Sous Vide Ribeye with Garlic-Herb Butter
Posted: 01/29/21
Updated: 04/29/22
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This sous vide ribeye is unbelievably tender, cooked perfectly medium-rare all the way through, seared with a delicious compound butter, and so easy to make. I’ll never make ribeye any other way!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- The sous vide method is the best way to get reliably perfect meat every single time. Cooking the ribeye in a temp-controlled water bath lets the meat cook from the inside out with zero chance of overcooking (unless you have the temperature wrong).
- The water bath is really doing all of the work here, so there’s no standing over a stove or grill while the ribeyes cook. Sous vide is really similar to a slow cooker in that you can just set it up and do your own thing while the food cooks. Clean up is also a breeze!
- In the mood for a meat-and-potatoes style dinner? A side of rosemary roasted potatoes complements this sous vide ribeye and garlic herb butter beautifully!
- Ribeyes are naturally low carb and high fat, so this is a perfect dinner option if you’re following a keto diet.
Key Ingredients
Boneless Ribeyes – Ribeye is one of the most flavorful cuts of beef you can get, thanks to its fat content. Be sure to choose steaks that are at least 1″ thick. 1.5″ thick is really ideal, but the sous vide method just won’t work on meats that are less than 1″ thick.
Salt and Pepper – These tried-and-true basic seasonings enhance the natural flavor of the ribeyes without overpowering the garlic and thyme. You’ll notice we don’t season the meat before we seal it in the bag. That’s because the combination of salt and slow-cooking actually draws the juices out of the meat – exactly what you don’t want! Vacuum sealing the salt can also firm up the fat in the steak which changes the texture.
Sous Vide Temps & Cook Times
We’ve designed this specific recipe to give you the most perfect medium-rare sous vide ribeyes possible. If you prefer your meat cooked to a different temperature, use these guidelines.
Rare – Set your water temperature from 120°F to 128°F and cook for 1 to 2.5 hours.
Medium Rare – Set your water temperature from 129°F to 134°F and cook for 1 to 4 hours.
Note: If your water temperature is below 130°F, you should not cook your ribeyes longer than 2.5 hours, for food safety reasons.
Medium – Set your water temperature from 135°F to 144°F and cook for 1 to 4 hours.
Medium Well – Set your water temperature from 145°F to 155°F and cook for 1 to 3.5 hours.
Well Done – Set your water temperature to 156°F minimum and cook 1 to 3 hours.
Chef’s Tips
- The great thing about sous vide ribeyes is that the steaks cook in their own juices, so they’ll be incredibly moist when you take them out. For good pan-seared crusts, it’s important that you dry them very well before you put them in a very hot cast iron skillet.
- The ribeyes have to be fully submerged in order to cook properly. If they try to float, first make sure every bit of air is out of the bag. You may have to open it and seal it again. If that doesn’t work, try to weigh the bag down. Attach a separate bag of marbles, pie weights, or even loose change to the bottom of your sous vide bag. You can also invest in sous vide racks if you plan to sous vide often.
- If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use the water displacement method to vacuum seal your ribeyes! Place the steaks in an appropriately-sized plastic bag (like a Ziploc gallon-sized bag) and seal halfway across the top. Heat the water with the circulator, then slowly lower the bag into the water. You should see the bag cling to the food as the pressure from the water forces the air out. Once the food is entirely submerged and the air is completely out, seal the bag the rest of the way. This not only works for sous vide ribeyes (or any sous vide recipe) but you can also do this to vacuum seal anything you want to freeze longterm.
- Use a pot that’s big enough for the steaks to be fully submerged (without overlapping). It also needs to be deep enough that the water level falls between the minimum and maximum indicators on your sous vide circulator.
More Incredible Sous Vide Recipes
- 25 Sous Vide Recipes You’ll Love
- Sous Vide Filet Mignon
- Sous Vide Shrimp
- Easy Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipe
Sous Vide Ribeye
This sous vide ribeye is unbelievably tender, cooked perfectly medium-rare all the way through, seared with a delicious compound butter, and so easy to make. I'll never make ribeye any other way!
servings
Ingredients
For the Garlic-Herb Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons shallots roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the Ribeyes
- 2 boneless ribeye steaks about 12 ounces each
- 4 sprigs thyme optional
- 2 cloves garlic smashed, optional
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Equipment
- Food processor
- Plastic wrap
- Plastic vacuum sealing bags
- Vacuum sealer (or use the water displacement method, see Notes)
- Large pot or other heat-resistant container
- Sous vide immersion circulator
- Cast iron skillet
Instructions
- For the Herb Butter: Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Spoon onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a log shape. Chill until firm, approximately 1 hour.
- Place ribeye in a vacuum-seal bag in a single layer. Add thyme and garlic evenly on both sides of the steaks, then close the bag using a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method (see Notes).
- Preheat a large pot of water with a sous vide immersion circulator to 129° Fahrenheit. Submerge steak fully in water and cook for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove bag from water and remove steak from bag. Dry well with paper towels then season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons of compound butter (or regular butter) in skillet then quickly add ribeye.
- Cook, flipping once, until seared on both sides – approximately 45 seconds per side. Flip more to coat in browned butter.
- Remove from pan and set on plate or platter. Top with approximately 1 tablespoon herb butter per ribeye. Let rest 5 minutes until butter has melted.
- Slice steak and garnish with extra sea salt, then serve.
Notes
- Water Displacement Method: If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, place your ingredients in an appropriately-sized plastic bag (like a Ziploc gallon-sized bag) and seal halfway across the top. Heat water with sous vide immersion cooker, then slowly lower the bag into the water. You should see the plastic cling to the food as the pressure from the water forces the air out. Once the food is entirely submerged and the air is completely out, seal the bag completely.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 4ounces, Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 237mg, Potassium: 249mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 728IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 1g
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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