Sous Vide Steak - Japanese Style (Wafu Steak)

Instructions

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Fill your pot with water (with Nomiku, fill water past the line).
3. Preheat water to your desired temperature. For medium-rare steak, set to 135°F (57°C).
4. Slice the garlic clove. Trim off the excess fat around the steak.
5. Season both sides of the steak with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Seal the bottom end of the food saver pack.
7. Place the steak in the bag and add the garlic slices and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Then seal the top of the bag. Make sure you choose “moisture” option as we have olive oil inside.
8. Place the bag into the preheated water. A one-inch-thick steak will be ready to eat in 1 hour, the general rule is 1 inch per hour of cooking. The best part about sous vide is that it'll never overcook, so it can be in the water for much longer (as long as the water stays at the same temperature).
9. When the steak is almost done with sous vide cooking, slice the green onion thinly and grate the daikon. Set aside.
10. When 1 hour has passed, pick up the bag and cut open the vacuum package. If you have more than 1 bag in the pot and plan on searing the meat separately, you can leave the rest of the bags inside the pot.
11. Remove the excess moisture on the steak with paper towel. It's important to do this step so that the steak will have nice sear. The excess moisture will “steam” the steak in the pan.
12. To get nice sear marks on the steak, remove the garlic slices. Don't worry, the steak already has nice flavor and aroma from the garlic while cooking in sous vide. If you like, you can cook the garlic on the side of the pan. Keep in mind when you cook sous vide, do not over season the meat. It cooks for hours with the seasoning inside and the seasoning is completely absorbed.
13. Preheat the cast iron skillet (or any frying pan) over high heat and add the grapeseed oil. When you see the smoke coming off from the side of the pan, add the steak. Sear each side of the steak for about 1 minute until it develops a golden-grown crust. Press down the steak once in a while to get a nice sear mark, but don't move it around. Flip and repeat on other side. You can also finish the steak on the grill.
14. Transfer to a plate (no need to rest with sous vide!). If you serve the steak in traditional Japanese way (with chopsticks), transfer to a cutting board and cut into ½ inch slices.
15. Gently squeeze grated daikon (liquid should not drip down) and place generous amount on top of the steak. Sprinkle green onions and pour the ponzu on top. Serve with extra ponzu on the side.
16. If you are not planning to eat the steak immediately after sous vide cooking. Soak in iced water (½ ice and ½ water) for 30 minutes to chill, and then transfer to the refrigerator to store and enjoy later.