Frozen Sous Vide Ribeye + Cast Iron Sear

No thawing needed. Drop the vacuum-sealed steak straight from the freezer into the water bath.

Prep

Vacuum-sealed steak comes straight out of the freezer.
Set water bath to target temp (see below).
Wait until bath reaches temp before adding steak.

Bath Temperatures

125°FRare

129–131°FMedium-Rare

134°FMedium

Cook in Bath (add ~1 hr for frozen)

1" steak: 2 hours.
1.5" ribeye: 2.5 hours.
2"+ steak: 3 hours.
Going long is fine up to ~4 hours total. Past that, texture suffers.

Sear (the critical step)

Pull bag from bath. Remove steak.
Pat EXTREMELY dry with paper towels. Frozen-cooked steak has even more surface moisture than fresh - really get it dry.
Heat cast iron over high heat 4–5 min, until smoking.
Thin film of high–smoke-point oil (avocado, grapeseed).
Sear 45–60 sec per side.
Optional: stand on fat cap edge ~30 sec with tongs.

Optional: Butter Baste

In the last 30 sec of searing, add a knob of butter, smashed garlic, sprig of thyme/rosemary.
Tilt pan, spoon foaming butter over steak.

Rest

Short rest only - 2–3 min.
Pepper after resting.