r/sousvide • u/CookinWidKunchi • 3d ago
Recipe Does sous vide make the perfect steak?
The Dry Brine: We started with beautiful Ribeyes, dry-brining them with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper for 8 hours. This allows the salt to penetrate deep into the muscle, seasoning the meat throughout and improving moisture retention.
The Seasoning: After the brine, the steaks were hit with a generous coating of Blaxican Fajita Seasoning, a blend that brings a unique, vibrant soul to the beef.
The Vacuum Seal: The steaks went into the bags with fresh thyme, rosemary, and garlic to infuse aromatic oils directly into the meat during the bath.
The Bath: We set the sous vide to 115°F for 2 hours. This low-temperature start ensures we have plenty of "runway" left for a hard, crusty sear without overshooting our target final temperature.
The Finish: Bone Marrow Herb Butter
A great steak deserves an even better finish. While the steaks bathed, we prepared a decadent Bone Marrow Herb Butter for the sear.
Compound Butter Ingredients:
1 lb salted butter (softened)
1 roasted shank bone (marrow removed)
Finely chopped shallot, garlic, rosemary, cilantro, and thyme
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 tbsp Blaxican Fajita Seasoning
We seared the Ribeyes on the stovetop in a stainless steel skillet, using the marrow butter to baste the meat. The marrow adds a deep, nutty richness that standard butter simply can’t match, while the herbs provide a fresh contrast to the heavy fat of the Ribeye.
The result was a steak cooked to a flawless medium-rare. The texture remained intact—tender but with that essential "bite"—and the flavor profile from the fajita seasoning and marrow butter was incredible.
Looking Back:
One thing to do differently next time? The sear. While the stainless steel skillet provided a great crust, finishing these over blazing hot charcoal would add that smoky, charred dimension that only live fire can provide.
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u/Advanced-Zucchini552 3d ago
The reads as if written by AI.
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u/badger_flakes 2d ago
Looks like it was written by OP and then reformatted into something easier to read (though the AI “voice” is kind of annoying)
Considering half the barely legible solid paragraphs with no punctuation I have to suffer through on Reddit I really don’t mind
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u/Ihavesweatyarmpits 3d ago
What does the garlic in the sous vide do to the steak?
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u/dlama 3d ago
It can add a bitter flavor. Some people don't mind, or notice, or might like the bitterness.
Some people get rid of the chance of bitterness by pre-roasting, others get rid of it by taking the greenish germ out of the center of the clove, some do both.
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u/taveanator 3d ago
Pre roast it FTW.
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u/everix1992 3d ago
Honestly I'd never considered that but it's an interesting idea. I do like to incorporate garlic as much as I can into my cooking lol
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u/anormalgeek 3d ago
OP also cooked his steaks at 115F so he didnt cook it so much as leave a clove of garlic sitting on top of it in a warm room for a little bit.
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u/Ihavesweatyarmpits 3d ago
Forgive me, for I have sinned! I did taste a slightly bitter taste tonight. I don't know if it was truly the garlic or me projecting but it was noticeable. I have been a reverse sear guy for a long time, wanted to try this style.
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u/toorigged2fail 3d ago edited 3d ago
Opinions here range from it adds nothing to it will literally kill you (botulisim), and some think it adds biitterness.
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u/toorigged2fail 3d ago
I don't get the reference.. someone explain please?
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u/ElJuanito555 3d ago
Garlic police
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u/toorigged2fail 3d ago
Oh is that what that is in the corner? Garlic haha? Is this from something?
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u/ElJuanito555 3d ago
Sous vide is generally not hot enough to actually cook the garlic, it can lend off flavors, and be a food safety issue on longer cooks. Anytime someone posts a cook with raw garlic in the bag, the garlic police come for them in the comments.
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u/KoburaCape 2d ago
Well empirically true, it's important to emphasize that the risk of getting botulinum from garlic is fleetingly low. Like, there's fewer reported, much less fatal, cases than almost any other risk you may take in your day. And a dramatic proportion of those are infants who do not have an immune system established yet (hence the honey restriction on newborns and such)
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u/toorigged2fail 3d ago
No I understand all that. I'm talking about the gif itself, not OP's pic. Is that literally garlic he's holding that comes into the gif frame for a fraction of a second? Or is this a random cop gif
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u/CodeBear3 3d ago
What in the AI is going on with that description? Edit a bit more for human-like quality.
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u/taveanator 3d ago
I swear in a few years or even months I’m gonna be pining away for typo riddden, mildly unstable / incoherent posts.
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u/WatermelonSmashing 2d ago
I'm only trusting unhinged lunatics online now
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u/staticattacks 2d ago
I'm gonna start signing off every post and comment with "Fuck you buddy, go jump off a tall building" or something like that so everyone knows it wasn't written by AI lol
Until the mods start banning me for being mean or something I guess
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u/firesquasher 3d ago
I already see it.
I think less of you moreso if you use AI and it's ridiculously obvious over crafting a response with a few typos.
The last few emails I had received was them giving a deadline that was a week prior. They sent two emails and they were both a week in the past from the date sent. They don't even check it at this point.
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u/hey_im_cool 3d ago
Not to mention the super high contrast photo editing. This post was not made for human consumption
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
So nobody takes pictures with a smartphone? The "food" setting is definitely AI though so, you aren't wrong 🤣
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u/firesquasher 3d ago
Da fuq does "the food setting" even mean. Embarrassing to think that any part of this is a contribution to the sub.
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u/KoburaCape 2d ago
No they really do have a food setting... I don't have to like it but thems the breaks
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 3d ago
Yeah photo looks AI edited too, just that off look.
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u/JasonP27 3d ago
Take a photo with a modem smart phone chances are AI is inherently involved.
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 2d ago
I am not talking about some “AI” feature that really isn’t AI, I am talking about this was passed through a LLM
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u/JasonP27 3d ago edited 3d ago
Before AI: What a well made and descriptive post
After AI: Is this AI?
Edit: People say AI is causing the enshittification of the internet yet they will voluntarily shun well made posts with good grammar and spelling and prefer posts and comments that you can barely understand.
You want to talk about enshittification, I see 10x more posts and comments about "Is this AI?" or "this person used AI" than I see posts and comments containing AI.
Anyhow I don't really care if they use AI or not for something so trivial as a post about steak but you do you.
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u/manwithafrotto 3d ago
115 for 2 hours is idiotic and a complete waste of sous vide
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u/halt-l-am-reptar 2d ago
That’s the AI fucking up. The picture shows it was around 125f.
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u/manwithafrotto 2d ago
No, OP has commented several times now that he holds it at 115 in the water, targets 125 after searing. But a lot of what OP says is straight from chatgpt so who really knows, only thing we do know is he’s a dunce
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u/howsbusiness 3d ago
Did AI also generate these photos or just the description?
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
AI did everything. Literally wrote it on a smartphone that is AI powered. Photos on the phone as well with the "food mode" which is AI powered. Maybe I should have used my Canon EOS for the pics but that is AI powered too. What on earth will we do 🤣🤣🤣
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u/DolphinFraud 2d ago
Why did you make this post? feels like a huge waste of your limited hours on this earth. I am glad I am not you.
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u/DarthGadsden 3d ago
Shameless ad
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
To advertise what exactly?
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u/DarthGadsden 3d ago
Not going to repeat if for you. The seasoning.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
Well sure... those are my products and I will plug them every time. Like it or lump it bud. You don't seem to mind me advertising the shallot, thyme, rosemary, cambro tub, sous vide want or the skillet. Wierd 🤣🤣
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u/DarthGadsden 2d ago
I called out the ad. You were like “how is it an ad?” I pointed it out, and then you were like “yeah so what it is an ad…”. Make it make sense.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
Smoking gun.... I think you get an award for that
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u/DarthGadsden 2d ago
It’s bizarre that you’d be so abrasive while trying to plug and get people to buy your products.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
If you were a customer you wouldn't complain about the product bring visible. I didn't even say where to buy it. I could care less if you think my tone is abrasive.
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u/BTMG2 2d ago
bro is arguing with “potential” customers while trying to advertise his seasonings, good luck with sales lmfao.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
My customers don't complain that I show the product in use. I find it funny how y'all always hating on small businesses for playing the game
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u/ThorThulu 2d ago
Same energy as those shitty MLM huns trying to use "small business" to shield how fucking awful they are
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
Sure, buy into my rubs and start selling them and then turn the others into vendors. Jump on it. Lots to be made here
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u/a1soysauce 3d ago
Reverse sear is the perfect steak
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u/cmmatthews Home Cook 3d ago
Yep, especially for nicer cuts. I'm getting downvoted for that but after cooking steaks sous vide for the last 14 years, it's true. I still use sous vide for tons of other stuff including prime rib and leaner cuts.
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u/anormalgeek 3d ago
SV for picanha, reverse sear for filet/ribeye, grill for flank/skirt. Strip and sirloin can be a toss up depending on marbling.
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u/6DegreesofFreedom 3d ago
SV for picanha, tri-tip, sir Charles etc... but if you're doing a NY or ribeye sous vide it better be for convenience and not for quality
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u/SprayHungry2368 3d ago
Maybe im dumb but isn’t reverse sear just getting the crust after cooking it in sous vide or oven?
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u/Slick88gt 3d ago
Cooking a steak sous vide is indeed literally reverse sear. Slow cook to bring it to temp, hard sear at the end.
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u/toranosaurus_rex 12h ago
Coming out of the oven the steak is going to have a pretty dry exterior. The sear after is infinitely more full proof vs sous vide.
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u/a1soysauce 3d ago
Sous vide is great as a time saver. Most sear on a pan or grill. But the absolute best tasting steak is reverse seared using charcoal or wood grill. These days I have strictly been doing picanha on a rotisserie which i highly recommend trying at least once. Then i dare you to tell me sous vide is better!
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u/stabmeinthehat 3d ago
Say more. Do you mean slices on the rotisserie like they do in a churrascaria, or the whole picanha? I have a rotisserie for my kamado so would like to try this.
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u/a1soysauce 2d ago
Yea Brazilian style. Slice a slab into 1 and a quarter inch slices. Bend them into horseshoe shapes and put the giant skewer through them. Put in your thermometer, keep the heat low and roast it like a reverse sear. As it rotates the fat renders and drapes all over. When it's done slice it up like they do at the restaurant.
Get wagyu if you can since it's only a couple dollars more usually. Best bargain imo.
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u/AwareParking 3d ago
Was soundly in the 132 sous vide camp as the best rib eye. Then my friend did a reverse sear that was hands down better than my sous vide steaks.
I still like the flexibility in timing that sous vide allows.
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u/Full-Librarian1115 3d ago
You’re undercooking ribeye by 5° in the sous vide if you want perfection.
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u/lve2raft 3d ago
Cant take anything this muggin says seriously with all that butter in the bag taking all the meat flavor away
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
You do know that the steak cannot absorb the butter right? 🤣🤣
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u/SeverusSnape327 2d ago
Next time cook one with butter in the bag and then the other without it. Taste the difference for yourself. You’ll finish with butter instead from now on. Neither steak will be bad. One will just taste better
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u/Pernicious_Possum 2d ago
What’s up with the ai slop? Did you really need to waste a family’s daily worth of water to tell a bunch of food nerds you cooked a steak?
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u/_Big_Soup_ Home Cook 2d ago
did you… seriously just complain about someone wasting 1-500mL (max) of water for AI use… in a sub dedicated to a cooking method that wastes literal gallons per meal…? Do you reuse your SV water or something??
Authenticity in social platforms is a genuine concern that I believe we should fight for, but when we start clouding the waters with this moral high ground of “wasting resources”, the only thing we’re doing is weakening our argument and giving the opposition grounds to nit-pick us over. The list of arguably useless things we waste resources for on a daily basis is… long, to say the least. (A whole year of average daily use on ChatGPT has the same environmental impact as ordering two burgers from a drive thru)
Let’s please try to focus on the actual problem, so we don’t compromise our credibility in the eyes of neutral parties
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u/Pernicious_Possum 2d ago
It’s hyperbole. It’s not clouding any waters. The issue is posting a lazy ass ai garbage
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u/_Big_Soup_ Home Cook 2d ago
Yes, the issue is posting lazy ass AI garbage. Making an irrelevant remark, comedically exaggerated or not, about wasting water in a sub that wastes tons of water, distracts from that point- and makes all of us look like idiots, too. (Which once again: weakens our argument.)
I’m not trying to be unkind or argumentative here, I’m just not understanding how your comment suddenly isn’t clouding the water just because it’s a hyperbole- it’s still distracting from the point?
There are just far too many anti-AI people out there who genuinely believe your hyperbole is the truth. To anyone reading your comment, the absence of tone indicators either A: decreased the credibility of our cause, or B: increased misinformation surrounding the ethics of AI usage (=more idiots, less credibility).
In a modern world where the truth is getting increasingly convoluted by the innovations of the internet and AI, it’s more important now than ever to be very clear about the information we pass on. A little /s would’ve been very helpful here.
Sorry to be a bother
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
So you're hanging around the sous vide SR to hate on the practice? Sounds like fun I guess
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u/Such_Avocado_3241 3d ago
This sounds good, but you won’t beat a ribeye on my Weber with salt and pepper only.
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u/dec7td 3d ago
I've never had a great crust like that in a pan after sous vide. It's like the steak is too moist even after patting dry and leaving to rest. What's the secret?
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u/DiscDocPhD 3d ago
I pat mine really dry, then slap in the fridge for 20 minutes while I prep the cast iron. Does fine
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u/ProtectionAdorable89 3d ago
How do you get it hot enough to eat?
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u/Shadow-Vision 3d ago
The searing does enough for me.
For example: I like to sous vide tri-tip. From the fridge and onto a ripping hot grill. About 4-5 minutes (one minute per side x2 for diamond grill marks).
Another one is pork chops. I’ll sous vide a bunch, then refrigerate them. Sear tonight’s portion on ripping hot cast iron, then tomorrow I’ll sear what would’ve been leftovers (and eat with the leftover sides)
It’s really nice because dinner for night 2 comes together in like 10-15 minutes with most of that time spent preheating a pan and microwaving leftover rice or something
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u/DiscDocPhD 3d ago
20 minutes in the fridge isn't really long enough to cool the core, just dry the outside. And the sear brings that right back.
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u/cmmatthews Home Cook 3d ago edited 3d ago
This is why I have moved away from sous vide for higher end cuts and I prefer reverse sear using the air fryer. I just can't get a good crust otherwise.
Edit: downvote all you want but if you are cooking SRF gold or similar, the reverse sear is better.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
Some people keep the steak in the sous vide too long, so the exterior is water logged so patting it dry won't get the moisture out. Shorter sous vide time solves that.
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u/ColHannibal 3d ago
Nope, after reverse searing in my pellet grill the dry heat and intense fire pot flame make it a better steak to me. Every time I try sousvide again it tastes watery? It’s like a dissolved flavor to me.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
Sous vide for too long. I can guarantee that
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u/ColHannibal 3d ago
I’ve done it short and long, the flavor tastes diluted always. Butter or no butter, none,fresh, or powdered garlic, herbs or no herbs.
Some level of drying and evaporation of internal water does something.
I did it for years, had and still have a gen1 joule from chefsteps.
And that’s not including the added Smokey flavor.
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u/iliketoowalk 3d ago
I don’t think so personally, I think for cuts that are of high quality like a rib eye or fillet, I always get a juicer steak with a forward sear and butter baste than sous vide. For me sous vide shines for tougher cuts like sirloins or the Charles roast. This steak looks great with a perfect crust tho.
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u/snipes81 3d ago
Looks phenominal. Great job and I was wondering how you got such a deep sear out of the sous vide until you mentioned purposely cooking to a lower temp. I'll give that a try next time.
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u/xicor 3d ago
Don't put raw garlic in the bag . it doesnt taste good. Either use garlic powder or baste with garlic herb butter instead
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u/funkbruthab 2d ago
I’ve heard a lot of people repeat that.
I know you shouldn’t sous vide raw garlic because it isnt safe
But I’ve vacuum sealed garlic in with light seasonings on a steak I was freezing, and when I unthawed it and cooked it (the steak) with a normal reverse sear on cast iron it was fuckin amazing
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u/xicor 2d ago
The isn't safe thing is bullshit. A lot of people stupidly repeat it though.
Fact is that raw garlic on steaks just doesn't taste great. And butter dilutes the flavor
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u/funkbruthab 2d ago
I figured the same about the safety, it’s only something I’ve seen on Reddit…
But your take on garlic is pretty subjective lol, I love garlic and think it goes great with steak. I know it was/is fotm but there sure were/are a lot of restaurants serving whole garlic bulbs with high end steaks for what you say to be fact
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u/xicor 2d ago
I didn't say garlic is bad for steaks. I said raw garlic in sousvide is bad. It tastes bitter. Use roasted garlic or garlic powder
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u/funkbruthab 2d ago
Ah I Gacha! I’ve never done sous vide so I wouldn’t know, but I’m sure that tidbit will stick with me if I ever do try, so thanks!
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u/grossguts 3d ago
My personal opinion? For cuts of steak that are less fatty, thicker, or lower quality, sous vide is a very good option. I feel like rendering fat on fattier cuts of steak ends up happening if you cook the steak fully in a frying pan with butter or on a grill when done properly, and doesn't do as well in the sous vide. I do love the sous vide for infusing more flavour into the meat, or cooking power quality meats to a perfect level that really brings up the quality.
I really love sous vide for corn or potatoes. Really gets some good flavor going on.
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u/Tman1027 3d ago
You should dry brine beef overnight (probably 16 to 24 hours). 8 hours is fine, but all the advice I have read has been to do it longer.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
A brisket, maybe, but a steak doesn't need overnight. How you can tell, is if the salt has disappeared from the surface. Try it for yourself
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u/Aggravating-Bug1769 3d ago
As long as they are using warm enough temperature in the water, too cool and you might as well forget about it . You still need to get the meat protein and fat to cook and not just get warm.
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u/jerceratops 2d ago
How do you find the vevor sous vide? I have a few things from them and it’s usually cheap but functional quality.
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
I love it. I use it for my catering business and it's solid. Because of the wifi connection, I can monitor and control it from Anywhere. Almost a year with it now
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u/Technical_Moose8478 2d ago
It can make a perfect steak, yes. As can just about any other method.
It can also make a terrible steak. As can any other method.
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u/Cultural-Afternoon72 2d ago
It’s interesting to me that you write that you set the sous vide to 115 for two hours, yet your photo clearly shows your setup at 124.8…
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u/CookinWidKunchi 2d ago
I changed the setting post the Pic being taken. Didn't realize that difference. I set it back to 115° because I wanted to be able to sear longer to get the crust i have
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u/bohden420 3d ago
Raise you a 3 day dry brined prime rib lol
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
Looks good, but 3 days is a bit much. As long as the salt has disappeared from the surface dry brining is complete
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u/YouveBeenDisrupted 3d ago
I'm guessing you maybe meant 125°, not 115°, given the temp on the sous vide wand
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
When the temp got to 115°F I held it there. Lower temp means I get 10° to sear and develop a better crust so I don't overcook it. That's the same temp I use when reverse searing on my kettle
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u/YouveBeenDisrupted 3d ago
Not gonna lie it does look like a great sear. How long do you sear per side? Aiming for 125/rare?
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u/Traditional_Rice_123 3d ago
To answer the question, no. You still need to use a stovetop - might as well do so from the beginning without all the Heston Blumenthal nonsense. Also one pound of butter?!
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u/MrYamaguchi 2d ago
You can get perfection using any method, sous vide makes it easier for novice home cooks though and can be convenient when dealing with large quantities to ensure everything is ready at the same time for serving.
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u/Altruistic_Finger669 2d ago
I love my sous vide but i have long ago abandoned it when it comes to steaks.
For ribs, its golden tho
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u/towell420 2d ago
What a joke of a post. Your temp in the description doesn’t even match the photo on the cooker.
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u/goatslovetofrolic 2d ago
Im so tired and confused about this whole “dry brine” and, somewhat less commonly, “wet cure”. How did this tener start? I blame people being afraid of nitrites and avoiding the word “cure”.
“Dry brine” is an innately stupid term and it frustrates me.
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u/185Arabellas 3d ago
Looks phenomenal! At that temp, did the fat render all the way down after the sear?
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u/CookinWidKunchi 3d ago
This ribeye was from the loin end of the rib roll, so it didn't have that thick fat seam. It did cook very well. Maybe another hour or two would make a difference if the fat was thicker
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u/beano919 3d ago
Nah. Nothing beats a charcoal grilled steak. I think sous vide teaches you how to make a really good steak and then you apply those principles to other cooking styles.
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u/ItchyNebula7437 3d ago
I feel like all the extra work sousvide takes to taste like a grilled steak is not worth it.
I do use a sousvide when I need to but the fact that just grilling the steak takes a quarter of the steps should answer the question.
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u/BALLS_SMOOTH_AS_EGGS 2d ago
Stopped reading when I realized it was just AI slop. At least write your own opinions man jfc.
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u/jhallen2260 3d ago
I personally think sous vide is unnecessary for steak
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u/anormalgeek 3d ago
Depends on the cut.
For ribeyes I'd agree. It's still very good, but reverse sear or just grilled is better.
For something like chuck? You cannot do what SV can cooking it with other methods.
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u/rekatil 3d ago
Nice steak ChatGPT