Why It Works?
- Sous vide allows for precise control over cooking temperature for the right amount of juiciness.
- Finish the burger exactly how you want, I prefer searing in a cast iron pan.
Ingredients for Sous Vide Burgers
- 1 lb / 454 g of freshly ground beef (6 to 8 oz / 168 to 224 g per burger)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sliced cheese as desired
- Toasted hamburger buns
- Toppings as desired
Equipment to Make Sous Vide Burgers
- Sous Vide – I use the Anova Culinary Nano Sous Vide Precision Cooker
- Water bath – I use the Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Plastic Space Saving Square Food Storage Container for Kitchen/Sous Vide/Food Prep, 12 Quart, Clear
- Vacuum sealer – I use the FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Machine with Starter Vacuum
- Sous Vide Prefect Hamburger Rings
A vacuum sealer and hamburger rings are not required, you can simply use the water displacement process if you prefer.
How to Make Sous Vide Burgers
Sous vide works best for larger burgers, anything over 5 ounces. This cooking method gets lost on anything below 5 ounces, keep those for the grill.
Forming the Patties
One thing I have learned when making patties is to keep them consistent – same when making meatballs. Keep it all the same size. To accomplish this I use a kitchen scale to measure out the ground beef mixture for each burger.
Generally I form my patties to the size of the bun but for this post I am using a hamburger ring to hold the shape during the vacuum seal process.
Seal the Patties
Sous vide cooking centers around sealing the food in a bag with as little air as possible. A vacuum pump is the perfect tool for this however it can lead to squished and over compressed burgers. Making the burger dense, heavy and less juicy.
Cook the Patties
Place the sealed patties in the water bath set to the desired internal temperature. See chart below.
Rest the Patties
Rest the burgers before searing. After the water bath, remove the burger from it’s bag and lay on a plate covered in layers of paper towel to wick away excessive moisture. This rest period allows the burger to cool down before the final sear and avoid overcooking the patty.
Sear the Patties
A cast iron skillet is the best option here as it allows the burgers to baste in its own goodness. Our grill has a cast iron plate on one side so I can sear all of the burgers at once.
What Temperature Should I Cook the Burgers?
Use the chart below to determine what the optimal temperature is for you. My family prefers the medium-well range so I set the sous vide to 138°F,q
| Doneness | Temperature | Timing Range |
| Very Rare to Rare | 115°F (46°C) to 123°F (51°C) | 40 minutes to 2 1/2 hours |
| Medium-Rare | 124°F (51°C) to 129°F (54°C) | 40 minutes to 2 1/2 hours |
| Medium | 130°F (54°C) to 137°F (58°C) | 40 minutes to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max if under 130°F/54°C) |
| Medium-Well | 138°F (59°C) to 144°F (62°C) | 40 minutes to 4 hours |
| Well Done | 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C) | 40 minutes to 3 1/2 hours |
Sous Vide Hamburger
Equipment
- 1 Sous Vide
- 1 Water bath
- 1 Vacuum sealer not needed if you opt for water displacement method instead
- 1 Sous Vide Prefect Hamburger Rings not needed if you opt for water displacement method instead
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground beef
- Weber burger seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat a water bath to the desired final temperature. I set mine to 138 °F.
- Divide meat into equal portions using the kitchen scale. The rings I use are 1/3 lb, so roughly 6 ounces a portion works great.
- Roughly shape the portion into a patty and place into the mold. Place a divot in each patty. Do not over compress the meat into the mold.
- Season both sides of the patty generously with the burger seasoning. Place patties into bags and vacuum seal shut. I stick to one patty per bag.
- Cook according to the chart above.
