Sous vide ribeye steak is a beautiful and easy dish to make at home. The steak is cooked slowly in a water bath, ensuring that it comes out tender and juicy every time.
A final sear on the steak will deliver a mouth watering, melt in your mouth steak.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- What Is Sous Vide Cooking?
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How To Sous Vide a Ribeye Steak
- Sous Vide Temperature and Cooking Times
- Serving Suggestions
- Related Recipes
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Storage Options
- Tips for Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Delish Ideas
- Sous Vide Ribeye Steaks
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Sous vide is a cooking technique that uses low heat to cook food evenly. This makes it a great option for tender, juicy steaks. In this blog post, we'll show you how to cook a ribeye steak using the sous vide method.
With its unparalleled tenderness, edge-to-edge perfection, consistent results, enhanced flavor retention, and foolproof preparation, sous vide is the ultimate way to cook a ribeye steak. Here are some key reasons you'll love this sous vide ribeye steak recipe:
- Consistent Results: Say goodbye to guesswork and inconsistent results with sous vide. The precise temperature control of the water bath ensures that your steak is cooked to your desired doneness every time.
- Edge-to-Edge Perfection: Unlike traditional cooking methods, where the edges of the steak often overcook while the center remains undercooked, sous vide ensures edge-to-edge perfection. Every bite of the steak is cooked to the same level of doneness, from the juicy center to the flavorful crust.
- Enhanced Flavor Retention: Sous vide cooking seals in the natural juices and flavors of the meat, resulting in a steak that is bursting with flavor. The gentle cooking process doesn't allow the juices to escape, preserving the essence of the ribeye's rich, savory taste.
- Foolproof Preparation: Sous vide is surprisingly simple to use, even for novice cooks. Simply place your seasoned ribeye in a vacuum-sealed bag or a specialized sous vide container, immerse it in the preheated water bath, and let the science do its magic.
What Is Sous Vide Cooking?
What is sous vide and how does it work? "Sous vide" (pronounced sue veed) literally means "under vacuum" or "under pressure." This method of cooking involves sealing ingredients in resealable or vacuum plastic bags. You then submerge the food filled a pot of heated water.
This technique produces results that are impossible to achieve through any other cooking method. It is super easy, requiring three simple steps:
- Attach the sous vide cooker to a stockpot or sous vide cook tub and set the time and temperature for the level of doneness for the food item you are cooking.
- Season the food and put it in a sealing bag. Seal it closed and submerge in in the water bath of the stockpot or sous vide cooker.
- When finished cooking, sear, grill, or broil the food to give it the brown or or crispy finish.
A sous vide cooker is set to a time and temperature. The food does not cook beyond the time or temp, making it almost impossible to over cook food. You get steaks and seafood cooked to perfection!
Ingredients You'll Need
Choose thick cut, well marbled ribeye steaks. Kosher salt or coarse sea salt is the preferred salt to use, as it doesn't just melt immediately on the meat.
If you have access to fresh grown rosemary, cut a sprig for each steak. You will seal it in the vacuum sous vide bag with each steak.
- Boneless Ribeye steaks, thick 1 to 1½ inch thick.
- Fresh Rosemary sprigs
- Butter
- Coarse Salt
- Coarse Black pepper
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Sous Vide a Ribeye Steak
Not all steaks are created equal. Ribeye steak is a cut of meat that is known for its tenderness and flavor.
This type of steak is best cooked using the sous vide method, which guarantees a perfect meal every time. Keep reading to learn how to cook a ribeye steak using the sous vide method.
- Before preparing the meat, set up your sous vide water container. It can be a stainless steel stock pot or a plastic sous vide cooking container with a lid. Clip on your sous vide circulating heat unit so that the element is in the water. Set the temperature according to the recipe card instructions below.
I'm including a link for the Anova Sous Vide set that include a large cooking container and their Anova Sous Vide circulating element.
They fit together beautifully. You can buy them separately also, but the better value is the set.
Season The Steaks
- Generously season each steak side with coarse salt and pepper. Lay a rosemary sprig across each steak. The fresh rosemary will flavor the meat deliciously.
Seal The Steaks in Vacuum Sealed Bags
- Place each steak, or two in a large vacuum bag, making sure the rosemary stays on top of each steak.
- Seal with the a vacuum sealer. You can also use freezer Ziplock bags, but double them, and squeeze as much air out as possible.
Place In The Sous Vide Cooker Bath
- Once the sous vide cooker water has reached the correct cooking temperature for this recipe, place the vacuum sealed bags with the steaks inside in the bath and cook (see recipe details below).
PRO TIP: If your bag is floating, place a glass pie plate on top of the bags of steaks. The glass pie plate will keep the bags of steak submerged.
I use Fermenting Weights, 3" diameter clear glass weights made to keep food submerged.
Sear the Steak Before Serving
- Once the steak has cooked for the amount of time indicated in the recipe, remove the bag.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to high heat. Remove the steaks from the vacuum bags. Add the butter, rosemary, and steak to the skillet and sear until it's nice and brown. Turn and repeat for the other side.
Rest for 5 to 10 Minutes, Then Serve!
- After searing, transfer the steaks to a platter. Let them rest about 5 to 10 minutes. After resting, slice the steak to the thickness you prefer to serve it, or not at all depending on the size of the steaks.
You will notice how the meat slowly become brighter as it rests. Whatever temperature you set your sous vide cooker for, the steak will cook no further.
Sous Vide Temperature and Cooking Times
Here are a few MEDIUM RARE sous vide temperature and cooking times for three popular steak types.
| Sous Vide | Temperature | Thickness | Time to Core Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenderloin | 138°F / 59°C | 2 inches | 1 hour, 58 min |
| Rib Eye Steak | 138°F / 59°C | 1.5 inches | 1 hour, 58 min |
| Strip Steak | 138°F / 59°C | 1.5 inches | 1 hour, 58 min |
Serving Suggestions
Pair the ribeye steaks with a simple side dish, such as roasted vegetables or a dressed salad. A dollop of horseradish or a sprinkle of sea salt is all that's needed to enhance the steak's natural flavors.
For a truly memorable dining experience, serve the steak alongside a glass of full-bodied red wine. The rich tannins in the wine will complement the steak's savory notes. Serve alongside Caesar Salad and a dessert like the Del Frisco's Butter Cake, and you will have a meal to really impress!
Related Recipes
- Sous Vide Roast Beef
- Grilled Steak Salad with Feta
- Chili's Steak Fajitas
- Golden Beet Salad
- Lime Marinated Flat Iron Steak
- Cast Iron Flank Steak
Substitutions
- You can use other herbs instead of Rosemary. You decide. What goes inside the sous vide bag can be unique and varied.
- You can also sous vide on a dime until you fall in love with it. Use a soup pot and put aluminum foil over the top around the cooking element to hold in the heat.
- Start off with an inexpensive sous vide cooking element if you are nervous (that's what I did!). Use Ziploc bags for sealing your food.
Variations
- Garlic & Peppercorn - add some halved garlic closes and crushed whole peppercorns before sealing in the vacuum bags.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when using the sous vide method to prepare ribeye steaks.
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- Anova Sous Vide Circulator & Container Bundle - Excellent value for a top level system!
- InkBird Sous Vide Circulator - Excellent alternative to the Anova
- FoodSaver Brand Vacuum Sealer and Starter Kit
- InkBird Vacuum Sealer & Starter Kit - Lower cost vacuum sealer option.
- Stockpot or a Sous Vide Container & Lid - I love how the lid is hinged so it's easy to check temps and not take the entire lid and sous vide cooker off!
- Vacuum Sealing Sous Vide Bags, or zip-top bags
- Sous Vide Vacuum Sealer - 6 in 1 Compact Food Preservation System
- ThermoPro meat thermometer - Excellent value on this model.
- Glass Canning Weights (optional, but keep the food filled bags submerged). Much less expensive than Sous Vide weights!
Storage Options
- Store uncooked bags of sous vide prepared food for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator before putting into the cooker.
- Store cooked left overs the same way you would any other left overs, if you have any.
Tips for Success
- You can fill your sous vide tub or stockpot with warm water if you are in a hurry to get the sous vide cooking process started.
- Use glass fermenting weights to weigh the bag down in the sous vide bath.
- For an easier searing process, add a few tablespoons of regular vegetable oil to the hot cast iron skillet. Then add the butter. This will raise the smoke point and prevent the butter from buring or your smoke alarms getting triggered.
- Medium Rare steaks should be set for 135° F.
- Medium steaks should be set for 140° F.
- You can do the sous vide process in advance, leave the steaks in the vacuum sealed bags, then remove them and sear them any time during the week!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you make sure the water is at the required temperature before submerging the bagged food. Don't put the bagged food in cold water and then start the sous vide cooker. Always heat the water first.
For a perfectly cooked ribeye, the ideal sous vide temperature range is between 130°F (54°C) for rare to 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare. Adjust the temperature within this range based on your personal preference for doneness.
After sous vide cooking, you'll want to sear the steak to create a flavorful crust. Pat the steak dry with paper towels, then sear it in a hot cast-iron skillet or grill pan for about 30 seconds per side.
Yes, you can sous vide cook a ribeye steak from frozen. Simply add an extra hour or two to the cooking time to ensure the steak thaws completely and cooks through evenly.
More Delish Ideas
Sous Vide Ribeye Steaks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ribeye Steaks, thick 1 to 1 ½"
- 2-4 Rosemary sprigs for each steak
- 8 tablespoon Butter
- Coarse Salt
- Coarse Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- Fill your sous vide tub or stockpot with water. Begin heating the water to 130° F.
- Generously season both sides of the steaks with coarse salt and pepper. Place the steak in a vacuum seal bag, and tuck a sprig of rosemary on each steak. Seal the bag with the vacuum sealer. You can insert a glass fermenting weight to weigh the bag down in the sous vide bath at this point if you have any.
- Once the sous vide tub reaches 130°, place the steak in the bath of water and let it cook for 2 hours. If the bag floats, lay a heavy plate on top to weigh it down.
- Once the 2 hours has elapsed, the steak is ready to take out of the sous vide water bath.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to high. Remove the steaks from the bags, add the butter, rosemary, and the steaks to the skillet. Sear for 3 to 5 minutes on each side for a nice, dark brown color.
- Let the steak cool for 5 to10 minutes, slice, and then serve!
Notes
- You can fill your sous vide tub or stockpot with warm water if you are in a hurry to get the sous vide cooking process started.
- Use glass fermenting weights to weigh the bag down in the sous vide bath.
- For an easier searing process, add a few tablespoons of regular vegetable oil to the hot cast iron skillet. Then add the butter. This will raise the smoke point and prevent the butter from buring or your smoke alarms getting triggered.
- Medium Rare steaks should be set for 135° F.
- Medium steaks should be set for 140° F.
- You can do the sous vide process in advance, leave the steaks in the vacuum sealed bags, then remove them and sear them any time during the week!
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