Last steak was not up to code. This one was cooked in a sous vide 50C for two hours. Than seared it on a grill for 2min on one side and 1min on the other. Let it sit for a few minutes.
Looks like you could have gone quite a bit hotter for the sear. I use Alton Browns method on a skillet. Leave it on high for 10 minutes. Should be hot enough to evaporate a teaspoon of water in seconds. Lightly oil the steaks with peanut oil. Then sear each side for 45 seconds. It will set off the smoke alarm, though, if your stove vent isn’t great.
I don’t think steaks should be cooked with a sous vide because you end up with too much moisture on the surface.
Agreed. Thats why I like the reverse sear method of:
- Salting the steaks
- Rest them on a wire rack (preferablt in the fridge overnight, but at least an hour)
- Cook it in the oven at a low temp until the thickest part is at ~120°F
- Sear in a high heat cast iron pan a minute or two per side until you like the crust.
The nice think about baking it vs sous-vide is that the oven dries out the surface for a reallt nice crust. You also dont need to buy a sous-vide setup and can use things you already have.
The only downside to this method is that you dont get anything in the pan for a pan sauce (if thats what you’re into).
Dry brine, sear, then sous vide. If you absolutely have to have a crunchy crust, pat dry and sear again.
Dry brining is great and dries out the surface.
Cast iron, stovetop and finish in oven.
Twice the finished product and half the work.
Yeah that’s a good point. You’ll definitely want to dry off the outside before searing it if you go sous vide over oven. The few times we have used sous vide for chicken or steak, she complains that the texture is too weird. I don’t notice it though. But apparently that is a thing. Might have something to do with the moisture issue you are talking about.
