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What did go wrong with my sous vide steaks

David_Waijers_143563

Hi guys,

First post so if I'm in the wrong place, please tell me. Today I tried to make sous vide steak. I did not use a circulator, but a pan on my stove and a temperature meter. I made sure that the heat never went above 60 degrees celsius, but my steak were super dry and well done. My steak were in there for 75 minutes I have to note that I finished the steaks by searing them in a grill pan on high heat. How is this possible? I thought this couldn't happen!

Thanks, David

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Comments

David_k_170421

I agree that you need a deeper container so the steaks are well covered. Cook the vacuum sealed meat for 1-2 hrs. I prefer 132f, 55.5c for a moist m/rare steak. Sear only 1m. Per side

David_C_78141

I would use a pot rather than a pan for sous vide. A shallow pan will have the meat close to the burners which are likely hotter than the 60 C you want. Also with less water your heat reservoir is smaller and could have faster temperature swings.

There will be more fluctuations in temperature depending on where you measure the the water temperature. I could see the water below the steak be higher than the water near the edge unless if you're constantly circulating the water by stirring.

Assuming that your water bath temperatures are accurate, I would agree with Evan. The first time I seared my steak, I overcooked it trying to get a good sear (and a quick instagram pic). Make sure your steak is patted dry and your pan is ripping hot pan to get a quick sear.

ejf12009

Some thoughts:

- 60C is medium. Depending who you ask medium and a bit.

- Perhaps your thermometer wasn't well calibrated?

- Searing can definitely add some extra temp. How long per side did you sear?

- Don't judge doneness by color; sous vide will make meat look grayer than traditional methods. (At least for a bit).

For a while I was finding that when searing in a pan my steak got more done than I liked, so I'd drop the bath temp about 2C to make up for that effect.