Forgot to defrost that steak for tonight's date night in? Save your date night dinner by cooking a frozen steak using the sous vide cooking technique. With this easy recipe, you will cook the juiciest, tender, perfect steak every single time.
One year for my wife's birthday, I tried to cook two very nice, thick, (and expensive) rib-eye steaks using traditional methods...
...if you know how my stories go, this birthday dinner did not work out too well. They were really overcooked and we ended up going to a restaurant.
Fast forward to a couple of years ago, I tried my hand at it again for a sous vide ribeye steak, but this time I was sure not to fail. Armed with an immersion circulator, a cast-iron skillet, and two steaks (that I admittedly left in the freezer because I swear I thought I set them out to thaw), I set out to make her favorite birthday dinner once again and succeeded!
I'm now so confident in my sous vide steak abilities, no matter the cut of meat, that I knew I had to show you guys how to woo your loved one with a well-cooked, juicy steak.
Jump to:
Tools Needed to Sous Vide
A sous vide immersion circulator or a sous vide bath oven. Yep, a sous vide device is necessary for this sous vide frozen steak recipe, it keeps the set temperature for safe and stress-free cooking. The immersion circulators range in price, I have a whole post on my favorite sous vide equipment and my top picks for sous vide cookers of different price ranges, but the one I use most frequently is my Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker with Wifi.
A large container. Before we bought the kit with a large sous vide water bath container, we would use large stock pots and even the Instant Pot's inner metal pot in a pinch. Whatever large, food-safe, water-tight container you have, use it.
Sous Vide-Safe Bags. It's so important to use bags that can be used in heat. Some plastic zip-top bags can be used in the sous vide, but you do have to think about how it degrades in the hot water bath. To be safe and have a successful sous vide cooking experience, use sous vide-safe bags.
Vacuum Sealer. Of course you can get away with using that sous vide safe zip top bag and carefully use the water displacement method to remove all the air, but a vacuum sealer is less fussy and gives safe, consistent results. A vacuum sealer can be really affordable; I also talk about my favorite vacuum sealers in the Best Sous Vide Equipment for All Price Ranges post, so check it out!
Best Cuts of Steak for Sous-Vide Cooking
In my opinion, the sous vide technique creates perfectly cooked steak no matter the cut or thickness. The only differences are the set temperatures and timing if you have a thicker steak.
The timings and temperatures in this recipe are for the more splurge-y, premium type of steak: the New York strip steak, a well-marbled ribeye, filet mignon, t-bone steaks or their thick steak counterpart, the porterhouse.
It also works extremely well for the butcher cuts: flat iron steak, the hanger steak, or even the bavette cut. Ever heard of them? Try asking the butcher about them next time you're at the grocery store, they're tender and really flavorful.
The sous vide process will make sure that all of these cuts are cooked perfectly from edge to edge in the hot water bath, then you sear them in a smoking hot skillet for that beautiful brown crust and rendered fat.
How to Sous Vide Frozen Steak
To cook any frozen steak using the sous vide method, start by placing it in a sous vide bag. If you're cooking more than one steak, be sure to separate them into individual bags.
Next, season your steak with salt and pepper (or your favorite fresh herbs and spices) and seal the bag using a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method. Be careful if you decide to add fresh garlic, the anaerobic environment can create botulism toxins.
Place the sealed bag in the sous vide water bath with the temperature of the water heated to 135°F, which is the right temperature for medium-rare steak.
Let them cook for two hours, then remove the steak from the vacuum-sealed bag, pat them dry and sear them in a seriously hot skillet with a little oil to get the surface of the meat nice and browned. Don't forget the outer fat!
Serve the steaks up with a little flaky salt, a pat of delicious compound butter, or a simple and savory mushroom gravy, and your favorite side dishes. A perfect date night dinner that tastes as if it comes from one of the best steakhouses!
How to Sear a Sous Vide Steak
For those who have never seared their own steak before, the process is actually quite simple. All you need is a heavy-duty pan (like a trusty cast iron skillet) that's heated to medium-high heat.
Add oil to the pan, make sure it's shimmering hot (meaning it's doing a little shimmy in the pan), and pat the steaks dry on all sides with paper towels.
Cook the steak for 15 seconds to 30 seconds on each side or until it's seared to your liking. Since the steak is already cooked to its perfect temperature, you aren't looking to cook the steak through just get a beautiful browned crust.
Once done, you can eat! Sous vide steaks require no resting, because the actual inside of the steak never reached a high enough heat to try to run out of the steak. All you'll have is juicy, tender, steak perfection.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your perfectly cooked steak with some sous vide garlic-parm asparagus and butter poached lobster tails. Both are simple and easy to make but will definitely take your date night to the next level.
FAQ
The sous vide cooked frozen steak will taste just as good with the same tender texture as a fresh steak.
You can season fresh steaks and put them in the freezer, but use them within a week since some seasonings can alter the proteins in meat.
Generally, it takes around two hours to cook a frozen steak using the sous vide method.
Yes! The sous vide cooking method results in a steak that's evenly cooked throughout, which means no part of your meat will be undercooked or overcooked. This makes for a safer meal overall!
More Date Night Recipes
- Sous Vide Butter Poached Lobster
- Grilled Asparagus
- Lobster Mac and Cheese for Two
If you're someone who loves fool-proof small batch cooking, join the Straight Up Sous Vide VIP List, where you'll get free exclusive recipes, first dibs on new products/merch/courses, and much more.
Want to pin this recipe to your Pinterest boards? You can use the Pin buttons found around this post and on the recipe card below.
Made this recipe? Leave a comment and a ⭐️ star rating! They help me out a lot, I appreciate ya!
Show me your awesome recreations on Instagram! Tag me @straightupsousvide and/or use the hashtag #straightupsousvide so I can see your dishes and share them!
📖 Recipe
Sous Vide Frozen Steak
Forgot to defrost that steak for tonight's date night in? Save your date night dinner by cooking a frozen steak using the sous vide cooking technique. With this easy recipe, you will cook the juiciest, tender, perfect steak every single time.
Ingredients
- 2 frozen steaks of your choice, at least 1.5 inch thick
- 4 tablespoon butter, in 1 tablespoon pats
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- High heat oil, like vegetable, grapeseed, etc.
- Flaky Salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the frozen steaks in your sous-vide-safe bags. Add half of the kosher salt, pepper, thyme sprigs, and butter to each bag. Vacuum seal the steaks in a flat layer.
- To sous vide the frozen steak, set sous vide machine to 128ºF for medium-rare or 135ºF for medium. Sous vide the steaks for at least 2.5 hours, up to 5 hours.
- Once the sous vide cook is complete, remove the steak from the vacuum sealed bags and pat dry with a paper towel to prepare for searing.Heat a large cast iron pan on the stove to medium-high with your high heat oil.
- When the oil is shimmering hot, add the dried steaks to the cast iron pan. Sear the flat sides of the steak for 30-90 seconds, until a brown crust forms on the outside.
- Sear the edges of the steak for 15 seconds each, then transfer to a cutting board to slice and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 856mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 29g
All nutrition facts are estimations. Please see a physician for any health-related inquiries.
Leave a Reply