I used my Anova precision cooker for the first time. I followed a recipe on the Anova site. I marinated 4 boneless rib-eye steaks in advance. I put them in vacuum sealed bags (two steaks in one large bag, two single steaks in two smaller bags). Cooked at 133 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour and a half (which I understood to make it medium rare). Seared them for 30-45 seconds on each side, let them rest but were much more medium well than medium rare. Just looking for any suggestions or insights.
I have cooked quite a few steaks in the same range and they always turned out medium rare. I would use a thermometer to make sure that when you set 133°F it is very close to that temperature. If it is not call Anova Service. Do you happen to have a picture of the meat after cooking? As a side note there is no reason to let meat rest when using the sous vide method.
How thick were the steaks? A thin steak will have to be seared on a VERY hot pan in just a few seconds to avoid cooking the interior of the steak more.
Sorta to just echo what @Reuel Nash was saying - I’ve traditionally only seared my steaks after precision cooking for approximately 10 seconds a side and have never had them come out anything other than medium rare - It was definitely a screaming hot pan mind you (had to open windows, turn on the hood fan) but I made sure to pat down the steak fully to remove any wetness then just dropped it in.
ChefSteps recommends a pre-sear to make the outer crust even thinner–I have yet to try it: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/presearing-for-sous-vide
To echo @bill, thoroughly dry the meat before searing with paper towels and use a cast-iron pan (it can hold much higher temperature than anything else) so hot it’s almost glowing. Good luck!
I’m not a big fan of the pre-sear.
The above comments about thickness and searing were what came to mind; however, consider what you use for a marinade, and how long you marinate. Remember that acids will “cook” meat, so a high-acid marinade, particularly if left in contact with a thinner steak for a while, could have been the culprit.
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