A good steak, like good conversation, is hard to come by. And like good conversation, even harder to make.

From the prep to the final sear, there’s an art to it all. Something, I wasn’t able to master just yet. For me, I think the problem was the “prep” part of it all. For instance, marinades seem like a fancy forethought. A luxury you take when your daily routine doesn’t involve scarfing down last night’s spaghetti and chasing it with cold coffee.

It wasn’t until my friend Huu Nguyen took a keen interest in a sous vide gathering dust in my kitchen, that I reconsidered my aversion to recipe preliminaries.

Huu, an engineer who takes a calculated approach to cooking, explained that the sous vide lets you cook to an “exactness.” The method is simple, food gets sealed in an airtight container, then plunged into water. This water circulates through a sleek sous vide machine that keeps a constant temperature, meaning it’ll never get too hot. It’s like a jacuzzi for your food, and more importantly, since the water never goes above your desired “doneness,” it’s impossible to ruin your prized steak.



As someone who has overcooked her share of filet mignon, hopelessly poking at the grey lumps, this seemed like a good thing. Yes, it required some prep, but the actual hands-on part was minimal. When you’re ready to remove the steak from the bag, just a very quick sear on a skillet or grill is needed to get that crispy caramelized texture. What you get is ultra pillowy steak cooked just how you like it.

And if you’re feeling extra ambitious, Huu mentioned that a simple sweet and savory marinade will take it up a notch. We’ve included his go-to recipe below — a juicy garlic honey marinade to bathe your steak in — that you can use with or without a sous vide. But, we really recommend the sous vide, trust us.

Honey Garlic Steak Marinade Print Recipe Ingredients 10 oz ribeye

3 tbsp coconut aminos

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste Instructions 1 Combine the coconut aminos, coconut oil, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and garlic inside a reusable ziploc bag. Place steak inside the bag and seal the bag while releasing as much air as possible. Shake the bag to mix ingredients. Refrigerate and allow the steak to marinate for at least 1 hour. 2 Cook the steak sous vide to desired doneness (medium rare suggested). Sear to finish: Use either a grill or stovetop skillet over medium-high heat to caramelize the outside of the steak, about 2-3 minutes per side. Do not pour out entire contents of the bag. Instead, baste the steak with spoonfuls at a time while searing. 3 Garnish with scallions and lightly season with salt and pepper. Allow steak to rest before digging in.

We used:

Joule Sous Vide

Butcherbox Ribeye (Click here for FREE Bacon)