Servings: 4

2 (1 1/2– to 2-inch-thick) ribeye, strip, porterhouse, or T-bone steaks (about 1 pound/450g each), or 4 tenderloin steaks (6 to 8 ounces/170 to 225g each) 2 (1 ½- to 2-inch-thick) ribeye, strip, porterhouse, or T-bone steaks (about 1 pound/450g each), or 4 tenderloin steaks (6 to 8 ounces/170 to 225g each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, use lots of Kosher salt! Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, use lots of Kosher salt!
4 sprigs thyme or rosemary - I used rosemary, sautéed in olive oil 4 sprigs thyme or rosemary - I used rosemary, sautéed in olive oil
2 garlic cloves - I used 4-6 cloves, chopped in large chunks, sautéed in olive oil 2 garlic cloves - I used 4 to 6 cloves, chopped in large chunks, sautéed in olive oil
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil (if pan-searing) - I used avocado oil. 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil (if pan-searing) - I used avocado oil.
2 tablespoons (30g) butter (if pan-searing) 2 tablespoons (30g) butter (if pan-searing)

Preheat a sous vide cooker to desired final temperature. (See note for temperature and timing charts, or find the same charts here.) Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Place in sous vide bags along with herbs, garlic, and shallots (if using) and distribute evenly. Seal bags and place in water bath for desired time according to charts.
To Finish in a Pan: Turn on your vents and open your windows. Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Add vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil to a heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet, then place over the hottest burner you have and preheat skillet until it starts to smoke.
Gently lay steak in skillet, using your fingers or a set of tongs. If desired, add a tablespoon of butter; for a cleaner-tasting sear, omit the butter at this stage.
After 15 to 30 seconds, flip steak so that the second side comes into contact with the pan. Repeat, flipping steak every 15 to 30 seconds, until it has developed a nice brown sear, about 1 ½ minutes total. If you did not add butter earlier, add butter to skillet about 30 seconds before steak is done for added richness. Serve steak immediately.
To Finish on the Grill: Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate.
Remove steak from water bath and bag and carefully pat dry with paper towels. Place steak directly over hot side of grill and cook, turning every 15 to 30 seconds, until a deep, rich crust has formed, about 1 ½ minutes total. If the fire threatens to flare up as the steak drips fat into it, suffocate the fire by closing the grill lid until the flames die out. Alternatively, transfer steak to cooler side of grill, using a set of long tongs, until flames subside. Do not allow steak to become engulfed in flames.
Transfer cooked steak to a cutting board or serving platter and serve immediately

5/6/21- Ribeye 1/2-1” thick, 129° for 1½ hours. Heat up pan to extremely hot! Seared steak for 30 seconds on each side using about a Tbsp. of butter in the pan right before adding the steak. Serve immediately. Perfect! Nice and juicy, tender, and pink throughout.  5/6/21- Ribeye ½ to 1” thick, 129° for 1½ hours. Heat up pan to extremely hot! Seared steak for 30 seconds on each side using about a Tbsp. of butter in the pan right before adding the steak. Serve immediately. Perfect! Nice and juicy, tender, and pink throughout.
1/1/22 - Top sirloin 1 1/2” thick. Season steak on both sides with freshly ground pepper and lots of Kosher salt. Sauté garlic and rosemary with olive oil in pan until browned and roasted looking. Add to bag on top of each steak. Cook 129° for 4 hours. Remove garlic and rosemary from steak and set aside. Pat steak dry with paper towel. Heat up cast iron pan to extremely hot! Add avocado oil to thinly coat bottom of pan, and heat until smoking. Sear steak for 1 minute on first side, then add about 1-2 Tbsp. of butter in the pan right before turning the steak. Sear for 1 minute on second side, adding garlic and rosemary from bag and spooning butter over steak as it sears. Serve immediately. Perfect! Nice and juicy, tender, and pink throughout.  1/½2 - Top sirloin 1 ½” thick. Season steak on both sides with freshly ground pepper and lots of Kosher salt. Sauté garlic and rosemary with olive oil in pan until browned and roasted looking. Add to bag on top of each steak. Cook 129° for 4 hours. Remove garlic and rosemary from steak and set aside. Pat steak dry with paper towel. Heat up cast iron pan to extremely hot! Add avocado oil to thinly coat bottom of pan, and heat until smoking. Sear steak for 1 minute on first side, then add about 1 to 2 Tbsp. of butter in the pan right before turning the steak. Sear for 1 minute on second side, adding garlic and rosemary from bag and spooning butter over steak as it sears. Serve immediately. Perfect! Nice and juicy, tender, and pink throughout.
The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Sous Vide Steak info & video: www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-so...  The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Sous Vide Steak info & video: www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/food-lab-complete-guide-to-so...
Here's a rough breakdown of how steaks feel at different degrees of doneness.  Here's a rough breakdown of how steaks feel at different degrees of doneness.
Rare sous vide steak (120°F/49°C): Your meat is still nearly raw. Muscle proteins have not started to contract much and will have a slippery, wet texture. Chewier cuts, like hanger or flap meat, will be particularly tough at this stage. Fat has not yet started to render, so fattier cuts will have a waxy texture. I recommend cooking only very lean, tender cuts, like tenderloin, to rare.  Rare sous vide steak (120°F/49°C): Your meat is still nearly raw. Muscle proteins have not started to contract much and will have a slippery, wet texture. Chewier cuts, like hanger or flap meat, will be particularly tough at this stage. Fat has not yet started to render, so fattier cuts will have a waxy texture. I recommend cooking only very lean, tender cuts, like tenderloin, to rare.
Medium-rare (129°F/54°C): Your steak is still nice and red, but muscle proteins have begun to tighten and firm up. You lose a bit of juice due to this tightening, but what you lose in juice, you gain in tenderness. Medium-rare steaks have a cleaner bite to them: Instead of muscle fibrils mushing and slipping past each other, as they do with very rare steaks, they cut more easily between your teeth. I recommend medium-rare for all types of steaks, though steaks particularly high in fat benefit from being taken closer to medium.  Medium-rare (129°F/54°C): Your steak is still nice and red, but muscle proteins have begun to tighten and firm up. You lose a bit of juice due to this tightening, but what you lose in juice, you gain in tenderness. Medium-rare steaks have a cleaner bite to them: Instead of muscle fibrils mushing and slipping past each other, as they do with very rare steaks, they cut more easily between your teeth. I recommend medium-rare for all types of steaks, though steaks particularly high in fat benefit from being taken closer to medium.
Medium sous vide steak (135°F/57°C): Your steak is a rosy pink throughout and has lost about four times more juices than a rare steak. With a well-marbled piece of beef, however, the rendering, softened fat should more than make up for this extra juice loss. Coarsely textured cuts, like hanger, skirt, and flap meat, also become firm and juicy at this stage. I recommend cooking very fatty or coarse pieces of beef to the cooler side of medium.  Medium sous vide steak (135°F/57°C): Your steak is a rosy pink throughout and has lost about four times more juices than a rare steak. With a well-marbled piece of beef, however, the rendering, softened fat should more than make up for this extra juice loss. Coarsely textured cuts, like hanger, skirt, and flap meat, also become firm and juicy at this stage. I recommend cooking very fatty or coarse pieces of beef to the cooler side of medium.
Medium-well sous vide steak (145°F/63°C): Your steak is well on its way to dryness. At this point, you've lost nearly six times as much juice as a rare steak, and the meat has a distinctly cottony, grainy texture that no amount of excess lubricating fat can disguise. If you must have your meat cooked medium-well, I suggest using very rich cuts, like short rib, skirt steak, or hanger, which suffer less than finely textured cuts, like ribeye, strip, or tenderloin.  Medium-well sous vide steak (145°F/63°C): Your steak is well on its way to dryness. At this point, you've lost nearly six times as much juice as a rare steak, and the meat has a distinctly cottony, grainy texture that no amount of excess lubricating fat can disguise. If you must have your meat cooked medium-well, I suggest using very rich cuts, like short rib, skirt steak, or hanger, which suffer less than finely textured cuts, like ribeye, strip, or tenderloin.
Well-done sous vide steak (156°F/69°C+): I get it. Some people like their meat well-done. However, there is no real reason to use a sous vide precision technique if you like your steak well-done. Just grill or pan-roast until it's as done as you like it.  Well-done sous vide steak (156°F/69°C+): I get it. Some people like their meat well-done. However, there is no real reason to use a sous vide precision technique if you like your steak well-done. Just grill or pan-roast until it's as done as you like it.
Very rare to rare: 120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C) - 1 to 2 1/2 hours  Very rare to rare: 120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C) - 1 to 2 ½ hours
Medium-rare: 129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C) - 1 to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C)  Medium-rare: 129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C) - 1 to 4 hours (2 ½ hours max if under 130°F/54°C)
Medium: 135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C) -1 to 4 hours  Medium: 135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C) -1 to 4 hours
Medium-well: 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C) - 1 to 3 1/2 hours  Medium-well: 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C) - 1 to 3 ½ hours
Well-done: 156°F (69°C) and up - 1 to 3 hours  Well-done: 156°F (69°C) and up - 1 to 3 hours