Yeah if your doing it right sous vide doesn’t cause the problems your mentioning. What you describe seems typical of sous vide thats been well over done. When done properly it tastes largely the same and has a similar texture to any other cooking method. Just you know more, more ■■■■■, more even, more accurately to the temp you want. And the stuff your locking in is moisture, the gentler cooking environment leads to less liquid being squeezed out by over coagulated proteins. It’s also easier, significantly. It takes about the same amount of time over all to do either (longer or shorter either way if you use different approaches). But the sous vide has far less active cook time. It’s on auto pilot till its time to sear and that’s done for much less time over higher heat.
Rare steak is great for lean and tender (or thin sliced) steaks. But beef fat, and certain connective tissue don’t render properly till around mid rare temps. Which is why that’s considered the textbook “correct” temp. Rare fillet or tri tip is good. But rare rib eye can be tough, with waxy mouth coating fat, and significantly less flavor than the same piece taken to mid rare. Rib eye can even hold up to medium where most cuts get dry and fibrous starting around there. It’s even more extreme with some other meats. Lamb fat is shockingly waxy, and takes high temps to render. A fatty cut at even mid rare can be like eating a candle.
As for everyone else:
I’ve been finding prime grade rib eye cap (spinalis dorsi) at the local Costco for a good price lately. No clue why they have it precut. But it’s absolutely the beefiest beef that ever done beefed. Big thick rich as hell, tender but still with a bit of chew. It’s like tender short rib or oxtail. I suggest asking your butcher to cut some. Or keeping an eye out for deals at places with good meat depts.
