I COOKED A 2-INCH RIBEYE IN THE INSTANT POT… AND IT WAS THE BEST STEAK I’VE EVER MADE

Medium-rare. Beautiful. Buttery-tender. Boneless ribeye. In the Instant Pot.

And no, before anyone calls the Steak Police, I did NOT pressure cook it. 😂

If you've followed me for a while, you know I love to sous vide almost everything.

Set it. Forget it. Wander off and pour a drink.

Come back to perfectly cooked protein every single time.

Unfortunately, when we moved back to Mexico, I left my immersion circulator in Wisconsin. I've been missing it, but I'm not buying another one just to leave it behind here or cram it into a suitcase when we head north again.

Then I noticed something on the Instant Pot in our rental house:

SOUS VIDE.

EXCUSE ME?!

Apparently, this thing has been sitting on the counter quietly withholding very important information from me.

Did you know your Instant Pot might be a sous vide machine?!

JUMP TO THE PROCESS

So Obviously, I Had to Try It

I will admit I was nervous.

This wasn't some little supermarket steak I was willing to sacrifice in the name of science.

This was a gorgeous, 2-inch-thick Mexican ribeye.

I've cooked several of these Extra-Thick Mexican Ribeyes, and I really, really didn't want to ruin this one because I was screwing around with an unfamiliar appliance.

But I had to know.

So I seasoned it, sealed it in a zip-top bag, dropped it into its little 132°F bath…

…and waited.

For two hours.

Without being able to obsessively check on it.

This was harder than it sounds. 😂

But HOLY HELL, was it worth it.

The Instant Pot Sous Vide Experiment WORKED

When I finally pulled that steak out, dried it thoroughly, and gave it a screaming-hot sear, I knew we were onto something.

Then I sliced it.

PERFECT medium-rare from edge to edge.

No thick gray band around the outside. No overcooked edges surrounding a tiny pink center.

Just gorgeous, evenly cooked ribeye with a sizzling crust.

And after several Extra-Thick Mexican Ribeyes cooked different ways, this one was BY FAR the best.

Buttery tender.

Ridiculously juicy.

Loaded with garlicky, peppery flavor.

We normally get leftovers for two or three days from one of these giant steaks.

We left four slices.

FOUR.

I'd call that fairly convincing scientific evidence. 😂

HOW TO SOUS VIDE A THICK RIBEYE IN THE INSTANT POT

What You'll Need

• 1 thick-cut boneless ribeye — mine was about 2 inches thick

• Your favorite steak seasoning

• 1 large zip-top freezer bag

• Instant Pot with a Sous Vide setting

• Instant Pot rack/trivet

• Water

• Avocado oil or another high-heat cooking oil

• Coarse salt for finishing, optional

• Cilantro-Lime Chimichurri for serving — HIGHLY recommended

1. Season the Ribeye

Pat the steak dry and season it generously on all sides.

I wanted the beef to remain the star, so I went with plenty of garlic and peppery seasoning.

2. Bag the Steak

Place the seasoned ribeye inside a sturdy zip-top freezer bag.

You don't need a vacuum sealer.

Instead, use the water displacement method:

Seal the bag almost completely, leaving a small section open. Slowly lower the bag into a container of water, keeping the opening above the waterline.

As the bag sinks, the pressure from the water pushes the air up and out around the steak.

Once almost all of the air has escaped, seal the final corner of the bag.

Boom. Done.

3. Set Up the Instant Pot

Place the rack or trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot.

I don't want the plastic bag resting directly against the heated metal bottom of the pot, so the rack creates a little separation.

Add enough water to submerge the steak while staying within your Instant Pot's maximum-fill guidelines.

Place the sealed steak into the water.

4. Sous Vide at 132°F for 2 Hours

Close the Instant Pot according to the instructions for your model and select the Sous Vide function.

Set the temperature to:

132°F

Set the cooking time to:

2 hours

Keep in mind that the Instant Pot needs time to bring all that water up to temperature, so allow extra time before dinner.

Then walk away.

Or, if you're me, stare suspiciously at the Instant Pot every once in a while because there is a beautiful ribeye trapped inside and you have trust issues. 😂

5. Dry the Steak REALLY Well

When the sous vide cycle is finished, remove the steak from the bag.

It will be perfectly cooked.

It will also look profoundly unimpressive and gray.

Do not panic.

Pat the steak extremely dry with paper towels and let it sit for about 5–10 minutes while you heat your skillet.

A dry surface is important because we're about to turn that pale-looking steak into something glorious.

6. SEAR THE HELL OUT OF IT

Heat a heavy skillet or grill pan until it is SCORCHING hot.

Add a small amount of avocado oil.

Sear the ribeye for approximately 30 seconds per side, plus the edges, just long enough to develop that dark, sizzling crust without cooking the interior much further.

We're not cooking the steak here.

We're giving it a tan.

7. Slice and Serve

Slice the ribeye thinly across the grain.

Finish with a little coarse salt if you'd like.

And absolutely serve it with my Cilantro-Lime Chimichurri.

The rich, buttery ribeye with that bright, garlicky, citrusy, slightly spicy chimichurri is ridiculous.

THE VERDICT

Can you really sous vide steak in an Instant Pot?

If your Instant Pot model has a Sous Vide function: HELL YES.

I went into this expecting the Instant Pot to be a decent substitute for the immersion circulator I left behind.

Instead, it produced the best one of these giant ribeyes I've made yet.

132°F.

Two hours.

Thirty-second screaming-hot sear.

Medium-rare perfection.

And now I'm looking around the kitchen wondering what else I can throw in this thing.

Kitchen Gear

The Instant Pot I'm using — along with the skillet and other kitchen gear I actually use — is on my Benable Kitchen Gear list. Because, apparently, I have been seriously underestimating this thing!

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