How to Sous Vide Beef

This innovative technique uses water at a constant temperature to tenderize and cook beef to precise doneness. Originally, high-end restaurants used this method because chefs could control heat and temperature, achieving the same results, every time. Today, sous vide cooking has become a popular, trendy option for home cooks.

What you need to sous vide:

• Immersion circulator (available at kitchen stores and online)
• Deep container for water
• Plastic bags and vacuum sealer, or double-seal, zipper-locking bags

Sous vide method for cooking beef

First, choose your favorite Certified Angus Beef ^® brand cuts. Consider a strip steak, short rib or even filet. Drizzle beef with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place the seasoned steak in a vacuum bag, adding fresh herbs if you wish. Ideally, seal the bag with a vacuum sealer. You may use a zipper-locking, plastic bag, but be sure to press out as much air as possible, so the bag will sink, not float, in the water. Set the temperature-controlled immersion circulator to 131°F - for a medium-rare degree of doneness.

Submerge the vacuum-sealed steaks in the water bath. One to two hours later, it’s time to remove the steaks from the bath. Preheat a cast iron skillet on the stove. While the skillet heats, remove steaks from the bag, then sear 1 minute per side. Your steak is perfectly cooked thanks to the sous vide method, and the quick sear creates a sensational, tasty crust.

Sous vide explained

Sous vide is a French term for “under vacuum”. A cut of beef (or other food) is cooked in a bag, in warm water, without air. Food is ideally vacuum sealed in an air-tight bag, then it’s placed in a water bath. (A zipper-locking, plastic bag may be used, but be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible.) An immersion circulator, available at kitchen stores and online, is positioned at the edge of a container full of water. The circulator heats the water and maintains a constant, stable heat that cooks food to precise temperatures.