How to Sous Vide Frozen Steak

How to Sous vide frozen steak cooked perfectly using just warm water is here! With T-bone, New York Strip, filet, hangar, ribeye or other type this is how to cook frozen steak to perfection.

Frozen Steak Sous Vide Medium Rare

You may be in luck if you bagged it up yourself you can just throw it in as is. If you bought fresh and left in the package (which you should never do) they may be stuck together. In that case run under cool water to separate and then into a freezer bag one at a time like this to get started. Super easy and fast meal prep.

We first shared sous vide frozen chicken and that was so good we had to use beef too. If you have wondered if this could be done using the water displacement method at home, it can!!

First off we are going to show you how to sous vide with this with a ribeye steak specifically. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t use others but they should be a “regular” size, not huge for this timing. One per bag is ideal, meaning you could make more than one at a time and the timing shouldn’t differ. For this it is straight out of the freezer.

How Long to Sous Vide Frozen Steak

1 hour and 20 minutes typically is right. When it comes to any type of meat, when you sous vide it first you will get the most tender melt in your mouth protein. You can brown it after that, or enjoy as is. If you are already here you likely already have a sous vide machine but if you want to upgrade that one is the easiest to use by far.

• 1 steak frozen ribeye was used – round steak or other cuts work well too
• If you want to sear the outside when done you will need;
  • Butter
  • Salt and pepper

What bags can you use to sous vide?

You’ll want some vacuum sealed bags if you do have a vacuum sealer or freezer bag. the first is so much better but does cost a bit so if you don’t want to go that far you can certainly use quart freezer Ziplocs. You need thicker versions vs. sandwich type for your sous vide water bath since it reaches very hot temps.

Can you season frozen steak to sous vide?

You could certainly season the meat more this way since it is trapped in a tight bag. Your best bet in this regard is to include a liquid marinade so it can soak in. After done you could sear the outsides with our Steak dry rub to get a bit of crisp before serving.

We will share how to cook frozen beef below in the recipe card. You can keep that handy or just come back time and again every time you want to make this. Here is a quick rundown though to get you started;

How to Sous Vide Frozen Ribeye

• Remove frozen steak from packaging and place in a ziploc bag, removing as much air as possible (I use frozen sealable bags).
  • timing for this works well for fresh steak frozen or right out of the freezer
  • all types (NY strip, filet mignon, t bone) work well this way as long as they aren’t any thicker than 2″
• Fill sous vide machine with water and place steak in water.
• Set sous to 129° for 1 hour and 20 minutes cook time.
• Steak should be fully cooked, tender and juicy at this point.
• Remove from bag, us a paper towel to dry steak on outside and season with pepper, salt, garlic, and rosemary etc…..

How to sear steak after sous vide

I do this after this and when we cook Frozen Steak Instant Pot because I like a bit of crisp. Just turn skillet to medium-high heat and melt butter. Place seasoned steak in skillet and sear on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side basting with garlic butter as it cooks.

Sous Vide 2 Inch Frozen Steak

The cook time for 1-2 inch pieces would be about the same as directed below. 1 hour to 90 minutes has been perfect for us. Of course the inner steak temperature you desire may be different than mine so that is what would vary it. For the first go around I would follow ours to a tee. Then see if it is well done enough or you want it less.

The next go around you can adjust as you wish. Of course a rare medium would need to be removed quicker than my well done no pink piece would. If they are in different bags you could have steaks cooking at the same time at the beginning but remove a few early if you want. Then enjoy as you wish.

I do have a lot of other ways to cook frozen steak in air fryer too for instance in my table of contents. You can use the search feature to find other methods but to get it as tender as possible this is the way to go really.

How do you store already cooked steak?

If you do have leftovers you definitely do NOT want to throw it away. You can reheat it later as is or dice it up and make another great meal like Steak Pot Pie with it. First off you always want to wait for your food to cool to room temperature. Then transfer it into a new freezer bag and seal shut with all of the air removed. This will keep it moist. Keep it in your fridge overnight or up to 3 days. I wouldn’t refreeze it again, that’s a no go.

How to reheat leftover steak without drying it out

When you are ready to warm it again take it out and set it on the countertop for 30 minutes. Then you can put a bit of olive oil in a pan with meat inside and a lid on top over medium heat. This will make the outside browner so low and slow is best. Microwave works too but will dry it out a bit.

Slicing it in half first is best to reach the middle and heat it evenly. Spoon a tbsp of broth over it so it doesn’t dry out. Cover the top with paper towels to trap the heat and keep it nice and moist. Once warmed I do like a bit of A1 steak sauce with it.