Im starting to get acceptable results, but I still feel like Im undersearing it? I like it rare, and previously if I seared until the crust looked good – the meat was already medium..
Im doing sous vide in 53C for 1.5h. Then 2x15s per side, a minute rest, and 1×15 per side with added butter. Seasoning is just salt/pepper/thyme/rosemary. I add a tiny lick of butter into the sous vide.
I dont have a meat thermometer, so Im just going with trial and error, and the current timings get the doneness perfectly – Im not sure how much more rest I should add to sear it a bit more.
Any tips on the crust? Am I overthinking this?
by 3D_Rookie
18 Comments
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Can you get your hands on a propane torch? Sometimes I blast it and the torch is more about burn on the outside versus heat. I know that may sound strange. But that’s one of the ways I do it.
If you want more of a sear without cooking the interior further, you need hotter pan and dryer steak surface. If it comes out over where you want, I’d drop the temp on your SV 5-10 degrees.
I’d also wipe off your pepper and herbs and whatnot prior to searing, they will burn.
Sous Vide > Fridge > Sear would be my next attempt.
How are you searing? Skillet? Grill?
I brush some melted beef tallow on my steaks before I grill. It helps. Also if you’re on a skillet, use a press to get full contact on the other side
Your pan isn’t hot enough
Make sure you pat the meat dry with a paper towel before putting it into the pan to reduce excess moisture
If you don’t have something like cast iron, or stainless steel, or carbon steel, then you’ll probably get better results throwing it under a broiler
Skip the seasoning aside from salt and pepper. Those dry herbs are just gonna burn if your pan is hot enough for a proper sear
Add sprigs of fresh herbs when you add the butter at the end and baste the steak with the butter
Heat is your friend for what you want. Put it in high and sear to your heart content. Pad it dry prior to get a better sear.
From my experience, it’s tough to get a great sear on a sous vide because the steak is wet/moist from cooking in its juices. Requires a lot more work versus reverse sear. As other comments suggest, cool your meat after sous vide in freezer for a little bit and make sure to sear on a hot pan with moisture removed with pats with a paper towel before searing.
15 seconds per side? That’s not enough time for the crust to form unless you’re on the surface of the sun. If your steak releases from the surface at only 15 seconds then your temp is too low and steak is too wet.
I finish on a cast iron flattop in my grill at about 650-700 and it takes at least 1 full minute for the crust to form and release, sometimes a bit more.
You need hotter and longer. If you are worried about going past your desired doneness, 10-15 minutes in the fridge uncovered will help cool and dry the surface and slow heat transferring to the center while searing.
Sous vide, dry very well with paper towel and then sear hard with cast iron.
Are they dry? That spotty sear indicates otherwise. This is a sous vide steak fundamental, OP.
Ignore the really hot pan crowd. Watch this video from Chris Young:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZY8xbdHfWk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZY8xbdHfWk)
Throw it in ice water for 10 min before searing. Dry it as much as possible before sear. I do the same for rare sausages.
After sous vide I usually put in the fridge or even freezer for a few mins. Helps get a better sear without overcooking
Are you drying the steaks thoroughly before searing? Thoroughly wrap it in kitchen paper towels and press a little all over to ensure you absorb as much as possible.
Use cast iron. Some wagyu tallow spray. Get it to screaming just starting to smoke hot. Only then do you put the steak on.
No need for butter in the suis vide, it works the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve, rather than adding butter flavor to the steak you’re adding steak flavor to the butter which you discard.
Lower and slower in the suis vide, hotter and longer on the sear. Try 50C, 1.5-2h in the immersion, 2x 30s then 1x15s with butter for the sear. As others have also mentioned, as dry as you can possibly get the steak before searing will make the biggest difference (I’m assuming you’ve already got the cast iron screaming hot for the sear)
Meat thermometer is kinda an important tool to have, but I respect that the taste test is the ultimate ruling factor.
Lower smoke point oil like avocado oil (you can use it in addition to butter) might help if you’re not getting that pan quite as hot as it needs to be because the butter is burning. I also try to sear in half my cast iron at a time, the half without food in it will have a hotter surface when I flip it that way.
Cool the steak before opening the back. I use ice water. Then dry it. Pat it then let is stand for a few minutes and dry it again. Hot pan with some oil so it is about smoking, or a nice hot grill. A minute on each side and you’re done. Also, you can use your eyes to judge the sear.
The biggest two problems people have is that their pan or grill aren’t hot enough and most importantly the surface isn’t dry. Fix those two things and you will be fine. The cooling it down is mainly to give you some room for error and because that is a pretty thin steak.
Sear over a charcoal chimney with lump charcoal. Skip the drying, cooling, and all those necessary steps. Perfect sear with zero gray banding. [Example](https://i.imgur.com/qfrpu72.jpg)
A rare ribeye is not palatable imo. It’s chewy, and the fat isn’t close to rendered. Your sear is practically nonexistent.