How to Cook a Really Stupendous Steak

Grass Fed steak can be tricky as it doesn't always yield the tender bites that a corn fed steak would with the same cooking. At the same time it is possible to have it tender enough. We wanted to see what we could do with grass fed steak that would tenderize it without overcooking it. As always it is an evolving process.

Sous Vide: French for 'under vacuum', this is a method of cooking food to a consistent temperature that will cook it but keep it tender. When complete it is pan seared for a final crust but the interior of meats are at the right doneness without a lot of intuition required. Minimally you need the sous vide cooker which is a wand with a heating element and a fan that circulates the water in your container heating it to the desired temperature and keeping it at that temperature by circulating the water past the heating element. You will need a container large enough to hold the heater and the food so it doesn't touch the heater or the sides of the pot. 12 Quart is recommended. I used my canning pot though I have since purchased a Rubbermaid 12Q square container with a lid and opening for the heater and some racks to hold stuff up but these are for convenience rather than a necessity. 

I used the recipies from https://sousvideways.com/ which had instructions, pictures, how-tos and whys as well as links to equipment etc.

I highly recommend checking it out. 

How I made the flank steak above. I took a North Pasture Farms Flank Steak and thawed it out in a bucket of warm water. 

I cut it in half to make two steak sized portions and seasoned it per the instructions from sous vide ways. I then sealed each piece in a Ziploc bag (Glad or Ziplock are the two types of bag that are microwave safe and don't have BPAs) and pressed the air out using the displacement method (zip the bag closed except for about one inch. Put the bag in the water bath up to the top without letting water in. Work any bubbles out with your fingers and zip the final inch closed.) 

Clipped the bags to the side of my pot. I used a canning bath pot that will hold 12q and set the heater for 140. We like our steak more cooked than rare. Then I set the time for 1hr 30min. When it came out, since I was searing it right away and the steaks are thin, I put it in an ice water bath for 10 mins. This is to cool it down quickly so when it is put in the hot pan it doesn't overcook the center. For a thicker steak you don't have to do this since the sear wont reach all the way inside. 

Then I seared it hot for about 1 minute per side and served with the retained juices that were heated to boiling while the steaks rested, about 5 mins. 

Poured the juices over the top and voila! Steak was tasty, tender but not mushy and didn't require T-Rex jaws.  

The instructions at Sous Vide Ways has various times and temps for Rare, Medium Rare, Medium and Well depending on your preference. I have to say that meat is at it's best at Medium Rare. 

Conventional Oven: I have also cooked steak in the oven on a similar principle with the sear at the beginning and the cook through after. 

Sear your steaks to brown about 1min per side. Wrap in tin foil and seal tightly. Place on a cookie sheet or other low sided pan that will catch any leaks. Bake at 250 for roughly one hour. Test for doneness by slicing with a knife. If bouncy or stiff to cut, reseal and continue to cook until meat yields to pressure and bone is falling off. 

These are all suggestions and we are constantly trying out new ways to get the job done that render consistent results. We would love to hear how yours turn out.