Cooking “the” perfect steak is impossible. However, cooking “a” perfect steak is a matter of process and is very doable. What makes those two statements correct is personal preference. For me, the perfect steak is a Rib Eye cooked to 129.5 degrees with a nice sear on the outside. That is a delicious medium rare piece of beef! Your perfect steak may be a Filet Mignon, prepare medium because it is a crazy tender piece of meat and you don’t like to see the red juices running (by the way, that’s not blood). The difference between my choice and yours is our personal choice. There are three components when it comes to the finished product – flavor, tenderness, and doneness. So let’s get started talking about cooking “a” perfect steak.
Common types of steak
There are many types of steaks we could discuss, but I don’t have the time for that right now and I don’t think you feel like reading a book worth of information. In time, we’ll be talking about all of them, but for now, I’m going to talk about four of them: the N.Y. Strip Steak, the Ribeye Steak, the Sirloin Steak , and the Filet Mignon. T-bone and Porterhouse steaks are actually a combination of the Strip Steak and Filet, so I’m just going to stick with these four for now.
Since we are talking cooking a perfect steak, I’m not going to get into the nuances of each type of steak. That could take me on tangents that could fill another blog. I’m going to rank the flavor and the tenderness potential of these four steaks. Regarding flavor, I’m talking about the level of rich, beefy flavor. My personal ranking from the most flavorful to the least is:
N.Y. Strip Steak
Ribeye Steak
Sirloin Steak
Filet Mignon
In time, we’ll be discussing these steaks as well as all of the parts, pieces, steaks, and roasts of beef even further. But for now, just know that the tenderness of each piece of meat is directly proportional to the work that muscle was required to perform. The stronger the muscle, the less tender the meat.
Cooking temperatures, or "doneness"
Cooking the steak, putting heat to the beef is the most important element of the perfectly prepared steak. Whether you’re grilling, using a cast iron skillet, or under the broiler, the most important – I’m going to say it again: The. Most. IMPORTANT determining factor is the internal temperature of the meat.
1. Rare = 120 degrees (F)
2. Medium Rare = 129.5 degrees (F)
3. Medium = 135 degrees (F)
4. Medium Well = 145 degrees (F)
5. Well = 160+ degrees (F)
Depending on the surface temperature of your heat source, the steak will continue to cook for a short time after removing it from the heat. So I recommend you pull the steak once it has reached 3 to 5 degrees shy of your goal temperature and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the juices to be pulled back into the meat.
Get a high quality thermometer
Pro Tip – get yourself a high quality meat thermometer! You can see that a few degrees makes a big difference and the less expensive models can be off as much as 5 to 10 degrees. Why spend good money on a quality steak only to trust the outcome to a $15 – $20 thermometer. It just doesn’t make sense. Although I’ll be having discussions on various brands and levels of meat thermometers down the road, I’ll let you in on some of my favorites so you can get them now!
We’ve got the Inkbird WiFi Meat Thermometer (Click HERE to buy) and the ThermoWorx X4 Longrange Remote Thermometer. They’re high quality, well built, RELIABLE thermometers. Both of these thermometers have 4 probes, which sounds like a lot, but trust me – they are an absolute game changer.
I’m a huge fan of the multi-probe models because it allows you to monitor different pieces of meat, any other dishes (smoked mac & cheese…stay tuned), but arguably the most important part – the internal temperature of the smoker. Too many people trust the cheap thermometers attached to the grill or smoker. While they may work well for a few months, you’d be amazed at how quickly they become VERY inaccurate.
Again, do you really want to trust the outcomes of hundreds of dollars of carnivorous delight to a cheap $20 thermometer? Or even worse, your reputation as a grill master? The king of the smoker? I hope not. I certainly don’t. Get yourself one of these, or any similar, high-quality thermometers. I’m telling you – game changer.
How to check without a thermometer
There is another method to check the doneness of your steak. Low tech, not quite as accurate, and takes some practice, but it works. My father-in-law taught me this method years ago. Using the pointer finger of one hand, press on the meaty part of your other palm, just under your thumb. Remarkably, the resistance or tightness of that muscle can resemble the desired doneness of your steak by either leaving your palm open and relaxed or by touching the tip of your thumb to your fingertips:
1. Rare – leaving your palm open and relaxed
2. Medium Rare – to the tip of your pointer finger
3. Medium – to the tip of your middle finger
4. Medium Well – to the tip of your ring finger
5.Well – to the tip of your pinky finger
When the resistance pressing on the steak matches the resistance pressing on that the muscle on your hand, take the steak off the heat – it is done!
This only scratches the surface
We will have future topics the different heat sources, seasonings, and toppings; but for now, you know how to cook a perfect steak. Send out the invitations, you’re ready to impress.
Until next time -
Uncle Carl
Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. Read more about our affiliate policy here
About Uncle Carl
For 30+ years, Uncle Carl has relied heavily on the ‘trial and error’ method to perfect his approach to barbecue. He’s here to save you from the ‘error’ and smoke to impress.
Recently Featured Products
