Internal Temperature for Steak

[Khadija]

Hi All,

I'm cooking a striploin tonight, nothing fancy. I don't have a lot of experience with steak cooking, and I'd like to rely in internal temperature until I get the hang of what I really like. I've looked up charts on the internet, but I find that they usually recommend higher temperatures than I'm aiming for. So, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what a good temperature for rare (but not blue) would be? I know that a lot depends on my thermometer, but if I can get a rough idea of where to shoot for, I can play with it.

Thanks!

[chezcherie]

i'd say 130-135 F would put you in the beyond bleu zone.

you may already know this, but since you said you haven't a lot of this experience: be sure to insert your thermometer from the side of the steak, parallel to the pan or grates, rather than the top, as the steak is most likely not thick enough to get an accurate reading from the top to center.

[Khadija]

Thanks for the prompt reply! 130-135 it is. I did know about inserting from the side, but I had forgotten, so thanks for reminding me!

i'd say 130-135 F would put you in the beyond bleu zone.

you may already know this, but since you said you haven't a lot of this experience: be sure to insert your thermometer from the side of the steak, parallel to the pan or grates, rather than the top, as the steak is most likely not thick enough to get an accurate reading from the top to center.

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[ned]

That number seems high for rare. Especially if you are resting the steaks which you absolutely must do.

[russ parsons]

i'd agree. if you want rare, not bleu, i'd shoot more for 120. but really, unless you're cooking awfully thick steaks, thermometers are pretty unreliable. they really do best when there's a little more mass (roasts, etc). the best thing to do is learn how to tell by touch. if you'll close your fist without tightening it, the muscle just above your thumb is almost exactly what rare-medium rare feels like.

[Blair P. Houghton]

Steak is ambiguous. Rare is too.

Steaks come in all kinds of cuts and thicknesses, with and without bones, and with varying degrees of internal fat (marbling). All of these affect how the steak will turn out given the same heat and the same time. For example, leaner meat will cook-through faster than well-marbled meat. Meat near the bone will cook slower, which will be noted sharply by those who do not like any rare meat.

Rare is a wide range of results. It goes from cold-centered with visible veins of congealed fat (yummy with tender USDA Prime beef, unappetizing with lesser meat) to a sort of bloody pink. But this is a good thing, because it means you have a broad tolerance for temperature and time that will still produce the red, raw center you like. And for any doneness in the center, there will be a gradient of doneness between there and the surface. The question is how narrow can you make the band that you don't want.

When not taking it to Pittsburgh (nearly charred outside, almost totally rare inside), I personally shoot for a seared exterior, a quarter inch of pink, and the rest lukewarm red. That's 2.5 minutes per side on my grill, but grills are of course another ambiguity in the system. I can't do Pittsburgh on my grill, for instance. I have to pay the big bucks at a place that has Prime meat and a serious supply of BTUs.

You're right to go by internal temperature for the first one. After that, you'll have positive reinforcement, and will figure out your gong-fu soon enough.

[JustWokAway]

be brave.

usually, for thinner steaks, after searing the sides on really high heat, take it off. you can count on enough heat migrating inward whille in the resting process to avoid a vampire feast. for thicker steaks, after searing i just move it to a cooler part of the fire and close the lid for a few minutes. tent with foil after removing from the fire to allow the meat to rest and for a last bit of heat transfer to the middle. always touch the steak throughout the process, from raw to overcooked (heh, it happens), either with your fingers or some tongs to familiarize yourself with how much meat betrays its secrets through its resistance to pressure.

jwa

[chezcherie]

just to clarify, i should have said 130-135 after resting...and obviously, the lower the rarer.)

Edited July 6, 2006 by chezcherie (log)

[Alchemist]

Stick a two prong fork into the steak, leave it for 10 sec then put it on your bottom lip. If is cool it's gonna need a couple more min. You are 98.6 soo the tines should feel like a warm bubble bath, or the first spring breeze off the lake that makes your blood come alive thinking of red meat and beautiful company.

The other way, is to hold your hand palm up, relaxed. Touch the meaty part just below the thumb. Thats rare. put your index finger and your thumb togather. thats med. rare. your middle finger and your thumb, thats med. ring finger, med. well. pinkie, throw that out and start again. Obviously there is a bit of give to this rule (sorry can't stop myself) of thumb. Cook lots of steaks, touch yourself, and you will figure it out.

[budrichard]

Despite what others may tell you, one CANNOT properly cook a steak to a proper rare without the steak being 1. at least 2" thick and 2. being properly rested.

Anything less than 2" will either have your steak red raw inside or overcooked. Proper rare is a uniform pink where the cooked protein has just changed the texture of the meat from red and raw to pink and cooked. As the steak rests the internal temperature rises. so if you remove the steak at what is listed as a rare temp, by the time its on your plate it is overdone. A meat thermometer is mostly useless which is why chef's don't use them for steak but go by feel and experience.

So if your steak is less than 2", forget rare.

If greater than 2", you will need to experiment. In any event for a proper rare steak, a minimum of 15 minutes of resting is needed. Then cut, if not done to your satisfaction it can always go back on the heat. If overdone, eat and try again. There is no foolproof way, even with experience.

Our USDA Prime steaks are always at least 2&1/2" to 3" thick, cooked over hard wood lump charcoal started in a chimney starter without petroleum products and rested 20 minutes. -Dick

[eSkillet.com]

I'll go ahead and disagree with both your suggestion that a steak needs to be a minimum of 2" to cook it to properly rare and your description of what a rare steak is.

A rare steak is red in the middle, not pink.