To Sous Vide or not to Sous Vide ...

There is little doubt that using the sous vide (a French term meaning "under vacuum”) method of cooking provides consistent results. However, there are purists that believe beef should be seared, cooked in an oven or on a grill, and not “boiled in a bag.” While I agree there is nothing like a steak cooked on a grill, I’ve been using the sous vide method for several years now and I’m a convert.

The fact is if you want a consistent temperature throughout the entire cut of meat sous vide produces almost fool proof results. The picture on this blog post is of a two inch thick beef tenderloin medallion that had been vacuum sealed in a plastic bag and cooked in a sous vide bath set at 135 degrees F for 2.5 hours. The result is a perfectly even distribution of deep pink throughout the entire medallion. After being removed from the bag, the beef is dried with a paper towel, seasoned with salt and pepper, then quickly seared in a cast iron pan over high heat to produce a crusty exterior. Because the meat was cooked via sous vide, there is no requirement to let the beef rest prior to cutting, which needs to be done using traditional cooking methods to allow for the juices to redistribute.

It is recommended that all beef being cooked via sous vide preparation is done at a temperature above 131 degree F to avoid the possibility of food born bacteria and pathogens. For those that must have a rare steak with a internal temperature of 130 degrees F, just make sure the meat was stored properly at below 40 degrees F before sous viding and since pathogens thrive between 40 degrees F and 130 degrees F, make sure you do not sous vide longer than 2 hours for a rare preparation.