Perfect Sous Vide Sirloin Steak (+ Video)
on Oct 21, 2023
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Sous Vide Sirloin Steak is a no-fuss, no-fail recipe to cook this family-sized beef cut, turning it to a super tender and juicy dinner full of flavor! I’ll share with you the best temperature and time to sous vide the sirloin steak for a restaurant-quality meal. No more overcooked edges with the undercooked center!
This is the most reliable way to get the perfect steak every time! Serve this sous vide top sirloin with potatoes and veggies for a complete meal.
What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide steak is a French cooking technique to cook the steak where the meat is vacuum-sealed in a bag, and then cooked for a long time to a precise temperature in a warm water bath.
Why Sous Vide Sirloin Steak?
Sous vide is my favorite way to steak and completely a game-changer:
- The sous vide method ensures that your sirloin steak is cooked to your desired doneness, whether it’s rare, medium-rare, medium, or well-done.
- There’s no guesswork, and the steak will reach the exact temperature you set. You’ll never undercook or overcook your sirloin.
- You can cook multiple steaks with the same level of doneness, making it perfect for serving large groups.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sirloin Steak: It’s a boneless cut coming from the sirloin section. Sirloin is divided into several types of steak. When buying a sirloin steak, look for top sirloin, which is a more prized cut than bottom sirloin or sirloin tip steak.
- Olive Oil: Regular olive oil works best for this recipe. Avoid extra virgin olive oil as it has a lower smoke point.
- Salt & Pepper: I used coarse salt, but you can use regular table salt or sea salt. Freshly ground black pepper works the best.
- Garlic: You can use either freshly minced garlic or garlic powder.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme add extra flavor to this recipe.
Step-By-Step Instructions With Photos
- Set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare or other desired doneness and set the time for 1 hour.
2. Rub the steak with oil and season on both sides with coarse salt, ground black pepper, minced garlic, and herbs.
3. Place it in a zip-lock bag. Place the bag in the water bath and seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique. Leave the bag in the water bath and cook for 1 hour.
4. Remove it from the water once the timer goes off. Pat dry the surface thoroughly with paper towels. and then sear for about 1 minute per side, just to caramelize the outside. Add more seasoning if needed. Let the steak rest on a plate or cutting board covered with foil for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tips For The Most Tender And Juicy Steak
- Season generously with salt and pepper before sous vide cooking.
- You can use ziploc bags to vacuum seal the steak if you don’t have a vacuum sealer. Just place the steak in a ziploc bag, including seasonings, and seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it into the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Dry the steak completely. Wipe off any extra moisture as it inhibits proper searing.
Sirloin Steak Seasoning
There is no marinade needed for this recipe. I like to prepare my top sirloin steak by rubbing it with olive oil and season with salt, ground black pepper, minced garlic, fresh rosemary, and thyme.
Season generously BEFORE sous vide cooking for the best result! With this simple seasoning, this recipe is keto and gluten-free!
Temperature Chart
Set the sous vide machine to your designed doneness. For example, if you’d like to have a tender, juicy sirloin steak, don’t cook the meat past medium doneness (145°F/63°C).
Follow the chart below for other steak doneness:
| Sirloin Steak Doneness | Temperature |
| Rare | 130°F (54°C) |
| Medium Rare | 135°F (57°C) |
| Medium | 145°F (63°C) |
| Medium-well | 155°F (68°C) |
| Well Done | 165°F (73°C) |
Note: The safe internal temperature for beef cooked with traditional methods is 145°F (63°C) according to the USDA, but with sous vide your steak is safe to eat even if the temperature is below this threshold as it’s cooked for a much longer time.
How Long To Cook Sirloin Steak Sous Vide
Sirloin steak is a relatively tender cut that doesn’t require a long cook time. It takes about 1 hour to sous vide a 1-inch sirloin, 1.5 hours for 1.5 inches, and 2 hours for 2 inches.
It’s ok to leave it in the warm bath for an extra 1-2 hours.
Can You Overcook Sirloin Steak In The Sous Vide Machine?
Although you cannot “overcook” a steak with the sous vide method (you can leave the meat in a warm bath for an extra hour or two), the texture can become mushy if the steak is left in the machine for too long.
Can I Sous Vide Frozen Sirloin Steak?
Yes, you can sous vide steak straight from frozen. Follow the same instructions and add 1 more hour to the cooking time.
How To Serve Sous Vide Sirloin Steak
FAQs
Why is my sous vide sirloin steak tough?
Steak can be chewy when its internal temperature is too high. So if you set the wrong temperature, your steak can become tough and chewy.
Is 4 hours too long to sous vide a steak?
It depends on the type of steak you cook. For sirloin steak, it takes about 1 hour to cook, but it’s ok to leave it in the water bath for as long as 3 to 4 hours.
How long do you sous vide steaks per inch?
As a general rule of thumb, for every 1 inch of thickness, you should sous vide the steak for about 1 hour.
More Sous Vide Recipes
If you’ve tried this sous vide steak then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know. I love hearing from you!
Sous Vide Sirloin Steak Recipe (+VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 sirloin steak, (1 pound, about 1 inch thick)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)
- fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the sous vide water bath: Add water to the sous vide container or a large pot, set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to (135°F/57°C) for medium-rare doneness. If you’d like to cook it more or less, see the note below*. (It's best to place the container on a cutting board or pad to prevent it from burning the surface of your counter.)
- Season the steak: Rub the steak with 1/2 tablespoon oil on all sides.
- Season both sides with salt, pepper, minced garlic and optional herbs.
- Sous Vide the steak: Add the seasoned sirloin steak to a zip-lock bag. (You can also use vacuum seal bags if you have a vacuum sealer.)
- Seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it into the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag. (Use a kitchen tong to help to push down the bag if the water is too hot.)
- Leave the bag in the water bath and make sure it is fully submerged.
- Cook for 1 hour for a 1-inch sirloin steak. (It takes 1.5 hours for 1.5 inches, and 2 hours for 2 inches. )
- Sear the steak: When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath.
- Wipe off the moisture with paper towels. (It's very important to dry the surface completely, otherwise, it will interfere with the searing.)
- Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Place the cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add the remaining olive oil. Once hot, add the steak and sear about 1 minute per side. (You can also quickly sear the steak on the grill.)
- Slice against the grain and serve with potatoes and veggies.
Video
Notes
- *Follow the chart below if you’d like to cook your sirloin steak to other doneness:
| Sirloin Steak Doneness | Temperature |
| Rare | 130°F (54°C) |
| Medium Rare | 135°F (57°C) |
| Medium | 145°F (63°C) |
| Medium-well | 155°F (68°C) |
| Well Done | 165°F (73°C) |
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
Everyone at my house loved it! Tasted SO good!
Thanks Shadi. Glad you liked it!
Awesome flavors! Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!!!! One question. Can we keep the cooked steak in the sealed bag in the fridge for a 4 or 5 hours and then reheat it and sear it once its time to serve dinner? Thank you.
Hi Jean-Pierre, great to hear you liked the recipe. Yes, you can store the cooked steak in the sealed bag in the fridge. To reheat it, place it in the sous vide machine for about 30 minutes and give it a quick sear. Hope it helps.
I like to cool my steaks before searing to keep from overcooking. Personally, unless they are are over an inch thick I would not reheat them in the sous vide but instead just sear a bit longer after removing from the fridge and let the heat from the sear warm the centre of the steak. If really thick sometimes it’s hard to get the centre warm before over cooking the outside edge but then again you do get even a better sear so you can experiment.
Hi Dave, thanks for sharing your experience with us. Sounds like you’ve perfected your sous vide technique 🙂
Izzy thanks for sharing that tasty recipe, now YOU have to try this…..I cook mine at 130F approx 1-1 1/2hrs with 1-1 1/2 thickness.
In the bag Butter and pureed garlic salt pepper or whatever you want. But it needs a fat-like Izzy used olive oil. Yes, olive is heart healthy but we are only talking a pat or two of butter. Butter has a bad rap :{ but I will admit I used a nice size pat of butter.
Heat the grill 500F before taking it out of the bath.
dry steak & poured some oil to make a flame and sear both sides quickly for that char flavor as this is happening I am preheating my cast iron to screaming hot then searing in the steaks char-grilled smoke and butter garlic flavor. My mouth is watering just recalling that event!
I sent my son a picture it was Picture perfect BEAUTIFUL color Red. A Less dark border than the picture above and No overcooking it even with the 2 step searing and oh so tender..It is as good as a Brazilian steakhouse ! but with a London broil price tag!
I also undertook my chicken breast 140F 1-1 1/2 hrs before a quick easy stirfry. Tender flavorful homemade teriyaki sous vide. I sous vide several bags with different flavors & keep them in the fridge /freezer for a quick stirfry or pop them in the oven with veggies and roast quickly. Also chicken low temp like that, is cooked pasteurized so very safe and so far I am living proof lol
Sorry Izzy did not mean to high jack your recipe BUT I had to share this with You & yours XOX
Thank you very much.
I have a 2.58 lb Top Sirloin Filet Roast. It is long and about 4” thick. How long do I cook it sous vide?
Thank you!
Hi LeAnn, you’ll need to cook it for about 8-10 hours.
You don’t have to let it cool when you cook sous vide. Char it Right Away. Then Serve.