Steak Temperature Guide: All Information You Need for a Perfect Steak

Steaks are not your everyday meal. They are the most costly cuts of meat you can order at a restaurant of any size. Some people only order steak during a ceremony or a special occasion. The only way to eat steak regularly is to learn how to cook it at home. Buy the best Weber grill, tongs, spatulas, meat thermometer, and other essential grilling tools. Next, find a steak temperature guide to use when cooking.

After that, gather more knowledge and facts about grilling steak. If you have some grilling experience, then barbecuing steak should be manageable. If you are a novice, you are in a learning phase. We will reveal the things most professional chefs want you to know when cooking steak.

A steak temperature chart guide

It is necessary to keep a steak doneness temperature chart close to you when cooking steak. It will serve as your reference point when reading the steak’s internal temperature. A temperature chart is a guide showing the safest doneness temperatures for steaks. Any chef will follow the standard system of doneness when cooking steak. They will ask you how you would like your steak cooked before working on it.

Follow the same rule at home. Find out from your family or friends about how they would like you to cook their favorite steak. Then keep your best instant-read meat thermometer nearby to measure internal temperatures accurately. The standard steak doneness temperature chart appears next:

• Rare – 120 to 129 degrees F or 49 to 54 degrees C
• Medium Rare –130 to 134 degrees F or 55 to 57 degrees C
• Medium – 135 to 144 degrees F or 58 to 62 degrees C
• Medium Well – 145 to 154 degrees F or 63 to 67 degrees C
• Well Done – 155 to 144 degrees F or 68 to 73 degrees C

When assessing doneness, chefs focus on temperature rather than color. Color is not an adequate indicator of doneness. Instead, use an electronic thermomètre à viande to gauge the internal temperature. Using the information in the chart above, you can cook the following steaks.

• Rare Steak– Some meat lovers like to eat their steak raw or nearly raw. When asked to cook a Rare Steak, ensure the middle is slightly past rare. The center will be pure red and cool. As it is undercooked, the steak might smell like blood (iron).
• Medium Rare Steak – The above steak temperature chart shows that the correct internal temperature for Medium Rare is 130 to 134 degrees F. It will have a warm and red center when you maintain this temperature range. The steak will have an attractive texture and succulence.
• Medium Steak – You will know when you have achieved the best doneness level when the center turns pink and stays warm. While a Medium Steak may appear juicy when cut, it will be firmer and chewier. The juices will settle on your meat plate.
• Puits moyen– When you cook steak at a temperature range of 145 to 154 degrees F, it will substantially change. The protein fibers in its muscles will shrink due to heat. This will cause the whole steak to lose volume and develop some pink tinges in the middle. Medium Well steak is not juicy, even when you cut it. The heat dries the juices completely.
• Well-Done Steak– Protein fibers break down completely when exposed to heat. So the natural juices in meat will drain in the process. Well-done steak is not tender because it has no moisture. So you cannot fully enjoy the flavor of your favorite meat. All in all, Well-Done steak is the safest to eat because the higher internal temperatures kill all pathogens. As long as you have a high-quality remote thermometer, you can cook a Well-Done steak to the correct internal temperatures.

Carryover temperatures in steaks

The steak temperature chart above does not show the correct carryover temperatures for steaks. First, the carryover temperatures are the final temperatures of the meat before serving. Steaks generally cook in high heat because they are thick. Pull them from the grill about 5 to 7 degrees F or 3 to 4 degrees C early. Meat usually traps heat within it as it cooks. The residual heat continues to cook the meat after it is removed from the grill. Use your best food thermometer to check temperatures before pulling the meat from the cooker.

Tip: Click here to learn how to use a smart thermometer when cooking steak, si cela vous intéresse.

How to choose the best steaks?

If you have decided to cook steaks often, it is essential to choose them wisely. Picking the best steak cuts can raise your odds of cooking yummy meat. One thing to focus on is the beef grades. Check these on the USDA grading system. The system has two sections: one shows the letter grade indicating the age of the beef cow. The other section shows the level of marbling.

The best beef grade to buy is Grade A, which comes from a younger animal aged between nine and thirty months old. The Grade B beef comes from a cow aged thirty to forty-two months; the Grade E meat comes from an animal over eight years old. It is also good to read the marbling scores or steak grades. These indicate how tender, tasty, and palatable a steak cut is.

The establishment of the grading occurs in the Rib Eye Area (between the twelfth and thirteenth ribs). It focuses on the quantity and distribution of fat in this area. If using this grading system, the best steak cut to order is Prime, as it has more fat between the muscles. It is a cut from the body of a younger and well-fed beef cow. It is the best choice for grilling at home.

The second best is Choice, which has slightly less fat distribution. If you want your Choice tender and juicier, have it cut from the loin or rib areas. Other beef grades include Select, Standard, and Utility, among others. Steak cuts have specific names, including T-Bone, Filet Mignon, Sirloin, etc. Teach yourself these basics. Regardless of steak grade, you need your thermomètre de barbecue and steak doneness temp chart to cook it well.

Conclusion

We have taught you many things about steak. However, the most important thing to focus on is the steak’s internal temperature. To achieve the safest temperatures, use an instant-read thermometer and a steak temperature chart. These tools will help you cook safe and flavorful steaks every time. You also need to shop your steaks carefully. Find a butcher shop or steakhouse that sells the best steak grades. We have mentioned something about steak grades. Read further on that to understand what to look for when buying steak.