Picked up two 9-oz prime filets today from a local butcher shop. They were roughly 1 3/4” thick, and I don’t own a sous vide of any variety, so I decided to try out reverse freezing this steak to get a good wall to wall med-rare.
I left the meat sitting out on the counter, wrapped in butcher paper for 2 hours, then threw it in the freezer for 30 minutes right before cooking to chill the outside while keeping the inside relatively close to room temp. I gave it a healthy dose of salt and pepper on each side, seared for 3 minutes on high heat each side in a neutral oil, cooked in the oven at 350 for 11 minutes, then rested for 7 minutes under some foil on this plate. After searing, I introduced some garlic and rosemary to the mix while everything finished in the oven.
Served it up with roasted asparagus and potatoes and paired with a 2016 Tannat wine from Uruguay. This was a big hit, and I’ll definitely be trying this method again in the future.
by bloks27
9 Comments
Forgot to include this in the post, but I paid $40.99/lb for the beef in Tennessee from TN Meat Co. In my area, choice filet from Sam’s and Costco is $29/lb to give some frame of reference.
this is the first I’m hearing of this method, sounds super interesting! could you share the science behind this method and how it affects the cook?
one thing my dad used to do for crust, was a light mixture of cornstarch and salt, rubbed into the meat, wrapped in a papertowel, and flash frozen the way you described. the cornstarch may not be for everyone, but the crust will have a knife’s edge singing as you scrape the surface.
That’s straight up freezing before cooking. (I’m guessing you’re talking about this https://www.kitchenkonfidence.com/2012/02/frozen-seared-steak)
The term reverse freezing makes no sense. It’s called reverse sear because the technique is opposite of the traditional approach, where meat is seared first and then cooked through
!remindme 32h
Need more meat
This one looks incredible!
I don’t yet own a sous vide either so, I’m very intrigued by this approach! Your results are divine and thanks for the in depth explanation! Great job!
Looks awesome, would love to try that wine