Go Back

Sous Vide Beef Tataki

Glebe Kitchen
Cook Time 2 hours 2 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 2 minutes
Course Appetizer
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Skillet
  • Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
  • Cooking Container
  • Small Sauce Pan

Ingredients
  

Steaks

  • 12-14 oz good quality top sirloin cut 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2-3 green onions

Simple Ponzu Sauce

  • 1 1/2 tbsp sake
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice strained

Instructions
 

Sous vide the steak and cook the steaks

  • Salt the steaks liberally.
  • Use a food saver to shrink wrap the steaks.
  • Preheat your sous vide to 116 degrees. See below for guidelines on temperature vs. level of doneness.
  • Immerse the shrink-wrapped steaks in the water and let it cook for about 90-110 minutes.
  • Remove the steaks from the water bath.
  • Heat a sturdy skillet large enough to hold the steak in a single layer over medium-high heat.
  • Add about 1 Tbsp of vegetable or peanut oil.
  • Sprinkle the steaks with black pepper to taste. A nice crust of butcher's grind pepper is nice. Not particularly Japanese but nice.
  • Sear the steaks on one side for about 20 seconds. Flip and cook on the other side for 20 seconds. Repeat on each side for a total of about 80 seconds.
  • Sear the sides (stand the steaks up) about 20 seconds on each of the long sides.
  • Let rest 5 minutes.

Make the simple ponzu sauce

  • Combine the sake and mirin in a small saucepan and simmer for 1 minute.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Prep the green onions

  • Here's a trick that food bloggers don't advertise. If you want those nifty curled green onions it's easy.
  • Julienne the green part of a couple of green onions.
  • Immerse the julienned green onion in a small bowl of ice and water.
  • Stir them around a bit with your finger to get them unstuck from each other.
  • Let stand about 20 minutes.
  • Drain and blot on paper towel.

Serve the beef tataki

  • Slice the beef thinly. Try to get as close to across the grain as you can. If you have a nice Japanese knife this is a good place to use it.
  • Fan the beef out. Garnish with thin slices of the white portion of a green onion along with the curled green onion.
  • Drizzle with ponzu sauce.
  • Serve with additional ponzu sauce.

Notes

Sous vide temperature should be just under your target temperature: 116°F-118°F for bloody rare; 122°F for rare - end target 125°F; 128°F for medium rare - end target 130°F; 133°F for medium. More than medium you don't need to learn sous vide. Just cook your beef as you always have. Consider trying it done less sometime if you are feeling brave. You are missing out.
Keyword beef, sous vide, tataki