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This cooler hack steak delivers delectable medium-rare rib-eye using nothing more than your picnic cooler and a cast-iron skillet! No fancy sous vide machine neededโjust hot water, patience, and a screaming-hot sear for that gorgeous crust. Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, your anniversary, or just a random Tuesday when you’re feeling fancy, this is the dinner that’ll have everyone convinced you’ve been secretly taking fancy cooking classes.
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Cheryl’s Note
To make your special occasion orย Valentineโs Day memorable, pair these amazing steaks with a Roasted Potato Salad or an Antipasto Salad with Easy Italian Vinaigrette.ย
For drinks, shake up and serve some Strawberry Moscow Mules or Strawberry Mojitos.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- A cooler hack that mimics a sous vide machine? I know, unbelievable, but by maintaining steady water temperature for an hour, cooking your steak to perfect medium-rare all the way through. You’ll get that same edge-to-edge pink perfection that fancy steakhouses charge $60+ per plate for, but you’re doing it with a Coleman cooler and tap water.
- The gentle water bath means you’ve got a huge margin for errorโyour steak won’t overcook if it sits in the water an extra 10-15 minutes. This takes all the stress out of nailing that perfect doneness, especially when you’re trying to time everything for a romantic dinner.
- Total date-night flex with minimal active work. Sure, it takes over an hour, but you’re only actively working for maybe 15 minutes total. That gives you plenty of time to prep sides, set the table, pour some wine, and focus on other dishes you plan to serve.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- Use a combination of hot tap water and boiling water to hit around 135ยฐFโabout 3-5ยฐF above your target steak temp. The cooler will lose a few degrees when you add cold steaks, and this buffer keeps you in the sweet spot. A $10 instant-read thermometer is your best friend here; don’t guess.
- Dry those steaks like your dinner depends on it (because it does). Pat those steaks aggressively with paper towelsโany surface moisture will create steam instead of sear. You want zero moisture on that meat when it hits the screaming-hot skillet.
- In the last 30 seconds of searing, toss in butter, smashed garlic, and herbs, then spoon that melted butter over the steak repeatedly. This adds insane richness and infuses those aromatics right into the crust. It’s a classic steakhouse technique that takes your steak from great to absolutely legendary.
Recipe Variations
Make it with Strip Steaks: New York strip steaks work just as well as rib-eyes with this method. They’re leaner and a bit less marbled, but still incredibly tender and flavorful. Use the exact same technique and timing.
Adjust your doneness: For rare (120-125ยฐF), set your water bath to 125ยฐF. For medium (135-140ยฐF), use 140ยฐF water. For medium-well (145-150ยฐF), use 150ยฐF water. The principle stays the sameโjust adjust your starting temperature.
Go Butter-Free: Skip the butter baste and use olive oil or ghee for a dairy-free version. You’ll still get a gorgeous crust, just without that extra buttery richness.
Add Different Aromatics: Try smashed shallots instead of garlic, or experiment with other hardy herbs like sage or oregano. Crushed pink peppercorns or whole coriander seeds in the butter baste add interesting flavor complexity.
Make it Surf and Turf: Follow this exact technique with a thick lobster tail in a separate bag at the same 135ยฐF temperature for 30-45 minutes. Sear both together for the ultimate special occasion dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cooler is key because of its insulation; it holds that steady temperature for an hour without any attention from you. A pot on the stove requires constant monitoring and temperature adjustments, which defeats the whole “hands-off” appeal. If you have an actual sous vide machine, use that instead, but the cooler hack works shockingly well.
You can add a splash of boiling water to bring it back up, but honestly, even if it drops to 120ยฐF, your steaks will still be fine. The cooler method is forgiving. The worst that happens is it takes slightly longer to reach target temp. Just don’t open the cooler repeatedly to checkโevery time you open it, you lose heat.
Absolutely! As long as your cooler is big enough to accommodate the bags without overcrowding, you can cook 4-6 steaks using this method. The water bath temperature will drop more initially when you add extra cold meat, so you might want to start at 137-138ยฐF to compensate.
Either your pan wasn’t hot enough, or the steaks weren’t dry enough before searing. Next time, get that skillet absolutely smoking before adding the steaks, and be more aggressive with the paper towels. Also, make sure you’re using enough oil; a dry pan won’t crust properly.
Not recommended. The cooler method works because it gently brings refrigerator-temperature meat up to your target doneness. Frozen steaks would take so long to thaw and cook that your water bath would cool down too much; always thaw your steaks in the fridge overnight before using this technique.
You’re looking for a deep mahogany brown colorโthink dark chocolate, not tan or light brown. It should happen in 1-2 minutes per side if your pan is hot enough. If it’s taking longer than 2 minutes to reach that rich color, your pan isn’t hot enough.
More Yummy Beef-Based Recipes
- โโโโBest Smoked Beef Tenderloin with Creamy Horseradish Sauce
- Sous Vide Tenderloin Beef (with 2 Sauce Options)
- Beef Tips And Gravy
- Ground Beef and Gravy Over Mashed Potatoes
- Beef Pot Pie
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Shredded Beef Tacos
- Southwest Ground Beef Bowl with Cottage Cheese Queso
- Easy Beef Curry
- Keto Beef Stew (Low Carb, Gluten Free)
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Faux Sous Vide Hack Steak
Equipment
- Large cooler (any size that can hold 2 sealed bags submerged in water)
- instant read thermometer
- Kettle or large pot
- 2 heavy-duty zip-top freezer bags
- cast-iron skillet (12-inch preferred, or your largest heavy-bottomed pan)
- Paper towels
- Tongs
- Large spoon
- Cutting board
- Binder clips or small plate (optional, for weighing down floating bags)
Ingredients
For the Steaks
- 2 rib-eye or strip steaks approximately 10 to 12 ounces each, 1ยฝ inches thick
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme optional
- 2 cloves garlic lightly crushed, optional
For Searing
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
Prep the Steaks
- Remove 2 rib-eye steaks from refrigerator and pat completely dry with paper towels.
- Season both sides of each steak with 1ยฝ teaspoons kosher salt total and ยฝ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper total.
- Let steaks sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while preparing water bath.
Prepare Water Bath
- Fill cooler halfway with hot tap water.
- Add boiling water carefully while monitoring with instant-read thermometer until water reaches 135ยฐF (3 to 5ยฐF above target temperature of 130 to 132ยฐF for medium-rare).
- Ensure enough water to fully submerge both sealed bags.
- Place each seasoned steak into separate heavy-duty zip-top freezer bag. Add 1 sprig herb and 1 clove garlic per bag if using.
- Slowly lower open bag into water bath at angle to force air out using water pressure.
- Seal bag completely just before water would enter opening.
- Place both sealed bags into water bath ensuring complete submersion. Clip bags to cooler side or weigh down if floating.
- Close cooler lid and cook for 60 minutes.
- After 60 minutes, remove bags from cooler and open.
- Remove steaks and pat aggressively dry with paper towels on all surfaces.
Sear the Steaks
- Heat cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking hot (3 to 4 minutes).
- Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and swirl to coat pan.
- Lay steaks in pan and sear without moving for 1 to 2 minutes until deep brown crust forms.
- Flip steaks and sear other side for 1 to 2 minutes.
- During last 30 seconds, add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, crushed garlic cloves, and herb sprigs to pan.
- Tilt pan slightly and continuously baste steaks with melted butter using spoon.
Rest and Serve
- Transfer steaks to cutting board and rest for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slice against grain if desired or serve whole.
- Spoon remaining butter-garlic mixture from pan over steaks.
- Serve immediately with favorite sides.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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