I was looking for a hearty, but easy, weekday meal so I decided to do a sous vide sirloin steak with roasted root vegetables. Sous vide sirloin steak is one of my favorite cuts to eat. It is on the leaner side but still has enough marbling to make it flavorful without being too fatty. It's also much less expensive than a New York strip or a rib steak, making it more accessible for a weekday meal.
I had a good piece of meat so I went with a light spice rub of garlic powder, ancho chile powder, and cumin to add some flavor without masking the taste of the beef too much. The sirloin steak was sous vided for about 6 hours then seared using a torch, though pan searing it works great as well. The sous vide process tenderizes the sirloin, resulting in a flavorful steak with wonderful texture. But don't worry, if you don't have a sous vide machine you can easily cook the sirloin steak in any way you prefer, generally it is grilled, pan fried, or roasted.
The vegetables are simply beets, red onion, and carrots tossed in olive oil and fresh herbs then roasted. You can use any root vegetables you like, both parsnips and turnips are a great addition and you can never go wrong with potato. I tossed them with rosemary and thyme before roasting them, then some sage once they came out of the oven. Beets can easily stain so I highly recommend covering your cutting board with parchment paper and maybe wearing plastic gloves.
Sirloin steak is tender enough that it only has to be heated through to be enjoyed, which is why it's a popular grilling steak. To accomplish this with sous vide normally takes 2 to 3 hours, depending on the thickness of the sirloin. However, when cooking sous vide sirloin steak it can usually benefit from a longer cook time to increase its tenderness. I'll often let it cook for 6 to 10 hours to reach an ideal texture. Sirloin does have a lot of variability in it though, so both the grade of the beef and the way it was raised will affect how much tenderization it needs.
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Ingredients for Sous Vide Sirloin Steak with Roasted Root Vegetables
- 2 pounds sirloin steak (900g)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- 10 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 beets, peeled and diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced rosemary leaves
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons diced sage
- Olive oil
- Finishing salt or sea salt
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Cooking Instructions for Sous Vide Sirloin Steak with Roasted Root Vegetables
At least 2 to 3 hours before serving
Preheat a water bath to 131°F (55°C).
Combine all the spices in a bowl. Salt and pepper the sirloin steak then coat with the spices. Place the sirloin steak in a sous vide bag then seal. Cook the steak for 2 to 3 hours, or up to 10 hours for a more tender steak. For more information on the cooking times you can read my detailed article which addresses why is there a range in sous vide cooking times.
70 minutes before serving
Preheat an oven to 425°F (218°C).
Toss the all the vegetables together with the olive oil, thyme, and rosemary then salt and pepper them. Place them in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the oven until starting to brown and the carrots and beets have softened and are cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the heat, add the sage, and toss to combine.
Remove the cooked sous vide sirloin steak from the sous vide bag and pat dry. Lightly salt and oil the outside of the steak then quickly sear it until the meat is just browned. Slice the sirloin steak into 1/2" (12mm) slices.
Place the roasted vegetables on a plate and top with several slices of sirloin steak. Drizzle the olive oil on top, sprinkle with the finishing salt then serve.
