The Mayo Sear Sous Vide Technique For Beginners (+ RECIPE)

Want to up your sous vide cooking skills?? you’re in the right spot. Today I’ll share exactly what is a mayo sear and how to finish sous vide steak, chicken, and pork in a cast iron skillet using this technique. Scroll to the end for a step by step recipe.

What Is A Mayo Sear?

A mayo sear is a technique where you add mayo to the outside of food, specifically when it comes to finishing sous vide proteins, as you’ll see in this tutorial. The mayo helps get that steakhouse-like perfectly crusted sear on tender sous vide meats.

How To Sear Sous Vide Steak In Mayo

First, sous vide the steak (or chicken or pork) at your preferred time and temp with any seasonings or marinades, in a ziploc or vacuum seal bag.

This demo uses sous vide NY strip steak. You can use this guide to sear many similar sized cuts like porterhouse, ribeye, t-bone steak in mayonnaise.

Once the protein is done cooking, remove it from the bag and pat it dry.

How much mayo do you need?

Smear the steak with a very thin coating of mayonnaise. In my opinion, you don’t actually taste the mayo after the steak is cooked when you use a small amount, but you still benefit from the juiciness and get that tasty crisp brown crust.

Do you add seasonings?

As for seasonings, you can (but don’t have to) add a little bit of salt and pepper or other spices you’d like, which will stick nicely to the mayo, before searing the steak.

How hot do you need the pan?

Ask my husband, and he’ll say the right temperature is when the smoke alarm goes off…

But I’d say a medium high to high heat is the perfect temperature for searing the steak. Make sure to add the steak once the cast iron pan is hot.

Do you need to add oil or butter?

Since you have the mayo, using butter or oil is unnecessary. But sometimes I still add it to the pan. What can I say? I love that sizzle as the butter bubbles up against the cast iron skillet and crackles against the steak. Just thinking about it makes me hungry!

How long do you sear steak in mayo?

Not long at all! You want to barely sear the steak to prevent cooking it longer — a minute on both sides at the most. And don’t forget to crisp up those edges, too!

How do you know when it’s done?

The outside of your steak should have a perfect brown sear. You’ll want to rest the steak for at least 10 minutes before slicing it.

Want To Sous Vide Chicken With A Mayo Sear?

Follow the same directions as the sous vide steak. Personally, I find this technique tasty for sous vide chicken, but more impressive for sous vide steak.

When it comes to sous vide chicken, I usually broil it in the oven to finish it. Check out my sous vide whole chicken recipe to see how.

What About Finishing Sous Vide Pork This Way?

Yup, same thing. You can add a mayo sear to sous vide pork dishes for a flavorful crust.

Try this technique on these sous vide boneless pork chops or this sous vide pork tenderloin.

Sous Vide Recipes Using A Mayo Sear

Beyond the recipes previously mentioned above, I have a few favorite dishes to recommend cooking this way.

First, check out this recipe for mayo seared sous vide hamburgers. You just can’t get a dry burger when cooked this way!

Next, I think sous vide beef kebabs are an excellent choice for grilling or searing in mayo.

And for one last recommendation before you go (because I could go on forever!), see this recipe for sous vide porterhouse steak. It’s a super special cut of meat that has both a New York strip steak and a tender chunk of filet mignon. Delish!

Find new ways to enjoy your favorite food with sous vide cooking. Get inspired with my new book – The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

Are you a foodie, too?

Leave a comment here or find me on Instagram @sipbitego to let me know if you’re feeling this sous vide mayonnaise sear technique.

Want to make restaurant-style food at home? I’ll teach you how, with in-depth video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.

The Perfect Sous Vide Setup

Everyday I’m asked, “what do you need to sous vide food?”. Here’s my answer.

1. A sous vide machine.
   Option 1: “stick” models like the Joule, Anova, or Instant Pot Slim.
   Option 2: “multipot” models like the SousPreme multipot or InstantPot Duo Evo Plus.
2. Sous vide container.
   If using a sous vide “stick” model, you need something to hold the water the food cooks in, like a bucket or stockpot.
3. Bags to cook sous vide food.
   Keep it simple and sous vide in ziplock gallon bags, or get fancy like me with a vacuum sealer setup.
4. Nice-to-have accessories for sous vide cooking.
   – Sous vide weights to hold down food that floats.
   – Mini mason jars for desserts and sous vide egg bites.
   – Cast iron skillet to sear sous vide steaks to finish them.
   – My sous vide cookbook with 100+ recipes.
5. Butcher quality meat.
   Stock up on top-quality meats like wagyu at Crowd Cow and Snake River Farms. They always have specials, and will ship delicious cuts of craft meat right to your door.