Do your holiday dinner party right. Choose from these incredibly-delicious main course options and take advantage of cooking with your Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker. Step out of the kitchen and sit back with your friends and family, enjoying those special festive moments, and cook worry-free knowing your main dish is coming out perfectly every time.
Choose from perfectly-cooked prime rib, juicy pork loin stuffed with provolone and herbs, tender ham, or flavor-packed pork belly porchetta. There are no wrong answers here! Get the recipes below.
Sous Vide Stress-Free Prime Rib
With the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker, you get perfect prime rib every time, with less than an hour of active cooking time. To ensure consistent seasoning, we dry rub the roast for at least an hour before the bath, and then finish with a festive multi-color peppercorn crust and 15 minutes in a hot oven to create a crispy, golden brown crust. The beef cooking liquid is combined with rich homemade beef stock to create an amazing beef jus.
Serves: 6
What you'll need:
- 3-5 pound bone-in beef rib roast
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground
- 1 tablespoon green peppercorns, coarsely ground
- 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns, coarsely ground
- 1 tablespoons dried celery seeds
- 2 tablespoons dried garlic powder
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely minced
- 1 quart beef stock (low-sodium if using store-bought)
- 2 egg whites, whipped
Directions:
1. Generously season the beef with kosher salt and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour (and up to 12 hours).
2. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 132°F / 55.5°C.
3. Place beef in a large Ziplock or vacuum bag, seal, and place in the water bath. Set the timer for six hours.
Finishing Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 218°C. Remove the beef from the bag, reserving the cooking liquid, and pat dry.
2. Whisk together the peppercorns, celery seeds, garlic powder, and rosemary.
3. Brush top and sides of roast with egg white, season with salt, and coat with spice mixture.
4. Place beef on a sheet ban with baking rack and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is dark golden brown. Remove the roast from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
5. While the roast rests, in a large sauce pan, bring the sous vide cooking liquid and beef stock to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half. Skim off and discard any solids that float to the top.
6. Carve the roast, trimming off the rib bones and slicing into six equal portions.
7. Serve with beef jus.
Get the full step-by-step recipe for sous vide prime rib!Sous Vide Stuffed Pork Loin Roast
When cooked properly, pork loin is moist, tender, and deeply flavorful. When under-seasoned and overcooked, it’s just plain sad — a dry, stringy end to a potential-filled piece of meat. Fortunately, with the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker, perfectly prepared pork loin is pretty much guaranteed. To ensure even seasoning throughout, we brine the pork overnight. It’s not essential to a quality end product, but we think it’s worth the extra step. To introduce even more flavor, we stuff this version with broccoli rabe, garlic, and a blend of cheese . To finish, we roast until golden brown and serve with pork jus and crusty sesame-seed bread.
Serves: 8
What you'll need:
- 4-pound boneless pork loin roast
- 8 cups water
- 1 cup Kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 1/2 cup dried fennel seeds
- ¼ cup tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 1 quart ice cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup finely chopped sport peppers (or pepperoncini)
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe (a.k.a. rapini), roughly chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried fennel seeds, toasted
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices sharp Provolone cheese
- 1 quart pork stock (alternatively, beef or chicken)
Directions:
1. In a large sauce pan, bring the water, salt, sugar, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and peppercorns to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the ice cubes to cool.
2. Place the pork loin in a large container and cover with brine. Refrigerate for at least eight hours, and up to 24 hours.
3. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 140°F / 60°C.
4. Remove pork loin from the brine, rinse under cold water, and pat dry. Butterfly the pork loin. The key is to use a sharp knife and take your time. Start with fat side up, making an initial cut lengthwise about a ½-inch below the fat cap. Continue slicing, unrolling the pork as you go, until you have a flat rectangle of pork.
5. In a large pan, saute garlic cloves in oil over medium heat until just beginning to brown. Add the sport peppers, broccoli rabe, and white wine. Season with salt and saute until the liquid in the pan has evaporated and broccoli rabe is cooked through but still slightly tender, about five minutes.
6. Remove the broccoli rabe mixture and place in a colander. Press on the mixture with a spatula to remove any excess moisture.
7. In a food processor, pulse the cooked broccoli rabe mixture, Parmigiano, fennel seeds, black pepper, and lemon zest until finely chopped, but not totally pureed — about five pulses, depending on your food processor.
8. Layer the pork loin with Provolone cheese. Spread broccoli rabe mixture evenly over pork, leaving about one inch on each side of the pork.
9. Tie the roast with butcher’s twine and place in a vacuum-seal or Ziploc bag. Sous vide for 4 hours.
Finishing Steps:
1. Remove the roast from the bag, reserving the cooking liquid. Preheat the oven to 450°F/ 232°C.
2. Pat the roast dry, brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven until the skin has rendered golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the roast from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Add the cooking liquid and pork stock to sauce pan and simmer until reduced by two-thirds, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the twine, slice, and serve with pork jus.
Get the full step-by-step recipe for sous vide stuffed pork loin.Sous Vide City Ham with Balsamic Brown Sugar Glaze
If you're a ham lover, lucky you, because ham is one meat that's darn difficult to mess up. Want to make it even juicier and more foolproof? Cook the sucker sous vide. Because hams are precooked, it's really just a matter of reheating them. Cook anywhere from 3 hours all the way up to 8, and your ham will be perfectly done on your schedule!
Serves: 8
What you'll need:
- 1 bone-in half ham (7 to 10 pounds; 3.2 to 4.5kg),
- 1 cup (about 225g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) balsamic vinegar
Directions:
1. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 140°F / 60°C.
2. Place ham in a large resealable ziploc bag or vacuum bag and sous vide for anywhere from 3 to 8 hours. Your ham will not overcook!
Finishing Steps:
1. Heat brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until melted. Continue to cook until deep brown but not black, and immediately add all of balsamic vinegar, standing back as you add it. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Reduce to a bare simmer and continue to cook until mixture is thick and syrupy and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower position and preheat oven to 500°F /260°C 30 minutes before ready to serve ham. Allow oven to preheat for 15 minutes. Remove ham from water bath, remove packaging, and place cut side down on a rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Wipe surface dry with paper towels and brush with glaze.
3. Place in oven and roast for 5 minutes. Pull out oven rack, apply another coat of glaze, and repeat. Repeat glazing step 2 more times. Remove ham from oven and let rest 5 minutes.
4. To carve ham, place cut side down on a cutting board and make a single slice right next to the bone, dividing ham in two. Place boneless side with the newly cut side facing down and slice thinly into serving pieces. Repeat with remaining ham, cutting it from the bone one section at a time before slicing it into serving portions.
Check out the step-by-step recipe for sous vide city ham with balsamic brown sugar glaze, courtesy of Serious Eats and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
Sous Vide Pork Belly Porchetta
Rich, juicy, and perfectly-cooked pork belly loaded with herbal flavor. Nail this classic dish with a sous vide spin! Wow your guests with this dish that's finished with a deep-fry to get the pork skin cracklin', which pairs impeccably with the tender, flavorful meat!
Serves: 12
What you'll need:
- 1 whole boneless, skin-on pork belly, about 12 to 15 pounds
- 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons whole fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary, sage, or thyme leaves
- 12 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane grater
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 quarts peanut oil, lard, or a mixture (canola or vegetable oil will do fine)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Place pork belly skin-side down on a large cutting board. Using a sharp chef's knife, score flesh at an angle using strokes about 1-inch apart. Rotate knife 90 degrees and repeat to create a diamond pattern in the flesh.
2. Toast peppercorns and fennel seed in a small skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind until roughly crushed.
3. Season pork liberally with salt then sprinkle with crushed pepper and fennel, red pepper, chopped herbs, and microplaned garlic. Use your hands to rub the mixture deeply into the cracks and crevices in the meat.
4. Roll belly into a tight log and push to top of cutting board, seam-side down. Cut 12 to 18 lengths of kitchen twine long enough to tie around the pork and lay them down in regular intervals along your cutting board, about 1-inch apart each. Lay rolled pork seam-side down on top of strings. Working from the outermost strings towards the center, tie up roast tightly. Combine 2 tablespoons kosher salt with 1 teaspoon baking powder. Rub mixture over entire surface of porchetta.
5. If roast is too large and unwieldy, carefully slice in half with a sharp chef's knife. Seal in individual vacuum-sealed pouches and refrigerate at least overnight and up to three days. If desired, porchetta can also be frozen at this point for future use.
6. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 155°F / 68.3°C.
7. Place in water bath and sous vide for 36 hours.
Finishing Steps:
1. Transfer pork to a sink filled with ice water and chill for 15 minutes. Remove from bag then carefully peel off congealed exuded cooking liquid and place in a medium saucepan.
2. Rinse porchetta under hot running water until all excess fat and congealed juices are cleared from surface, then carefully dry with paper towels.
3. Heat oil over high heat in a large wok or Dutch oven to 400°F. Carefully slide pork into oil using spatulas and tongs. (It will not be fully submerged). Immediately cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally until sputtering dies a bit, about 2 minutes. Adjust flame to maintain consistent 350°F temperature. Using a large metal ladle, spoon hot oil over the exposed portions of the roast continuously until the bottom half is cooked and crisp, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook on second side, basting the whole time.
4. Remove porchetta to a large paper towel-lined plate and blot all over. Season with salt. Let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat bag juices over medium-high heat until simmering. Add the butter and swirl until smooth. If center of pork is still hot, carve and serve immediately. Otherwise, transfer to a 250°F oven until warmed through, then serve.
5. Slice and serve!
Recipe .
Get the step-by-step recipe for sous vide pork belly porchetta courtesy of Serious Eats and J. Kenji-Lopez Alt.
Eat Up!
No matter which of these recipes you whip up this holiday season, any one (or more!) is sure to make a memorable meal for all lucky enough to chow down on! Share your holiday dishes using #anovafoodnerd, and be sure to check out more recipes on the Anova Recipe Site and the Anova App. Happy Holidays!