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Master Steak Grilling: Tips for Perfect Doneness Every Time
How to Grill the Perfect Steak: Tips for Nailing Doneness Every Time
The Fourth of July is around the corner, bringing with it the season of family gatherings, grilling sessions, and mouthwatering steaks. For many of us, summer is prime time to showcase grilling skills, and nothing compares to a perfectly cooked steak. However, achieving that ideal level of doneness can be challenging without the right approach.
Why Timing Is Crucial for Steak Doneness
Cooking steak is all about timing. Leaving it on the grill too long can result in a tough, dry texture, while taking it off too early can leave you with an undercooked, raw middle. The secret to a perfect steak lies in balance—ensuring juiciness, tenderness, and just the right level of doneness.
Professional chefs know that steak doneness comes down to individual preferences. As Joe Flamm, chef-partner and culinary director of Chicago's BLVD Steakhouse, explains, "Doneness is such a preference and everyone has their own. For something as simple as steak, prepared with just salt and fire, you want it exactly how you want it."
Understanding Steak Doneness: Two Key Indicators
Color
Steak doneness is often associated with color, as the meat evolves from bright red (rare) to various shades of pink, ultimately turning brown for well-done cuts. While color helps indicate doneness, cutting the steak to assess it prematurely can cause valuable juices to spill out, resulting in a drier, tougher dish.
Temperature
The internal temperature of steak ranges from 120°F (rare) to 160°F (well done). Using a meat thermometer is a reliable method to measure doneness. However, many chefs rely on touch to gauge steak doneness, especially for smaller cuts or when speed is important during busy service periods.
A Gadget-Free Method to Check Steak Doneness
While thermometers are handy for larger cuts of meat, many chefs use a simple hand test to determine doneness for steaks and burgers without the need for any gadgets. This technique involves comparing the resistance of the steak to specific points on your hand, making it easy to achieve consistent results.
How to Test Doneness Using Your Hand
Follow these steps to check steak doneness using the fleshy base of your thumb:
Touch your thumb and forefinger together lightly, keeping the rest of your fingers relaxed. Gently poke the fleshy base of your thumb with your opposite hand's forefinger. This is the approximate level of resistance for a medium-rare steak.
Repeat the test by touching your thumb to your middle finger. The increased tension at the base of your thumb indicates medium doneness.
Move your thumb to touch your ring finger. This represents the tension of a medium-well steak.
Finally, touch your thumb to your pinkie finger. The firmness at the base of the thumb matches well-done steak.
The Science Behind Cooking Steak
Understanding how steak transforms as it cooks can help you avoid overcooking. As steak stays on the heat, it becomes firmer due to chemical changes in the fat and muscle fibers. Joe Flamm explains, "Whenever you cook a steak for a longer period there's a breaking point where fat and muscle are done breaking down, and you're just drying out the steak and losing moisture, which gives the steak a tougher texture."
The Best Way to Cook Steak
Opinions differ on the ideal cooking method for steak, but many professional chefs agree that searing followed by indirect heat yields the best results. Flamm shares his preferred method: "For me, it's searing the steak hard, and then using indirect heat to slowly let it render and come up in temp to the place where you want it to be."
Steps for Cooking Steak Like a Pro
Start by searing the steak over high heat to create a flavorful crust.
Transfer the steak to indirect heat (such as an oven) to finish cooking evenly and reach your desired doneness level.
Let the steak rest before serving. This helps redistribute juices for a tender and juicy cut.
While recipes can guide cooking times and temperatures, regularly checking the steak's texture using touch can help ensure perfect results. Remember that steaks continue to cook even while resting, so account for this carryover effect when gauging doneness.
Practice Makes Perfect
