Sous Vide Veal Loin

October 29, 2023

Sous Vide Veal Loin

Veal loin is the prime cut from the back of the calf, more closely related to beef tenderloin than to other veal cuts - fine-grained, almost free of connective tissue and naturally tender. That makes it an obvious candidate for sous vide: a method that warms the meat evenly through at a completely fixed temperature, without the gradual gray zone of overcooked meat you otherwise get from ordinary roasting in the oven or frying in a pan.

The meat is trimmed of visible sinew and seasoned with salt - and optionally a little pepper, thyme and garlic - before it’s vacuum-sealed and goes into the water bath at 129°F (54°C) for 3 hours. That’s a lower temperature than most other veal cuts can stand, but precisely because veal loin is already so tender, there’s no reason to cook it longer or hotter. When the bag comes out of the water, the meat is patted completely dry and then seared hard in clarified butter in a very hot pan, so it gets a proper crust in under a minute per side.

The result is pink from edge to edge, with a texture softer and more uniform than you’d normally associate with beef, and a mild, clean meat flavor joined by a crisp, faintly nutty crust from the browned butter. The upper part of the fillet, nearest the back, has a little more fat marbling and stays juiciest, while the tail end is leaner and should get a touch less time in the pan so it doesn’t dry out.

Veal loin isn’t an everyday dish - it’s more expensive than most other cuts and is typically associated with dinner parties and special occasions. The sous vide method originally comes from professional French kitchens in the 1970s, but has over time become common in home kitchens, and it makes it easy to nail the timing on a busy evening: the meat can lie ready in the water bath while the rest of the dinner comes together, and the final sear takes only a moment.

Cut the meat into slices and serve it with a light sauce - butter-sautéed mushrooms, a quick cream reduction of the meat juices from the bag, or a béarnaise - along with potatoes or root vegetables and a fresh salad.

Ingredients

Serves 4

800 g veal loin, trimmed of sinew and connective tissue
6-8 g salt
freshly ground pepper (optional)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced (optional)
clarified butter (or oil), for searing

Directions

Pat the veal loin completely dry and remove visible sinew and connective tissue from the surface. Season the meat evenly with salt, and lay the thyme sprigs and garlic slices on the surface along with a little freshly ground pepper if using.

Place the meat in a vacuum bag and seal it at maximum vacuum.

Preheat the sous vide water bath to 129°F (54°C) and only add the bag once the water has reached temperature. Cook the meat for 3 hours.

Take the bag out of the water, open it, and pat the meat completely dry - save the meat juices for a quick sauce if you like. Sear it hard right away in a very hot pan or on a grill in clarified butter, on all sides, about 1 minute per side, with a little extra time on any fat side.

Cut the meat into slices and plate at once on warmed plates.

Notes

The veal loin can be prepared well ahead: after sous vide cooking, the sealed bag is chilled quickly and kept in the refrigerator at a maximum of 43°F (6°C) for up to a week. Reheat in warm tap water for about an hour before the final sear.

If you prefer a slightly firmer result, the temperature can be raised to 135-136°F (57-58°C) - in which case the time can be reduced to 2 hours, since veal loin is a fine, quickly warming cut.

Serve with a quick sauce of butter-sautéed mushrooms, a cream reduction of the meat juices or a béarnaise sauce, along with potatoes or root vegetables and a fresh salad.