Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches
This Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of FoodSaver®; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Loaded with tender steak and melty cheeses, these Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches are a favorite in our house!
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Have I ever mentioned my costume bin? That’s right. I have a costume bin. It’s stacked in the basement storage room alongside the Christmas decorations and spare serveware. And when I say bin, I mean bin. It’s a huge container full of all sorts of random costume accessories. There’s an 80’s rocker wig and a random tri-cornered pirate’s hat. There’s a wolf mask and a monk’s tunic. Oh, and how could I forget the single white sparkly glove that lights up? Whenever I come across random costume pieces, I toss ’em in the bin. I figure Robbie will love to play with them all one day! (Of course, much to Laura’s chagrin, I find a surprising number of occasions to pull out the costume bin for my own personal use.)
But one costume that I don’t have in that bin? A magician’s hat and wand. I do have a vampire cape that I could probably repurpose, but no hat or wand. And I really wish I did! This past weekend, I felt the need to dress as a magician…and Laura actually encouraged this one! (Well, encourage might be a strong word…) I’ve gotten into sous vide cooking lately, and I decided to try my hand at cooking a London Broil sous vide style. London Broil (also called Top Round steak) is a very lean cut of meat, so it benefits from a long, slow cooking process. And that makes it perfect for sous vide style cooking!
So where does the magician part come in? Laura stole one bite of the London Broil as I was slicing it up, and she was like “You just turned London Broil into tenderloin.” And you know what? She was kinda right! This London Broil was incredibly tender, and it totally reminded me of the tenderloin that we make for the holidays every year! And London Broil is almost always on sale at one of our local grocery stores, too. Bonus!
Have you tried your hand at sous vide style cooking? If not, you should! Seriously. Sous vide (which translates from French as ‘under vacuum’) involves cooking vacuum-sealed food in a pot of water at a very specific temperature. Have you ever wondered how to cook a perfect steak? *raises hand* Sous vide makes it easy because you just set the temperature of the water to the temperature for the desired degree of doneness. For example, I found 134°F led to a London Broil that was cooked to a perfect medium doneness. Essentially, the steak was cooked in 134°F water until the center reached 134°F. Makes sense, right? And the long cooking time helps tenderize a cut of meat that has a reputation of being a bit on the tough side.
One key part of sous vide style cooking is the vacuum-sealed bags. And that’s where FoodSaver® Sous-vide Vacuum Seal Bags come in! We’ve been big FoodSaver® fans for a long time, and we use the FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System. I remember picking up our FoodSaver® at Target one of the first months after we moved up here. We were having a problem will all of our frozen food getting freezer-burnt in our new freezer, so we decided to start vacuum-sealing our food before freezing it. And it made a huge difference! No more frost!
We often buy in bulk as it saves money in the long run. Whenever we do, we just come home and vacuum-seal everything in smaller packages. And because the FM2000 system pulls all of the air out of the bag, it makes it much easier to organize the freezer. We actually do this both for uncooked meat as well as cooked foods. In fact, every Fall, I make a bunch of smoked brisket and pulled pork, and we vacuum-seal it all in smaller bags that are perfect for 2-night portions. Upstate New York winters are cold, but eating a pulled pork sandwich or smoked brisket tacos makes us at least feel warm…almost!
But now we’ve found another way to use our FM2000 system – sous-vide cooking! Once vacuum-sealed, the sous-vide bags are completely airtight which leads to consistent cooking results. And the bags are strong, too! They have a multi-layer construction, so they’re very resistant to tearing or puncturing. In fact, I needed a kitchen knife to slice open the bag once the London Broil was done!
Oh, and you can actually prep your food, freeze it and then put it straight from the freezer into the pot for sous-vide cooking. How easy is that!? Talk about meal prep! Just let your food cook away while you’re off doing errands or at work, and then you have a super tasty meal that night with little to no effort! (The sous-vide bags are safe for fridge, freezer or microwave.)
Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches
Speaking of little to no effort, these Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches are amazing! As I mentioned earlier, I grabbed a London Broil at our local butcher shop, and I was curious to see how this cut of beef worked when cooked sous-vide style. Let’s cut to the chase here. It not only worked, but it was incredible! As we were sitting there eating our Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches, Laura noted that we definitely need to keep this recipe in mind for company. The prep can be done in advance, and it’s a super easy recipe to make. Perfect for when company is in town!
For these Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches, I started with long sub rolls and then layered on the sliced London Broil along with a mix of cheeses. Oh, and how can I forget the horseradish mayo!? This easy condiment took these Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches to a whole new level!
Have I convinced you to try sous-vide style cooking yet? The FoodSaver® Sous-vide Vacuum Seal Bags (and the FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System) are 15% off at Target for the month of July. The sale is both in-store and online, so I encourage you to head off to Target and pick up the FM2000 as well as the sous-vide bags. And then walk run home to make these Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches! Enjoy, friends!
Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the London Broil
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- ½ Tbsp kosher salt
- ½ Tbsp black pepper
- ½ Tbsp onion flakes
- ½ Tbsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 2-3 pound London broil (~1½” thick)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
For the Horseradish Mayo
- ¼ cup prepared horseradish
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ tsp garlic minced
- ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the Sandwiches
- 6 large sub rolls
- salted butter room temperature
- ½ tsp Italian seasonings
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 4 oz. Gruyere cheese grated
- 4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese grated
- {optional garnish} parsley minced
Instructions
For the London Broil
- Preheat sous vide cooker to 134°F.
- Using a small bowl, combine all ingredients except for beef, thyme and rosemary. Rub mixture evenly over beef.
- Place beef, thyme and rosemary in Foodsaver® Sous-vide Vacuum Seal Bag. Seal bag and place in water bath. (Note: Sealed bags can also be refrigerated or frozen at this step for later use.) Ensure that the bag is entirely submerged under water.
- Cook for 6-8 hours. (Note: If needed, add more water to make sure bag stays entirely submerged throughout cooking time.)
- Preheat cast iron skillet over high heat. Remove roast from bag and sear in hot skillet for 45-60 seconds per side.
- Allow roast to rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain into very thin slices.
For the Horseradish Mayo
- Using a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until well combined.
For the Sandwiches
- Preheat large griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
- Butter the inside of the rolls and then sprinkle Italian seasonings and garlic powder on top. Add horseradish mayo, sliced beef and grated cheeses on top.
- Place sandwiches onto griddle and tent with a piece of foil. (The foil helps ensure that the cheese on top melts.)
- Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until cheese has completely melted.
- {Optional} Garnish sandwiches with minced parsley before serving.
Costume bin? I can only imagine how fun that is? I have a small drawer with little Halloween accessories, but not a full bin. I’ve never tried sous vide before, but I heard it works wonders and judging from how delicious this looks, I can certainly see! I love horseradish with steak and this sandwich looks like it needs to happen soon. Extra cheese please 😉 Big ol’ YUM, my friend!
Well, to be fair, my costume bin started as a small box. Then it moved into an old moving box. Then that box started to overflow, so it moved into a bin. And now it’s just silly. Haha! So sous-vide is relatively new to me as well, Dawn, and I’m 100% on board. I’ve been pleased with the results every.single.time! I mean you can cook a steak to the exact perfect temperature…how cool is that?? And then you can make steak sandwiches…yum! Thanks so much, my friend!
Robbie is going to LOVE that costume bin someday! I have fond memories of the dress-up bin my sister and I stocked with garage sale scores :). Sous vide cooking has always intrigued me because it seems like everyone on Top Chef (my FAVORITE) cooks sous vide. And I’ve even seen some sous vide dessert recipes floating around lately. I’m going to have to look into it further–thank you for the inspiration!
Oh, you are totally right, Kelsie! In fact, I bet Robbie would love that costume bin NOW if he knew about it. Funny enough, I got a photo on the daycare app yesterday with a picture of Robbie and a couple of his friends playing dress-up with their costumes. I think he’s ready! So you totally need to look into sous-vide…I’m 100% hooked on it! Although I haven’t done any sous-vide desserts yet. I might need to experiment there. Thanks so much!
This looks/sounds SO good! What kind of Sous Bude cooker do you use (I’m seeing them at all price points but there’s a Miller brand on clearance at Walmart right now marked down from $129 to $49). Also how do you know when the center is 134 without sticking a thermometer in it and poking a hole in the bag? I need to learn more about sous vide cooking!
Hey Kim! I am 100% hooked on sous vide now, so I’m happy to help however I can. Our sous vide cooker is made by Anova (https://amzn.to/2LmySex), and we love it. That model has bluetooth, but they have a similar one without bluetooth. And of course we use the FoodSaver system and bags for the sous vide process. I can’t speak to the Miller brand cooker, but maybe do a little reading about reviews on Amazon? Also, as far as the temperature, the sous vide cooker keeps the water bath at the exact temperature you set. The only challenge there is to make sure you leave the food in the water long enough for the center to reach the set temperature. (It’s literally impossible to overcook!) I’ve found there are tons of resources online for general times depending on type of food and thickness of meat. All in all, I highly recommend getting into sous vide cooking! That London Broil was SO tender, and London Broil is typically not known as a tender cut of meat. Feel free to shoot me an email or leave another comment if you have more questions. I’m happy to help! 🙂
THANK YOU for this! I’m researching now. I think I will enjoy sous vise cooking, especially since I work from home and can easily let it do it’s thing while I work. Excited to try something new!
My brother-in-law has gotten into sous vide cooking. He keeps telling me about all these great recipes that he’s been making. I’ll have to share this one with him – he’ll love it! Now about those costumes….
Yes! First your brother-in-law, and now me. I think the universe is telling you to get into sous-vide cooking, Kathy! Either that, or just have your brother-in-law make these sandwiches for you. I’m serious when I say this London Broil turned out so tender…and London Broil is not typically known as a tender cut of meat.
And what about those costumes?? 🙂
What? No hat or wand in your bin? But these are some of the most important things, David. And although I do appreciate your trick using the sous vide cooker, but I think doing the same with the magician’s attributes would be just amazing. You should get a hat and wand and try some old-fashioned magic 🙂 Anyway, with or without magic, this meat looks phenomenally delicious!
I know, I know! I should be ashamed that I don’t have a magician’s hat or wand. I’ll have to work on that…maybe I’ll even have a photo in a future post! (That sounds like fun for Halloween, right??) And you’re right on about this steak…phenomenally delicious is an understatement if you ask me…and it was so easy to cook, too! Thanks, Ben!
You have a costume bin? Oh that made me laugh David! Brilliant! These Sous Vide Steak Sandwiches look fabulous. And I bet they taste amazing too. Also I can totally understand how the horseradish mayo took it to a new level. When I was in Austria a few years ago I was offered fresh smoked ham and a fresh piece of horseradish to grate onto it. Wow! Talk about taste sensation! I’m off to see how much a Foodsaver Vacuum Sealing System csots here. Really enjoyed reading this David. Thanks!
Oh yes, I do indeed have a costume bin, Neil. You’d be surprised at the number of times I find an excuse to go digging around in that thing, too! 🙂 So I highly (highly!) recommend getting into sous vide cooking. I was blown away with how easy it is to make…and you really can cook that steak to whatever exact temperature you prefer. So cool, right?? And now it’s my turn to be intrigued. The idea of grating fresh horseradish over smoked ham sounds kinda cool. I would never have thought about grating the fresh stuff straight onto ham…but now I want to try it! Thanks, buddy!
Ok, there’s this guy at the gym, I see him every week, and I’m not kidding, his first sentence to me is always, “So…have you gotten a sous vide yet?” Seriously. Now that you use one, David, I consider that a valid question. This looks amazing! I always wonder what to do with an on-sale top round, now I know! I’m going to have to look seriously at this. Also, regarding the “costume bin” – Great idea! We have several areas where we keep costumes, I guess we didn’t realize how many costumes we would acquire over the years. So so many! Good idea to have a bin from the get-go!
Hahaha…are you sure the guy at the gym isn’t named David? 🙂 I am seriously hooked on sous vide now. I mean I can cook that steak (or whatever) to an exact temperature down to the degree. That’s awesome! And since it’s essentially slow cooked, the meat is so tender, too. I mean this London Broil? It had the texture of tenderloin! And London Broil/Top Round seems to always be on sale around here. Now you know what to do with it! (Of course, if it’s a roast, you’d have to slice it or just cook it longer since it would be thicker.) Now go tell that guy from the gym that you are going to start sous-vide cooking! 🙂 Thanks, Laura!
I have heard of sous vide cooking, but have never tried it. Your sandwiches look amazing.
You seriously should give sous vide cooking a try, Dawn! It’s really awesome in that you can cook your food to an exact temperature. That means your steak will never be under- or over-cooked again! And these steak sandwiches? Yum! Thanks so much!
I’ve been toying with trying this method of cooking. I can’t believe haven’t yet! This looks incredible and I’m sure it is, as others have cooked it for me. (Lucky me!)
Love that you have a costume trunk, and I’m sure your little guy will be wearing all of them someday. He’ll love it! All kids seem to be crazy for costumes.
Do it, Valentina! Seriously. I feel like a whole new door opened up in the kitchen once I got on the sous vide train! It’s incredibly easy, and you have so much control over the recipe and flavor. Also, that costume trunk is already well-loved…by me! 🙂 But I guess I can start sharing with Robbie soon, too. Haha!
Duuuuude!!! I’ve been dabbling in sous vide cooking too (posted on Insta but not on my blog about it)!!! I have the Foodsaver 4400 series that vacuums and seals too and I LOVE how a spice rubbed chicken breast tastes so much more tender and delicious cooked sous vide style than pan sauteed! Like Laura said – the transformation is magical – and speaking of magic – dude, when are we going to see a picture of the three of y’all in matching magician outfits?
🙂
Yes! Isn’t sous vide just incredible? I wonder why it took me so long to get on board with this style of cooking!? It’s like using a slow cooker in terms of how easy it is…but it’s so delicious, too. Now matching magician outfits? You might see two of us in them, but I can pretty much promise that 3 won’t happen. Want to take a guess as to which 2 you will see? Haha!
I have to admit, I haven’t gotten on the sous vide train yet. I guess it’s partly the time involved (I’m not the most patient cook in the world.) But I’ve got summer vacation coming up and we’ll be at home for at least some of it, so it might be time to give it a go.
Oh, I totally understand about time, Frank. I was slow on the sous vide bandwagon myself because I didn’t want to learn how to use something else…but woah, I am mad at myself that it took this long! I know we’ve talked about smoking and now sous vide, and both styles take a long time…but they are SO worth it. Shoot me an email if you have questions! And most importantly, enjoy that summer vacation, my friend!
This was so amazing I had to make it twice in the same week. The wife even called after she had some for lunch. Just to let me know because it was so good.
Great recipe.
Holy cow! Twice in one week?! I’m really glad you enjoyed this one, Isaac. Sous vide really is magic. Now we just have to find some more beef to cook up sous vide style. What’s next on the menu??