Steak is a big deal in my family. I’m pretty sure my dad would have disowned me if I had ever requested a well-done steak. My brother brought steak sauce into my house recently and I took it as an insult. I absolutely LOVE the precision of cooking a steak medium rare from edge to edge and serving it with confidence.
I’ve been practicing this on for a while. I learned a lot from The Food Lab’s Complete Guide to Sous Vide Steak and the beautiful book Sous Vide at Home: The Modern Technique for Perfectly Cooked Meals.
INGREDIENTS
- Ribeye or New York strip steaks cut to
1 ½ to 2 inches thick - High-smoke point oil like avocado or olive
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed (optional)
- Salt & pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Generously salt and pepper the steaks. Use a vacuum sealer or water displacement to seal each steak in a bag.
- Heat water bath to 131℉ for a medium rare steak. Place steaks in the water bath and cook for an hour at minimum, four hours maximum. (see the Serious Eats Temperature & Timing chart for other levels of doneness)
- Remove the steaks from the water and the bag, pat dry with paper towels, and rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat a heavy iron skillet on high heat. Add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
- When oil starts to shimmer, place steaks in the pan. Sear for 30 to 60 seconds on each side (flipping with tongs).
- If the steaks have their fat caps, use the tongs to hold them together upright with the fat pressed into the skillet. Render the fat for 1 to 2 minutes. Place the steaks back in the skillet.
- Add the butter and then the garlic to one side of the skillet. When the butter stops foaming, tilt the skillet, collect the butter in a spoon, and baste the steaks. Flip and repeat.
- Being sure not to let the meat stay on one side for longer than 1 minute at a time, bring the outside to a deep, rich brown. Transfer to a platter and wait for at least 2 minutes to cut.
