Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin by Philip Preston

Submitted by Chicagoland Chef du Jour

"This was the most tender & juicy slice of tenderloin I have ever had. Sous Vide is a method of cooking foods to perfection in a temperature controlled water bath. This application is being used in restaurants all over the world. Most meats can be cooked ahead of time SV style and left to rest in the water bath or cooled & refrigerated until ready to serve. You will need a chamber type vacuum sealer system (ie. FoodSaver) and a Sous Vide Thermal Circulator. With this method, it is important to note that when using herbs, foods will absorb herbs to a greater degree. Philip uses 1/3 less herbs and spices but 100% of salt. *Please note: we cooked at 138° for medium-rare. Source: Philip Preston, president and Owner of PolyScience."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 2 lbs well trimmed beef tenderloin, all visible fat removed
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the skillet for initial searing
• 2 fresh springs thyme, I substituted using 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1⁄3 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Bring the water bath up to a temperature. This will take some time, so plan ahead.
2. Beef Temperature Guidelines.
3. Rare: 120°F / 49°C.
4. Medium Rare: 134°F / 56.5°C ( 2 hours cooking time)
5. Medium: 140°F / 60°C.
6. Medium Well: 150°F / 65.5°C.
7. Well Done: 160°F / 71°C
8. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 T olive oil to the bottom of a skillet.
9. Pat the tenderloin dry with a paper towel. Lightly brush the meat with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
10. Once the oil is heated (starts to ripple), place the meat in the skillet to lightly brown all sides and ends. Alternately, you can do this on a grill.
11. Roll back the edges of the bag to prevent cross contamination. Place the lightly browned tenderloin in a vacuum seal bag. Vacuum seal to remove all the air. The bag must be completely submerged to ensure uniform cooking.
12. Place in the preheated water bath. Cook to desired doneness, see chart listed above. *For medium rare, cook at 138°F for 2 hours.
13. If serving later the meat can remain in the preheated water bath ( up to 4 hours) until ready to serve as it will not cook it further.
14. Before serving: Mix 2 T of melted butter with 1/3 t salt. Heat up your skillet
15. Remove the tenderloin from the water bath. Discard any liquid from the bag.
16. Pat dry the meat and brush with the butter mixture. Quickly sear the meat immediately before serving. Alternately, this can be done on a grill.
17. The meat does not need to rest before slicing.
18. Slice and serve.