The Secret to Perfectly Done Meat, Fish and Chicken Every Time—Sous Vide

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Let’s talk about a cooking technique that is making its way from the best restaurants to the the world of the Big Green Egg—Sous Vide.

And no, “Sous Vide” isn’t a French restaurant.

We Eggers and Kamado cousins are generally not thought of as “gourmet” chefs, but we are expected to turn out extraordinary results (and we do!).

What if I told you there was a way to ensure your ribeye or NY strip steak could come out perfectly medium rare, or however you like it, from top to bottom every time? And, that it’s always flavorful, tender, juicy and delicious…would that be a good thing?

Well, there is a way…it’s called ‘sous vide’ cooking, that’s French for ‘under vacuum’.

If this is new to you, just stick with me and I’ll let you in on the secret. But first, let me show you an example of a finished steak:

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From The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Sous-Vide Steak

That’s got to whet your appetite…

​You can get this great result every time if you combine sous vide cooking with a Big Green Egg sear.

Here’s a short video that introduces you to sous vide cooking from Modernist Cuisine:

Many of us already have a vacuum sealer like the Food Saver , but if you don't, you should

It's perfect for sous vide cooking. I've had mine years before sous vide was even in my vocabulary. I use it every day—I even use it to keep my coffee beans fresh for daily grinding.

It's perfect for sous vide cooking. I've had mine years before sous vide was even in my vocabulary. I use it every day—I even use it to keep my coffee beans fresh for daily grinding.

There are many affordable (but, not cheap) sous vide immersion circulators available for home cooks. Some just control the water temperature that you put into a water container of your choice like a pot or heat-resistant plastic container.​

Here are a couple of examples of just the circulator-style unit:​

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Anova Immersion Circulator

Nomiku Sous Vide Immersion Circulator

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Others are complete appliances with both the immersion circulator and water container. Here are a couple of examples:

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Sous Vide Supreme

VonShef Premium 

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How to combine Sous Vide cooking with your Big Green Egg

It's not easy finding videos that combine sous vide cooking with a final sear on the Egg, but I can tell that it works great.

In many videos they show searing the meat in a cast iron skillet on the stove and even using a butane torch with or without a special adapter like the Searzall, but I prefer finishing the cook on my Big Green Egg. You can either finish directly over the coals or use a cast iron pan, depending on your preference.

I think the hardwood charcoal adds the right amount of flavor to the finished product. Just remember to not keep the meat on the grill rack over very hot coals for more than 30 seconds to a minute or you'll overcook it.

​If you find that you can't get enough sear, you can try chilling the meat before you put it on the Egg. That way you can keep it on a little longer without affecting the great even cooking on the inside.

​Steaks done perfect!

If you like your steaks done the same throughout rather than going from some grey at the outer edges to pink or red in the center, sous vide cooking is the way to go...

The perfect chicken breast...

This video shows you how to cook a chicken breast using this mixed-cooking technique. At the end of the video, he decides to brown the breast and he does it in a pan. This is where you would put it on your Big Green Egg over hot coals for about a minute on each side: your text here...

Meaty, juicy chicken thighs...

Here's a 2-part series on cooking chicken thighs. Imagine coating them with your favorite bbq sauce and finishing them on your Egg...yum:

The perfect medium rare brisket...

Here's a brisket flat being cooked sous vide that comes out as tender and juicy as a ribeye! Hard to believe, but see for yourself...

I hope you see how sous vide cooking can elevate your cooking skills to another level. One of the great things about sous vide for the Egger is that you can completely cook your main course, stick it in the fridge until your guests arrive, and finish it on your Egg—a lot less hassle than cooking from scratch while everyone else is socializing.

If you do start cooking this way, I'd love to hear how it works out for you. We can all learn from one another.