OK, I know many do not know what the sous-vide method of cooking is (or do not understand or trust it) and it can seem scary… but only if you don’t follow good practices. Basically, sous-vide is cooking foods placed in a vacuum in a water bath that is kept at a stable temperature. And those are the keys… the vacuum and stable temperature. Now you may be thinking, I want a crust or grill marks on my steak… not just a hunk of pink or gray meat on my plate. I agree with you and that is the beauty in this process.  Sous-vide cooks the meat to the desired doneness (and no further since the meat can never be hotter than the surrounding water!) and then a quick grilling adds the grill marks without overcoooking the meat. Check it out below to see the results and judge for yourself!

Sous-vide Top Sirloin Steak

Ingredients:

• 8-10 oz Top Sirloin steak
• 1 1/2 tsp Smoky Mesquite Seasoning

Preparation:

Fill a pot large enough to allow the water to circulate around the meat with warm water and place the immersion circulator into the pot, securing to the side. If using a water bath sous-vide machine, fill and setup per the manufacturer’s instructions. Set the temperature for your desired steak doneness per a guide like The Food Lab Complete Guide to Steak.

Sprinkle the Smoky Mesquite seasoning on both sides of the meat and place meat into a food sealing bag.

Vacuum seal the steak and set aside until the water is at the desired temperature.

Once the water batch is to temperature, place the bag with the steak into the water. Cook for the specified time (the steak I had would have been done between 30 and 45 minutes, I left it in for about 90 minutes as I completed some chores!).

When ready to eat, heat up the grill on high, remove the steak from the water bath and bag, placing on a plate.  Drizzle on both sides with a small amount of vegetable oil to reduce sticking. Place on the hot grill at an angle for 60 – 90 seconds to create the grill marks, then lift and rotate to the opposite angle for the cross hatch styled grill marks.

After 90 seconds, turn the steak and repeat the process. If you have steak press, now is a great time to use it.

Once the grill marks are done, plate and serve. There is typically no need to rest due to the sous-vide process, but it won’t hurt if you decide to either!

Note on the side dishes:

Mushrooms

• 1 1/2 cups of sliced or quartered mushrooms
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp butter, divided
• 1 tsp garlic, minced

Asparagus

• 6 – 8 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• sea salt
• cracked black pepper

Just prior to unsealing the bag to grill the steak, I prepared the asparagus by washing and trimming, drizzling with olive oil and sprinkling salt and pepper on the spears. I mix them lightly to coat and place in a small baking dish so they are ready to grill alongside the steak. I also clean and slice the mushrooms, heat a small saute pan to medium high, and add olive oil and butter. When the butter stops foaming, I add the mushrooms and toss to coat, cooking them to a nice brown. I add the remaining butter and when melted, add the garlic and toss to coat. The garlic will cook quickly and be very fragrant. Lower the heat to low while the steak sears. I cooked the baked potato using the microwave process, then placed in foil to keep on the front of the grill where it is coolest to finish the cooking and crisp the skin slightly. To plate, I split the potato by slicing a small cut lengthwise and squeeze together. Place the asparagus at an angle and nestle the steak in the center. Spoon the mushrooms and butter over the steak… and enjoy!