A Guide to Steak Doneness

Some people like a grilled skirt steak cooked to a pinkish medium, while others like a cast-iron skillet charred porterhouse finished to a juicy medium-rare. Still others prefer their ribeye steak seared to a deep reddish rare or a classic steak au poivre cooked well-done. Whatever cut of steak you prefer, there is an ideal temperature to ensure the exterior develops a pleasant crust while the meat remains perfectly juicy and tender.

There are all sorts of tricks chefs use to quickly check the doneness of their steaks, using metal cake testers or even just their fingers. But not everyone can judge the internal temperature of a steak simply by poking it, and that’s why it’s best to use a good quality instant-read thermometer to know the exact temperature of your steak. Insert the probe into the center of the steak, ensuring the tip doesn’t touch any bones or fat, and you’ll get a quick and accurate measure of the temperature.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking steak to a minimum of 145°F to prevent the spread of potential harmful bacteria.  While you may wish to follow those guidelines for food safety purposes, that temperature is often a bit higher than the medium-rare doneness preferred by many chefs and cooks. Here's what you should know before you cook your next steak.

Doneness temperatures of steak

To better understand the proper temperature to cook steak, it’s important to first know some doneness lingo. 

• Very Rare "Blue" (110–115°F). The steak is seared on the outside but raw on the inside.
• Rare (120-125°F). The steak is red throughout the middle and the center is warm but not cooked.
• Medium Rare (130-135°F). The center is warm, red, and slightly cooked.
• Medium (140-145°F). Pinkish center, slightly firm texture.
• Medium-Well (150-155°F). A bit of pink in the center, but mostly brown throughout.
• Well (160°F+). Brown throughout with quite a firm texture. 
  

How to nail the perfect temperature for steak

We talked with chef Paul Bartolotta, owner and co-founder of The Bartolotta Restaurants in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to ask what temperature he recommends cooking steaks to and provide some tips for the home cook. “Cooking steak is mostly a matter of personal preference and taste,” says Bartolotta. But whether you like a steak medium-rare or even well-done, there are some important things to keep in mind when cooking that expensive cut of beef.

• Temper your steak before cooking. “The best tip for home cooks is to allow time to temper your steaks,” says Bartolotta. That means you should remove steak from the refrigerator and set it on the counter before cooking. Tempering ensures the steak is not cold when you start cooking, and cooks more evenly. How long to set it on the counter depends on the thickness of the steak; it could take an hour or more for thicker steaks. 
• Temperature and time are key. The amount of time steak cooks at a specific temperature plays a critical role in the flavor and texture of the meat. In general, thinner steaks are best cooked shorter at a higher temperature, Bartolotta notes, adding, “most people make the mistake of cooking steak at too high a temperature. If you are patient and cook the meat gently, it will result in a tender and equally flavored steak.” That is where reverse-searing can come into play. Cook the steak over a lower heat until the temperature reaches about 10 to 20 degrees below the target temperature, rest it and then sear over a high heat to create a crust and bring the internal temperature closer to the desired doneness.
• Resting is part of the cooking process. Steak will continue cooking off the heat, a process called carryover cooking. Resting allows the juices to redistribute through the meat, but also continue cooking five or ten degrees, and even more for very large steaks. So if you want perfectly cooked medium-rare, remove the steak from the heat when the internal temperature reaches about 125°F to 130°F. Carryover cooking is not just based on the size of the steak, but also the cooking method. Cooking over lower heat generally means less carryover, whereas higher heat cooking will provide more carryover
  

The best temp for hanger and flank steak

While a medium-rare steak is generally widely accepted as the ideal temperature for most steaks, that’s not necessarily true for all cuts of steak. For steaks with a good amount of connective tissue, like hanger or flank, consider cooking to medium (140 to 145°F) to melt some of that tissue. Higher than medium, however, and just about all cuts of steak are likely to become overly dry, tough and even flavorless.

The best temp for sirloin, top round and bottom round

For lean cuts of steak, including sirloin, top round and bottom round, aim for rare (120 to 125°F) or medium-rare (130 to 135°F). These steaks can be especially tough if cooked above 140°F as there is very little fat to keep the meat moist.

The best temp for ribeye, strip, t-bone and filet mignon

Steaks with more marbling, connective tissue and fat like ribeye, strip, T-bone and filet mignon can benefit from cooking to medium-rare (130°F to 135°F) or even medium (140 to 145°F). This slightly higher temperature will help melt some of the fat, creating a buttery, delicious steak. But as Bartolotta recommends, be sure not to rush when cooking these steaks, or the fat may not properly melt and instead be tough and chewy.

The best temp for porterhouse steak

A porterhouse steak is the most challenging cut of beef to cook properly, Bartolotta explains, because it’s essentially a New York strip and filet mignon held together by a bone. He recommends trying to cook a porterhouse in the Italian Fiorentina style, which is prepared “blue,” which is very, very rare (110F to 115°F). If that’s a bit too red for you, aim for rare to medium-rare (130°F to 135°F) for this royally delicious cut of beef.