Sous Vide Roast Beef Recipe

Sous vide chuck roast makes the most delicious sous vide roast beef turning an inexpensive cut of beef into a memorable meal.

What cut of beef is best for making roast beef?

When you are shopping for the perfect cut of beef to make roast beef using the sous vide cooking method, look for a chuck roast. Chuck roast is a cut of beef that comes from the front of the steer and is very lean and flavorful.

Other cuts of beef that can also be used would be a bottom round roast, the eye of round roast, sirloin tip roast. Ask your local butcher for what you are looking for as different cuts can have different names.

🤔 Why is sous vide so beneficial to cooking a roast?

When cooking a roast, the flavors and textures of the roast are fully developed with low temperatures and a long cooking time. This can be accomplished in a slow cooker but the drawback of using a slow cooker is you do not have control of the doneness of the beef.

By using the sous vide circulator to cook a roast you are able to control the doneness of the beef by adjusting the temperature of the water. (See the chart below for suggested temperatures.)The beauty of using sous vide is that you are able to choose your doneness and the beef will be that temperature from edge to edge. No longer will you have a more done edge and a more underdone center core.

🥫 Ingredients needed:

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

🎛️ Equipment:

The most important piece of equipment needed when cooking anything with the sous vide method is the sous vide circulator. I recommend the Joule Sous Vide because it pairs with an app but many people will use an Anova Culinary Sous Vide Cooker. Either will get the job done. Choose what works best for you.

Other equipment that you will see me use in this recipe is the 19 Qt Sous Vide Water Bath container with the lid with precision cut-out. But if you have a pot deep enough to hold the meat, that will work. These are just pieces of my sous vide collection that I use. I also use my FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Machine with Bags and Rolls Starter Kit but don't feel like you NEED this piece for this recipe. A heavy-duty zip-top bag will get the job done.

🌡️ What temperature should you cook a roast?

The temperature you set your sous vide will determine the doneness of your piece of beef from edge to edge, no matter the thickness. My family likes roast cooked to 136.

According to the sous vide supreme cooking guide this is on the high side of medium-rare doneness.

⏲️ Why is the time so long?

You will see that the time varies when using sous vide cooking. Keep in mind that the time will equal the tenderness, especially when it comes to thick or tougher cuts of meat. Typically I recommend 1 hour per inch of thickness as a starting point but with chuck roast being such a big piece of beef I recommend a minimum of 18 hours with (24 hours being my favorite) to get the tenderness that is indicative of roast beef.

🔥 Pre-sear or not to pre-sear?

I am a big fan of pre-searing meat when there is a long cook. By pre-searing the meat you are adding a layer of flavor to your cook. I see it as a kind of setting up your meat to be basting with flavor when you pre-sear ahead of cooking with sous vide.

💥 How To Pre-Sear:

1. Allow the meat to come to room temperature for an hour.
2. Pat the meat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
3. Season the meat with salt and pepper over all sides of the beef.
4. Heat a heavy bottom or cast iron pan to the point of smoking.
5. Place the roast cut side down in the pan, allowing it to sear for 2-3 minutes or until it takes on a deep caramel color.
6. Flip the meat and sear on all sides, rotating the searing side 90 degrees with each flip.

🍳 How to sous vide a roast:

1. Preheat the Sous Vide circulator: Add enough water to the sous vide container or a large pot that the meat will be fully submerged; Set the temperature to your desired doneness, I like: 136°F (58°C).
2. Pre-sear the roast - if you choose to pre sear the roast, see instructions above.
3. Add flavoring to the bag - if you are adding additional flavoring add it to the bag.
4. Place the meat into the sous vide or freezer zip-top bag.
5. Submerge the bag: using the 'water displacement' technique: close all but one corner of the bag and slowly lower the bag with the roast into the water bath. The pressure of the water will force out the air. close the zip-top bag.
6. Sous Vide the Chuck Roast: Cook the chuck roast in the sous vide water bath for 24 hours.
7. Finishing the roast: remove the bag from the water bath and reserve the purge, the liquid in the bag, for making a gravy or adding to sauces.
8. Cool the roast: to keep the mayonnaise from sliding off the roast before hitting the pan, chill the chuck roast in a water bath for about 10 minutes.
9. Sear the Roast: Remove the roast from the bag. Pat dry the surface thoroughly with paper towels.
10. Lightly brush a thin coat of mayonnaise over the surface of the meat. Sear in a screaming hot cast-iron skillet on all sides for 1 minute to get a delicious crust.

📌 Variations:

📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:

Sous vide chuck roast

Sarah Mock

Sous vide chuck roast makes the most delicious sous vide roast beef turning an inexpensive cut of beef into a memorable meal.

4.80 from 29 votes

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Note From Sarah

There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 d

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark, toggle to button to the right to turn GREEN

Course Sous Vide

Cuisine French

Servings 3 pounds

Calories 365 kcal

HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS

Joule Sous Vide

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Cooker

Lid for Sous Vide Container

Sous Vide Rack

Sous Vide Water Bath

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 3-4 pound chuck roast
• ▢ salt
• ▢ pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon mayonaise

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

 

• Preheat the Sous Vide circulator: Add enough water to the sous vide container or a large pot that the meat will be fully submerged; Set the temperature to your desired doneness, I like: 136°F (58°C).
• Pre-sear the roast - if you choose to pre sear the roast, see instructions above.
  1 3-4 pound chuck roast
• Add flavoring to the bag - if you are adding additional flavoring add it to the bag.
• Place the meat into the sous vide or freezer zip-top bag.
• Submerge the bag: using the 'water displacement' technique: close all but one corner of the bag and slowly lower the bag with the roast into the water bath. The pressure of the water will force out the air. close the zip-top bag.
• Sous Vide the Chuck Roast: Cook the chuck roast in the sous vide water bath for 24 hours.
• Finishing the roast: remove the bag from the water bath and reserve the purge, the liquid in the bag, for making a gravy or adding to sauces.
• to keep the mayonnaise from sliding off the roast before hitting the pan, chill the chuck roast in a water bath for about 10 minutes.
  1 tablespoon mayonaise
• Remove the roast from the bag. Pat dry the surface thoroughly with paper towels.
• Lightly brush a thin coat of mayonnaise over the surface of the meat.
• Sear in a screaming hot cast-iron skillet on all sides for 1 minute to get a delicious crust.

Notes

Should you add flavoring to the sous vide bag?

This is where your culinary creativity comes into play. You can be a purist and just go with salt and pepper, allowing the flavors of the beef to shine through. Or, you can take your sous vide roast beef to another level with additional flavors to enhance your meal.

Here are some suggestions if you are looking for inspiration:

• a packet of au jus gravy powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 tbsp rosemary, minced, ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp mustard powder, ½ tsp onion powder
• ¾ cup of dry red wine (Cabernet or Pinot Noir),2 cups of beef broth, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 2 bay leaves

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 365kcalProtein: 37gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 171mg

Nutrition Disclosure

Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

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