Looking to make something truly spectacular for Father's Day? Look no further than this perfectly cooked coffee crusted sous vide strip steak. Let sous vide cooking take care of reaching a perfect medium rare and focus on the fun stuff: season and searing!

Fully cooked coffee crusted sous vide strip steak on a rustic cutting board. One steak sliced with blue cheese butter and green onion laying alongside

No-Stress Steak

Dads deserve a little pampering on their big day! So go big to show how much he is loved appreciated! Much like a slow-cooker, a sous vide cooker allows you to “set it and forget it.” The steaks sit in a resealable bag with the air removed, submerged in a water bath at a constant temperature.

You can add seasoning, decide how you'd like it cooked, set the timer, and walk away! No more testing doneness by poking your hand.

In this post I’m going give you all of my tips and tricks for easy, delicious, and perfectly cooked sous vide steak every time!

A Cut Above the Rest

First things first. If you want a steakhouse-quality, melt-in-your-mouth tender result, then you have limited options: a filet, a ribeye, or a New York strip. Those 3 cuts of meat are on every steakhouse menu for a reason—they are the best.

If it's available, get a prime-cut steak. This isn't just a name! It has been certified prime because of the superior marbling, which leads to flavorful, juicy meat.

The raw steaks we used for this shoot are all extremely well marbled prime strip steaks and are all about 1 3/4″ thick.We paid about $24/pound for these babies at a wonderful store called Brennan’s Market in Oconomowoc, WI. A local treasure, they carry only prime beef in their store.

overhead ingredient shot of 3 strip steaks, brown sugar, peppercorns, a coffee grinder and a rosemary seasoning blend.

Try a unique, savory seasoning that is a favorite of my friend and food stylist, Jim Rude. You'll need enough of the following to cover however many steaks you're making.

Freshly ground coffee
Brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary herb seasoning blend

Step-by-Step Instructions

Sous Vide Strip Steak

Combine the coffee, brown sugar, black pepper, and rosemary blend in a small dish and then rub it on all sides of the meat.

Let them rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Exposing a cold steak to high heat will make the meat tighten up, and we don't want that.

strip steaks covered in coffee seasoning mix resting on a vintage wooden cutting board.

Place your steaks in a resealable bag and submerge it in water to just below the closure. Try to get as much air out of the bag as possible and then seal it up.

Process shot of removing the air from the resealable bag by submerging it partly in water.

Submerge the sous vide machine in the water with the bag and set it to 129 degrees (many cookers come with a list of recommended temperatures for different meats). Then just let it sit for an hour! Make yourself a drink, get in an episode of your favorite show, or make some amazing smoky blue butter to top your sous vide strip steak.

Process shot of three steaks in a resealable bag in a bucket with the sous vide cooker set to 129 degrees

Once done to the temperature you want, a quick sear on a hot grill or in a hot cast iron pan for one minute per side will give you a perfectly cooked strip every time.

Smoky Blue Butter

For that gourmet steakhouse touch, top your masterpiece with a decadent smokey blue butter made with a Wisconsin smoked blue cheese called Moody Blue by Emi Roth Cheese. Roth has taken home the blue ribbon in the world cheese championship for their Grand Cru, so they know how to make fabulous cheese. You'll need:

Butter
Mushrooms
Onions
Garlic
Bourbon
Salt and pepper
Smoked blue cheese

Saute butter,mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a large skillet for 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and add bourbon (don't want any alcohol fires!). Return to heat and cook until the bourbon is almost evaporated.

Refrigerate this mixture for ten minutes. Then, add the salt & pepper and blue cheese and blend with a hand-mixer until smooth. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

Closeup of a dish of homemade smoky blue cheese butter with fresh chives on top.

Expert Tips & FAQs

If you're not going to shell out for $24 steaks (I don't blame you), look for the steaks in your local market with a good amount of marbling. The fat will add tons of flavor and keep it juicy.
What kind of coffee should I use? Use your favorite brand of whole bean coffee and grind it yourself. If you're feeling adventurous, use a flavored bean that will complement the meat.
Before beginning the sous vie process, make sure your meat is at room temperature so the heat doesn't shock your steaks into toughening up.
When searing the steaks, make sure your grill or pan is good and hot. They are already cooked to perfection, you just want to quickly brown them for more flavor.
This butter recipe works well for any soft cheese that will melt completely. Try brie or Gorgonzola!

Close up of sliced sous vide strip steak with a warm pink center. Topped with smoky blue cheese butter

I am hungry just looking at these photos. Go with confidence and make a perfect sous vide strip steak!

Complete this incredible meal with Fire-Roasted Sweet Corn or a Ribboned Asparagus Caprese Salad. And you'll find some incredible sweets over on my desserts page!

Tell me all about your sous vide recipes in the comments below. What else have you used this technique for?

Don't wait for a special occasion, create one!

Jena

In collaboration with Jim Rude of Rude on Food.

Comments