I’m even more sure that I’m not.
You appear to be the one misunderstanding here. As Ember already explained quite well…
[quote=“Ember, post:4, topic:8561”]I read it and it amounts to the same thing but with different equipment.
Step 1) Slow cooking the protein to the desired doneness (usually performed in a regular oven, but could be done by other methods)
Step 2) Searing protein over high heat to promote Maillard reaction and improve flavour.
We are simply performing step 1 via sous vide processing.[/quote]
You seem to have completely ignored that, as well as my own follow-up explanation. “Reverse sear” simply refers to the procedure of searing meat AFTER it’s been cooked internally, rather than before. There’s no one method of cooking the meat before the sear that is inherent in the concept. Searing a steak after you’ve cooked it sous vide is an example of the practice of reverse searing.
Your premise is akin to asking something like, “Is it faster to drive from here to there or to travel from here to there?”
ETA: As just one example, read this from AmazingRibs.com: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/cooking_temperatures_and_reverse_sear.html
Skip down to the “History of the reverse sear” section, where you’ll find the following as the first entry:
It sure sounds to me like “reverse sear” and “sous vide” are very much complementary techniques.