-vide cooking is great to cook a whole range of meats, from the tougher cuts like flap or skirt steak, to filet, tenderloin, and rib eye.
In this recipe, I prepared rib eye steak, one of our favorites. We like how the fat enhances the flavor off the meat, but is also clearly evident, so it’s easy to remove when eating.
Ingredients for sous-vide steak:
A good cut of meat doesn’t need a lot of ingredients to shine! I kept it simple with garlic powder, salt and pepper. I also like to add some whole garlic cloves and fresh herbs to the pan, along with butter to really flavor the meat.
How to prepare sous vide rib eye steak:
The first step is preparing the water bath. You need enough water to fill a large pot, so that the level of water doesn’t fall below the minimum level for the sous vide.
Attach the sous vide stick, and let the temperature come to 131 F. You’ll place the steak in the water once it has come to temperature.
Season the steaks generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on either side. Place them in freezer or vacuum seal bags and close them as tightly as you can so that there isn’t any air inside.
Cook for desired time and temperature, I recommend 131 F for 2 hours, then pat dry very thoroughly with paper towels. Heat skillet over high heat, and sear the steak on either side for 1 minutes, tossing the butter, garlic and herbs in the pan after the first side has been seared.
How to prevent sous vide bags from floating:
The reason we don’t want air is that will make the bag of steaks float to the top of the water instead of being fully immersed, so they won’t cook through thoroughly. There’s a couple methods to avoid this:
The water displacement method. This is what I tend to do, click this link for a step by step easy explanation.
The weight method: This means weighing down the food, either by placing something like a dull butter knife in the bag with the steak, or weighing the top of the bags down with something like a water proof wire rack or pot cover or something.
How long to cook sous-vide steaks?
I gave my preferred temperature indication in the recipe card, 131 F for 2 hours which I’d say gave me a medium rare- medium steak.
- Rare: 120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C)
- Medium-Rare: 129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C)
- Medium: 135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C)
- Medium-Well: 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C)
- Well Done: 156°F (69°C) and up
Preparing sous-vide steak in advance:
After the water bath, you can store the steaks tightly covered in the fridge for 3-4 days before the final sear.
What to serve with sous-vide steak:
I kept this simple with oven roasted potatoes, and cherry tomatoes. I love having heads of roasted garlic with it too!
Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
And my favorite, extra garlic in the form of Garlic Confit.
I love having rib eye steak with pasta, and this pink pasta is especially good with steak.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Sous Vide Rib Eye
Equipment
- Sous Vide Machine
Ingredients
- 2 ribeye steaks
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- pinch garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-2 sprigs thyme, rosemary, or oregano
- 1-2 garlic clove
Instructions
- Prepare a large water bath for the sous vide. Attach sous vide machine and set temperature to 131 F (or see post above for temperature suggestions)
- Once water comes to temperature, prepare your steak by seasoning generously on each side with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place each steak in a separate freezer bags or sturdy ziploc bags, or vacuum sealer bags and tightly close. See post above for methods on how to avoid air getting trapped in the bags. Place steak bags in the water, and cook for 2 hours.
- Once cooking time is over, thoroughly pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Once very hot, place the steak onto the skillet. Cook for 1 minute until golden brown and seared, then flip to the next side. Add the butter, herbs, and garlic to the skillet and cook the second side for about a minute or until golden brown and seared. Spoon the butter on top of the steak and transfer to a cutting board.
- Rest for five minutes or so, then slice if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Sous Vide Rib Eye by everylittlecrumb on Jumprope.
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Chris Gilbert says
Sous vide is the best way to do steak. However I always do 1hr at 129 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously with sous vide you can afford to go way over but any more than 1 hours is unnecessary in my opinion.
Farah Abumaizar says
Thanks for the advice Chris! Sous vide steak is a game changer , will try for an hour next time will def save time!