Description
Thick New York strip steaks cooked sous vide in a beer cooler of hot water for perfect edge-to-edge medium-rare, then seared hard on a hot grill.
Ingredients
- 2 thick-cut New York strip steaks (at least 1 1/2 inches thick)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fill the cooler: Fill a large cooler with 132°F water. (I fill it most of the way with hot tap water, then add boiling water until it reaches 132°F.)
- Bag the steaks: Sprinkle the steaks evenly with the salt and pepper, and put each one in a quart zip-top bag.
- Seal the bags: One at a time, slowly lower each bag into the water, letting the water push the air out. When the water reaches the zipper, seal the bag, then let it sink.
- Cook in the cooler: Close the cooler, and let the steaks cook for 1 to 2 hours.
- Prepare the grill: Preheat the grill as hot as it will go. (On a gas grill, preheat with all burners on high for 15 minutes.) Brush the grate clean.
- Sear the steaks: Take the steaks out of the bags, and pat them completely dry. Sear over the hottest part of the grill for 2 minutes per side, rotating them 90 degrees after 1 minute on each side for crosshatch marks.
- Rest and serve: Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Equipment: A large cooler (at least 2 gallons - more is better), quart zip-top bags, an instant-read thermometer, and a grill.
The more water, the better the cooler holds its temperature. In my cold kitchen, the water dropped from 133°F to 126°F in 1 1/2 hours. Check the water now and then, and add boiling water to keep it around 130°F.
Salting the steaks before the water bath brines them, seasoning them all the way through.
Charcoal gives an even better sear: pile a full chimney of hot coals two deep over half the grate.
Adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt's Cook Your Meat in a Beer Cooler on Serious Eats.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes