Sous Vide Essentials: Butter & Bacon Topped Filet

PREP/PREPARE

You will need a Sous Vide machine to make this recipe.

Sous Vide to the Rescue
A filet does not possess a lot of fat, so if they are overcooked, which is easy to do, they will be dry. For that reason, I prefer to cook them a few degrees below what I would do for steaks that contain more fat.

Using a Sous Vide machine gives us absolute precision over the temperature of our filet reaches. No guessing, no instant thermometers. When it comes out of the water bath it will be perfect… Full Stop.

Although you can overcook anything, you have a flexible range to work with; in our case several hours. Beyond that point, they will not be overcooked, but they will begin to have a mushy mouthfeel.

Save For Later
Here is a neat trick. After you Sous Vide a steak (or most other foods), you do not have to sear and eat them right then. You can store it in the fridge for up to two days or freeze it for several months.

It goes something like this… You vacuum seal a couple of steaks and drop them in a 135f (67c) water bath for two hours. You then remove the bag from the water, but do not open it. Instead you plunge it into an ice bath for 10 – 15 minutes to quickly bring down the temp. Then stick it in the fridge or freezer.

Now, you want that steak, so you get your Sous Vide machine up to 135f (67c) and drop the bag with steak in to warm it up. About 10 – 12 minutes if it was in the fridge; about 18-20 if it was in the freezer.

Take the reheated steak out of the bag and give it a quick sear in a hot pan, about 90 seconds per side, and there you go.

When I am doing steaks for a party, or catering event, I will ask the guests (a day or two ahead of time), how they like their steaks cooked. Then I individually vacuum seal them, label them, and toss them in the properly heated water baths.

The day of the bash, I bring them out reheat, and slap on the grill, and everyone is amazed at how I can make everyone’s steak perfect every time.

Sous Vide Times and Temperatures
Here are the times and temperatures for cooking a filet. It should be noted that the times represent filets that are 1.5 – 2 inches (3.8 – 5cm) thick.

Rare
120f (49c) to 128f (53c)
45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours

Medium-rare
129f (54c) to 134f (57c)
45 minutes to 4 hours

Medium
135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C)
45 minutes to 4 hours

Medium-well
145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C)
45 minutes to 3 1/2 hours

Well done
I DO NOT DO WELL DONE

FYI: For food safety reasons, steaks cooked at a temperature below 130f (54c) should not remain in the bath longer than 2.5 hours; otherwise it gives bacteria opportunity to grow… And I HATE it when that happens.

This Little Piggy Went to Market
One of the more difficult things to do properly is to get the bacon that wraps the filet cooked correctly; while at the same time. making sure you do not overcook the filet.

We are going to solve that problem by not wrapping the steak. We are going to chop up the bacon, cook it crisp, and sprinkle it on the finished filet.

Then, to get that yummy bacon flavor infused into the steak, we will give it a quick sear in the rendered bacon fat… YUMMO

Water Displacement Method
If you are not using a vacuum-sealing machine (Food Saver, etc.), then you, most likely, are employing standard plastic food bags (Ziploc, etc.).

To get as much of the air out of the bag, as possible, fill it with food and slowly sink the open bag into a pan of water, while keeping the open end just above the waterline.

The pressure of the water will push against the bag and force out most of the air. Then, seal the bag and you are ready to sous vide.

If I am using Ziploc-type bags, I always clip the bag to the side of the container with the zip-seal portion above the water line.

One more thing, do not use the “regular” Ziploc bags; use the ones designed to go into the freezer. They are much stronger and less prone to leaks.

Steak and Taters
I love taters with my steak, and in this recipe I am using my Sous Vide chunky taters. If you are interested, here is the recipe:

Sous Vide Essentials: Chunky Mashed Potatoes

Gather your ingredients (mise en place).

Coat the filet with the oil, and sprinkle with pepper.

Save the salt, and butter for when you cook the filet.

Place your Sous Vide machine into a pot or container of water, and set the temperature based on your desired doneness, using the temps listed above.

Place the steak into a vacuum seal bag, or a Ziploc bag using the Water Displacement instructions listed above.

Add the bagged steak to the water bath and cook according to the times listed above.

While the steak is taking a bath, add the chopped bacon to a skillet over medium heat.

Cook until it renders its fat, and begins to crisp, about 5 – 8 minutes.

Remove bacon from the skillet, and drain on paper towels; however, leave the rendered fat in the pan. We will need it later.

At the prescribed time remove the steak from the water bath and let rest for 8 – 10 minutes.

While the steak is resting, turn the heat up on the skillet to medium high or high.

Pat the steak dry, sprinkle on a bit of salt (both sides) and slap it into the hot pan, with that yummy bacon fat.

Sear for about 90 seconds per side.

PLATE/PRESENT

Serve with your favorite sides (like taters), put the softened butter on top, then sprinkle with the chopped bacon. Enjoy.

Keep the faith, and keep cooking.