Recipe for easy teres major sous vide
One of the best beef cuts ever: 
The fantastic teres major! Here, it’s perfectly cooked using sous vide.
Teres major is still somewhat unknown here in Denmark, but it is steadily gaining popularity among Danish meat enthusiasts. This is both good and bad, as we might say, because teres major is so fantastic that it deserves to be known by everyone—at the same time, there will be more for the rest of us if demand stays low 😉
Here, I will show you how to give teres major the absolute best preparation so it becomes as delicious as possible. The answer, of course, is sous vide. I will go through sous vide times and temperatures, as well as how to best give the meat a sear after the water bath.
Teres major cut
Unfortunately, it isn’t very often that you see teres major, either in supermarkets or at the butcher. Like hanger steak (Boeuf onglet), Oyster blade steak, and Flat iron steak, teres major is part of the “butcher’s secret cuts” club.
Teres major is an American cut taken from around the shoulder. It is a bit more difficult to cut because it sits under the shoulder blade, but it is incredibly tender, only surpassed by tenderloin—hence it is also called the “shoulder tenderloin.” It is also known as shoulder tender and petite shoulder.
Like the tenderloin, teres major is one of the least used muscles on the cattle and resembles a mini-tenderloin. However, it usually costs only about half as much as the tenderloin, so if you come across teres major, just go for it! No need for much consideration.
Teres major can be cooked whole or cut into steaks, and in any case, I recommend serving the meat rare or at least medium-rare.
Depending on how hungry you are, you can eat 1 per person or share 2 between 3 people.
Teres major sous vide time and temperature
Sous vide is the best you can do for teres major because the cooking process is so gentle. Teres major is incredibly tender by nature and thus requires no special tenderizing to become delicious.
When you cook beef in sous vide, different core temperatures apply than if you use traditional cooking methods like the pan or grill.
Normally, a core temperature of 55-60 degrees Celsius gives a very rare result, and you need to reach 60-65 degrees Celsius for the meat to be medium. In sous vide, we need to go much lower in temperatures. For example, 60-65 degrees Celsius in sous vide will make the meat fully cooked.
Here, I chose to cook the meat medium-rare, so if you prefer beef this way, just follow my recipe below. If you are up for it, I also recommend you try cooking it rare. Whether you prefer it rare, medium-rare, or medium, I will guide you through both times and temperatures so you get a result you can be proud of.
Teres major sous vide sear and resting time
Since teres major is not very large and quite irregular in size, it is important that they get very little time in the searing process. I suggest one of the following two options:
1) Grill – either a grill pan or a charcoal/gas grill. Here, it is important that the temperature is as high as possible and that the meat is both well-patted dry and brushed with a little neutral-flavored oil. The meat should only need about 10-20 seconds on each side and can be pressed slightly flat on the uneven side during searing.
2) Regular frying pan – Again, the temperature should be as high as possible. You can achieve this by adding neutral-flavored oil to the smoking hot pan. When the meat is placed on the pan, you can add a dollop of butter. The meat should only need 15-20 seconds on each side.
I typically use a regular frying pan and ghee for searing. Ghee does not burn like butter, so I can use it instead of the oil/butter combination.
The meat does not need to rest afterward, so just place it on the cutting board immediately and cut it into 1-2 cm thick slices.
Easy Teres major sous vide
Equipment
- Sous Vide
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 2 pcs. Teres Major
- Salt Freshly ground
- Pepper Freshly ground
- Ghee Can be replaced with oil/butter
- Flake Salt
Instructions
- Make sure to trim the meat before you start cooking. The meat can have quite a bit of fat and sinew.
- Season the meat with freshly ground salt and pepper and place it in a vacuum bag.
- Vacuum seal the bag and place it in the water bath.
- Let the meat cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes at 55.5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). Adjust the temperature if you prefer it more rare (52-54 degrees) or medium (59-61 degrees).
- Remove the meat from the vacuum bag and dry it thoroughly. I typically use a clean tea towel, but you can also use some kitchen paper. It is just important that it is dried well so that it doesn’t boil when placed on the pan/grill afterwards.
- Crust the meat as desired. I used ghee on a regular frying pan, but you can also use neutral tasting oil on the hot pan and wait until it is well heated. When the meat is placed on the pan, you can simultaneously add butter in the same amount as the oil. Give it 15-20 seconds on each side. Alternatively, you can brush the meat with neutral tasting oil and put it on the charcoal/gas grill for 10-20 seconds on each side.
- Slice the meat and sprinkle good flaky salt over it. The meat does not need to rest before slicing.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy.