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.
Recipe Card?
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Why Sous Vide Is Perfect for Roast Beef
Sous vide delivers two game-changing advantages:
- Precision doneness - Set the exact temperature you want (rare to well-done), and the entire roast cooks evenly-no gray edges or raw centers.
- Unmatched tenderness - Long, low-temperature cooking breaks down tough collagen without drying out the meat (unlike slow cookers, which can overcook).
(See temperature chart below for your ideal doneness!)
Equipment:
Essential:
- Sous vide circulator (e.g., Joule or Anova-both work great!).
- Heavy-duty zip-top bag (or vacuum sealer + bags if you have one).
- Large pot or container (deep enough to fully submerge the roast).
Nice-to-Have (But Optional):
- Lidded sous vide container (e.g., 19 Qt with cut-out lid) for efficiency.
- Vacuum sealer (helpful for freezer prep, but not required).
No vacuum sealer?
Use the water displacement method-just lower the zip-top bag into the water slowly to push out air!
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.
| Roast Beef Temperature Chart For Cooking | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doneness for Roast Beef | F | C |
| Rare | 125 | 52 |
| Medium Rare | 136 | 58 |
| Medium | 145 | 63 |
| Well | 155 | 71 |
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:
- Allow the meat to come to room temperature for an hour.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper over all sides of the beef.
- Heat a heavy bottom or cast iron pan to the point of smoking.
- 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.
- Flip the meat and sear on all sides, rotating the searing side 90 degrees with each flip.
How to sous vide a roast:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Sear the Roast: 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.
Variations:
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 for adding different flavor profiles to your roast. Choose one.
To the bag add:
- 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
FAQ's and Tips
Yes! The beauty of sous vide and this long cook is that you can easily sous vide a frozen chuck roast. I would skip the pre sear and get a good post sear after the cook.
yes! I will use a vac and seal bag when I am pulling a chuck roast from the freezer to cook it. It is convenient for me to pre sear, cool, vac and seal, freeze and toss in the sous vide water bath. But you are welcome to use a vac and seal bag in place of a zip top bag.
Once the roast has completed its cook, it can be iced down and reheated at a later time. To reheat using the sous vide, set the circulator to 130 and submerge the roast, in a bag, and heat for 30 minutes. The short amount of time in the water will reheat it, not cook it.
Then sear in a hot skillet to get the crust.
Slice sous vide chuck roast thin for roast beef sandwiches, french dips, or slick thick for dinner served with roasted vegetables. Serve a 63 degree egg over the beef.
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
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.
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 pound (1.81 kg) chuck roast
- salt
- Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) mayonaise
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 (1.81 kg) 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.
Nutrition
Notes
- 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
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 16 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
Georgia says
Are you sure you don’t mean rump roast? Chuck roast is typically not lean, but rump roast is. Your photo also looks like you’re using a rump roast.
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