How long should you sous vide a steak?

Porterhouse & T-Bone Steak Preferred Doneness Temperature Time Very rare to rare 120°F / 49°C to 128°F / 53°C 45m to 2h 30m Medium-rare 129°F / 54°C to 134°F / 57°C 45m to 4h Medium 135°F / 57°C to 144°F / 62°C 45m to 2h 30m Medium-well 145°F / 63°C to 155°F / 68°C 45m to 3h 30m 1 more row

What seasoning to use in sous vide steak?

Seasonings – coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper is all that was used for this reverse-seared steak. Herbs – I used fresh thyme sprigs to enhance the flavor of the steak during the sous vide and searing process. Other herbs you could use are rosemary, sage, or oregano.

Do you sous vide steak with or without butter?

Here at Sous Vide Tools we often like to add a small amount of butter to the bag and find that for best results, flavoured butter works really well to add a little something extra during the cooking process. Our preference is to place butter into the bag itself, rather than on top of the product .

What is the best steak to sous vide?

I prefer ribeyes and strip steaks cooked medium-rare to medium, around 129°F (54°C) to 135°F (57°C). Fattier steaks also have natural insulation, which means they'll take slightly longer to reach the correct internal temperature.

Can you overdo steak in sous vide?

For example, many chefs recommend that sous vide steak should not be cooked for longer than four hours because the connective tissue begins to break down and the steak can become mushy. If the recipe says to cook something for between one and four hours, it's probably not recommended to cook it for 12.

Why was my sous vide steak tough?

However, because sous vide requires the utmost precision, one wrong step and you can easily overcook your food, ending up with meat that has a rubbery consistency. The last thing any novice chef or food lover wants to do is splurge on a perfect cut of meat, only to have it come out lackluster — or worse, inedible.

Sous Vide Steaks Recipe (2024)

Sous Vide Beef
Dairy-free Mains
Gluten-free Mains
Steaks
Porterhouse Steak

Thanks to precise temperature control, this steak turns out more consistently than traditional steak, every time.

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated March 03, 2024

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Why It Works

Slow, precise cooking followed by high heat gives you perfectly even results with a nice dark crust.

Sure, with a little technique, it's not difficult to produce excellent steaks through pan-searing alone. But for flawlessly even edge-to-edge cooking and consistently foolproof results, sous vide is absolutely the better way.

March 2010

Recipe Details

Sous Vide Steaks

Prep20 mins

Cook65 mins

Active20 mins

Total85 mins

Serves4 steaks

Ingredients

2 (1 1/2– to 2-inch-thick) ribeye, strip, porterhouse, or T-bone steaks (about 1 pound/450g each), or 4 tenderloin steaks (6 to 8 ounces/170 to 225g each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs thyme or rosemary (optional)
2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 shallots, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil (if pan-searing; optional)
2 tablespoons (30g) butter (if pan-searing; optional)

Directions

Preheat a sous vide cooker to desired final temperature. (See note below for temperature and timing charts, or find the same charts here.) Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Place in sous vide bags along with herbs, garlic, and shallots (if using) and distribute evenly. Seal bags and place in water bath for desired time according to charts.
To Finish in a Pan: Turn on your exhaust vents and open your windows. Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Add vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil to a heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet, then place over the hottest burner you have and preheat skillet until it starts to smoke.
See Also
potato leek soup recipe – use real butter
Gently lay steak in skillet, using your fingers or a set of tongs. If desired, add a tablespoon of butter; for a cleaner-tasting sear, omit the butter at this stage.
After 15 to 30 seconds, flip steak so that the second side comes into contact with the pan. Repeat, flipping steak every 15 to 30 seconds, until it has developed a nice brown sear, about 1 1/2 minutes total. If you did not add butter earlier, add butter to skillet about 30 seconds before steak is done for added richness. Serve steak immediately.
To Finish on the Grill: Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate.
Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Place steak directly over hot side of grill and cook, turning every 15 to 30 seconds, until a deep, rich crust has formed, about 1 1/2 minutes total. If the fire threatens to flare up as the steak drips fat into it, suffocate the fire by closing the grill lid until the flames die out. Alternatively, transfer steak to cooler side of grill, using a set of long tongs, until flames subside. Do not allow steak to become engulfed in flames.
Transfer cooked steak to a cutting board or serving platter and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Immersion circulator; tongs; heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet, or grill

Notes

Strip, Ribeye, Porterhouse/T-Bone, and Butcher's Cuts: Temps and Times

Doneness	Temperature Range	Timing Range
Very rare to rare	120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C)	1 to 2 1/2 hours
Medium-rare	129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C)	1 to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C)
Medium	135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C)	1 to 4 hours
Medium-well	145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C)	1 to 3 1/2 hours
Well-done	156°F (69°C) and up	1 to 3 hours

Tenderloin: Temps and Times

Doneness	Temperature Range	Timing Range
Very rare to rare	120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C)	45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours
Medium-rare	129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C)	45 minutes to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C)
Medium	135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C)	45 minutes to 4 hours
Medium-well	145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C)	45 minutes to 3 1/2 hours
Well done	156°F (69°C) and up	1 to 3 hours

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Perfect Pan-Seared Steaks Recipe

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
369	Calories
26g	Fat
0g	Carbs
34g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	369
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g	33%
Saturated Fat 11g	57%
Cholesterol 106mg	35%
Sodium 708mg	31%
Total Carbohydrate 0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 34g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 17mg	1%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 380mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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