Sous Vide Veal Tenderloin
Sous Vide Veal Tenderloin
Veal tenderloin is one of the most tender cuts of meat you can get hold of, and sous vide is an obvious way to handle it. The technique comes from the professional French kitchen, where chefs have used water baths and vacuum bags for decades to hit the precise core temperature every time - today those same tools have become cheap and simple enough that the method has also found its way into Danish home kitchens. The meat is cooked at an exact temperature in the water bath, so it doesn’t overcook at the edges while the center is still raw. Unlike beef tenderloin, which tolerates slightly higher temperatures, the veal must be kept cooler during cooking - it is already tender and needs neither a long time nor high heat to be ready to eat.
The method is simple but calls for patience. The meat is seasoned with salt and pepper, vacuum-sealed together with garlic and fresh herbs, and then goes into a water bath at 133°F (56°C) for 2.5 hours. When it comes out of the bag, it is patted thoroughly dry before being seared hard in butter in a scorching-hot pan. It’s the searing that gives the golden crust and the right flavor - without that step the meat tastes flat, no matter how precise the temperature in the water bath has been.
The result is a piece of meat that is pink and juicy all the way through, with a thin, crisp seared crust on the outside. It’s a dish for a relaxed dinner where the meat is the centerpiece - serve it with simple sides such as roasted root vegetables, a simple salad or freshly boiled potatoes, so the veal gets to be the main attraction.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 800 g veal tenderloin, in one piece, trimmed of sinew and silverskin
- 6 g salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or thyme)
- 25 g unsalted butter, preferably clarified
Directions
Trim the veal tenderloin of sinew and silverskin so the meat is completely clean. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper all over.
Place the tenderloin in a vacuum bag together with the crushed garlic cloves and the herb sprigs, and vacuum-seal at maximum vacuum. Cook the meat sous vide at 133°F (56°C) for 2.5 hours.
Take the bag out of the water bath, open it, and pat the meat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Save the meat juices from the bag for a sauce if you like.
Heat a pan to high heat with the unsalted butter. Sear the veal tenderloin quickly on all sides until a golden-brown crust forms - this takes about a minute per side - spooning the melted butter over the meat as you go.
Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Arrange on preheated plates and serve at once.
Notes
The temperature can be varied between 129-136°F (54-58°C) and the time between 1.5-3 hours - the higher the temperature, the shorter the time, and the closer to well-done the result. 133°F (56°C) for 2.5 hours gives a more pink, medium-rare result and suits a whole piece of 800 g-1 kg (1¾-2¼ lb).
Garlic and herbs in the bag are optional. A more minimalist approach is salt only in the bag, with all the seasoning added instead at the pan stage.
Use clarified butter if the pan needs to be very hot - regular butter scorches more easily.
See Also
Beef Cuvette - Red Meat Sous Vide
