Steak Cooking 101

This report will give you a fundamental food science understanding of cooking steaks at home.

The most important variables, and sections of this report, are:

Choosing your steak
Salting your steak
Applying heat to your steak
Resting your steak

Additionally, this report aims to answer frequently asked steak questions, such as:

What does bringing the steak to room temp do? Is it necessary to do so?
When should steak be salted?
Why do I want a good crust on a steak? How do I achieve a good crust (and at what temp of pan)?
What are the differences between rare, medium rare, and medium? Why do people like rare steak?
How do I get a good crust while nailing the right internal temp?
What does resting steak do? Is it necessary?
What are the different cuts of steak (ribeye, filet mignon, new york strip, etc)? What are their differences?
How to slice a steak after cooking?
Do I need a thermometer if I don’t own one?

This won’t cover things like carbon steel vs cast iron vs grills, or sous vide vs reverse sear, because in order to make and understand those videos and kitchen reports, we need to start with the fundamentals.

All the sources I used to gather the information for this video are listed at the end.

How to Choose a Steak

What Quality of Beef do I Choose?

When choosing a steak the two main variables that have a large influence on how we enjoy steak are:

The fat content
The tenderness of the muscle that it was cut from

Let's talk about that fat first.

According to “The Professional Chef”, there are eight grades of beef recognized by the USDA. Now obviously if you are in a different country these won't be the same, but they are great for helping me explain the difference.

From highest to lowest quality the grades are:

Prime
Choice
Select
Standard
Commercial
Utility
Cutter
Canner

Now if you are wondering why you may have never heard of 5 of these, it’s because the bottom 5 are not used for human consumption.

This leaves us with Prime, Choice, and Select.

What's the difference?

It's all about intramuscular fat, also known as marbling, which is the fat that exists inside the muscle. For example, on a New York strip steak, the exterior fat cap is inter-muscular, meaning outside of the muscle whereas the marbling is inside the muscle.

Now I don't want to hone in on the USDA system because it's different around the world. Instead, just look at the steak.

Here is a Select New York strip (left) vs one from Butcher Box (right):

You can clearly see which one has more marbling.

This marbling has a direct effect on both the texture and taste of the meat.

In terms of texture, this fat is solid at room temperature, but when it is cooked, the fat melts away leading to juicier meat.

In terms of taste — you may hear the phrase: fat is flavor. It's actually the fat that provides us with most of the beefy flavor we know and love. Ever wonder why people say white meat is tasteless? It's because of that lack of fat. Thus, many people prefer the flavor of dark meat which has more fat in the muscle. For example, a super lean piece of steak from the same cut will taste less beefy than one with more marbling and fat throughout.

In general, if you see two of the same cuts picking the one with more intramuscular fat is going to give you juicier meat and a more beefy flavor.

The cut of steak also makes a big difference in the fat content of the steak which brings us to:

What Cut Do I Choose?

When choosing a steak for pan-searing, there are three cuts that are the most common: the rib eye, the strip steak, and the tenderloin or filet mignon.

As mentioned in “The Food Lab”, for all three cuts, you are really making a choice between beefy flavor and tenderness. On a scale of beefy flavor, a ribeye generally has the most marbling and thus the beefiest flavor, followed by the slightly leaner New York strip, and then fairly far down would be the lean tenderloin or filet mignon.

The filet mignon is often the most expensive of the cuts, but it will actually have the least amount of fat and beefy flavor. Compare this strip (left) to a filet (right

This may make you wonder why people covet it so much. It's because of the tenderness. The filet comes from a muscle that is rarely used and is thus supremely tender compared to anything else. The New York strip is fairly tender as well, followed closely by the rib eye.

Whichever you choose is up to you. Test them out next time! For me, the New York strip is my go-to as I really prefer the balance of flavor and texture, but I absolutely love a rib eye as well. The filet mignon is actually my least favorite. The texture is incredible, don't get me wrong, but it's generally the most expensive and leaves a bit to be desired from a beefy flavor perspective. So, it's really nice with a pan sauce or something.

Image a graph showing that tenderness on the vertical y-axis with the aforementioned beefy flavor on the horizontal x-axis. You might get something like this:

To sum up this section, first, ask yourself, do I want a beefy steak with more fat, or do I want one that is really tender? Choose the cut first based on that answer and then look for that cut with the most intramuscular fat as this will lead to more flavor and a juicier steak.

How to Salt Your Steak

What Does Salt Do to a Steak?

Before we hop into the various methods, let's first go over what salt actually does to a steak.

First and most importantly, salt amplifies flavor. Secondly, it can affect texture depending on when it is applied, which I’ll cover below.

From "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," it is noted that salt has its own taste but also enhances the flavor of other ingredients. For our steak, we want it to be salted, but we don't want it to taste salty.

For me, I generally eyeball it and make sure I have even coverage, but if you want a rule, I like to use 1.5% salt by weight for dry brine. So for a 280-gram piece of steak, this would be about 4 grams of salt. Now if that's too salty for you or not salty enough, just use more or less.

Another interesting tidbit about salt is that salt or well-seasoned food activates our saliva, so all else being equal, a well-salted piece of steak will be made juicier not only by the liquid in the steak itself but also by the saliva released in our mouth when we eat it.

I think everyone will agree that steak needs to be salted, but let's talk about the more nuanced topic: when should steak be salted?

When Should Steak Be Salted?

Depending on when salt is added to the steak, it can also affect its internal seasoning and texture.

Time is the variable we are looking to test. So in general, you can salt steak right before cooking, salt in advance, or salt after it's cooked.

I tried salting steaks at a variety of time periods before cooking, and made note of their water content before and after. Here are the percentages for moisture retention at each stage.

From this, we can conclude that, yes, salting in advance will increase moisture retention and thus juiciness. However, the biggest factor for texture is the temperature at which the steak was actually cooked. For example, if you brine a steak and cook it to 150 or 160 degrees, it won't be juicy like a medium or medium-rare steak. More on that in a bit. The more important benefit, in my opinion, is the even seasoning we get from salt diffusion. Here are my thoughts and rankings after testing these methods.

Now, let's talk about taste. Here is my personal ranking of the steaks tested. All of these steaks taste great. However, seasoning after feels more salt forward, which is not exactly what I want. I will also say that, given the choice between a salt-in-advance steak that is overcooked at 155 degrees, I'd rather have the steak cooked to 130 degrees that was salted after. For me, the temperature is the more important factor. I'd rather have a better-textured steak that I can add salt to, rather than an overcooked one.

This brings me to the big conclusion on salt:

First, make sure you salt your steak at some point. However, if you have the time, salting in advance for at least 1 to 2 hours for a 1-inch steak will internally season the meat through diffusion and slightly increase moisture retention (juiciness) through osmosis. Salt is a powerful lever that affects the taste of the steak first and the texture second. Another lever that also affects the taste and texture massively is how we apply heat. This leads us to our next topic: How do I cook a steak?

How do I Cook my Steak?

What Does Heat Do to a Steak?

For most, an ideal steak is a juicy interior with a browned and slightly crisp crust, if possible. When you think of cooking a steak, think of it like this: the method I choose to apply heat is a way to control the temperature and thus the interior and exterior texture of the steak.

As a steak is cooked, energy is transferred to the exterior which, in turn, transfers heat to the interior through conduction.

So the next question is, why do people like rare and medium-rare steak? That all comes down to the meat protein structure and moisture retention.

Why Do People Like Rare and Medium Rare Steak?

According to the USDA, this table shows how much water is in meat muscling. Shockingly, for beef, it's as high as 70% water. No matter how we cook a steak, at least some of this water will be released, but in general, the lower the temperature, the less will be released.

This is why a rare steak at 120 degrees F will have less moisture loss than its well-done counterpart at 160 degrees F. So I recreated an experiment from the "Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez Alt.

I took 4 New York strips, salted them for 2 hours before, weighed them before cooking, and then pan-seared them to 120 degrees F, 130 degrees F, 140 degrees F, and 150 degrees F internally. I weighed them and collected the data. Then I did the same test with a different methodology by slicing a single unsalted steak into roughly 65-gram pieces and slowly bringing them to temp at 250 Fahrenheit in the oven.

Here is the moisture loss for my data and Kenji's. Obviously, it's not a perfect lab test, but we can clearly see a trend here between the data sets. As expected, the rare steak had the least amount of moisture loss and all down the line to 150 degrees F had more. This would make you think rare steak is the best texture, right? Well, it may be for some, but I would argue it has worse texture and worse flavor.

In my opinion, the more important factor in the texture of a steak is the actual meat protein structure. Thanks to an amazing chart from "On Food and Cooking," we can understand what happens to meat at various temperatures.

When looking at the meat qualities column, at 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the steak is becoming firmer, but it's still fairly slick, which some may like. However, I prefer the slightly firmer texture at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, in the connective tissue collagen column, at 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the collagen sheaths begin to weaken and turn into gelatin. Remember that marbling we talked about earlier?

The fat also begins to render in a medium-rare or 130-degree steak, which lubricates the meat and makes it taste juicy and more tender. Additionally, the fat delivers fat-soluble flavor compounds, making the steak taste beefier. For a rare steak at 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the fat does not render and will feel a bit mushy or slippery, which is why many people do not like a rare steak. Also, when you taste it, it is noticeably less beefy in side-by-side taste tests. Give this one a try when you cook steak next time.

How do I cook a steak to a certain level of doneness?

The obvious next question is how to cook a steak to a certain level of doneness? Sous vide, reverse sear, pan-searing, and broiling are all methods to cook steak that I will be covering in a separate video at some point. However, at the end of the day, these methods are all about controlling the doneness that you prefer.

For a basic pan-seared steak, I think using a thermometer is the easiest way to do it. From my point of view, if I'm going to spend $10 or $15 on a nice steak at home, I'd rather use a thermometer and know my steak is going to come out exactly how I like it. By doing this, you can also critically see and taste the differences for yourself. I'll leave links below to various thermometers I have and like to use depending on the situation.

Now, if you don't like to use a thermometer, you can absolutely do it by feel. You'll just have to develop the knack for what a rare and medium-rare steak feels like for the various cuts and keep a better eye on it throughout cooking. Some steaks like filet mignon are harder to tell because they feel really tender seemingly at every temperature. I typically let my steaks go and then touch them when I think they are close to my desired level of doneness, and then I verify it with a thermometer.

For me, I like to pull my steak roughly 5 degrees before my preferred target temperature due to carry-over cooking. Though truthfully, it's hard to judge. So, what is carry-over cooking?

Well, as soon as you take that steak off the heat, it doesn't just stop cooking. The exterior temperature is still 170 degrees Fahrenheit, so even though a lot of that heat will expel outward into the room, some of that heat is still going to work into the inside of the meat, increasing the temperature. How much depends on the thickness of the steak. A thicker steak holds more energy than a thinner one, and thus will increase the internal temperature more.

For this roughly 1-inch New York strip, I observed an increase of 6 degrees after pulling it off the pan.

Again, we'll cover methods in a separate video, but for now, think about that chart and use a thermometer to nail the texture you want your steak

With internal temp covered, let's talk about what's going on the exterior, so why do you want a sear on a steak?

Why Do We Want a Sear on a Steak?

The reason we want a good sear or crust on a steak is partly for texture and partly for flavor. The Maillard reaction is the chemical reaction that causes food to brown when sugars and proteins are heated. This browning creates flavor compounds that add complexity and make the steak taste beefier. The same key reaction is responsible for the crust on smash burgers and many other foods we know and love.

So, now the question is, how do we get a good crust on a steak?

How Do We Get a Good Crust on a Steak?

In order for a steak to brown, three things must happen in order: first, the exterior surface temperature of the steak must rise to 212 (100 C) degrees Fahrenheit, second, the heat must evaporate the surface moisture, and third, the heat must increase to approximately 300 F (150 C) or higher, where the Maillard reaction or browning actually starts to occur.

So, you may be wondering, if the steak only needs to hit 212 and then 300, why does everyone say you need a ripping hot pan? The key is to spend as little time as possible in the first two stages. Using a pan temperature of 300 degrees and butter basting will not result in a delicious browning. Cooking another steak at 350 to 375 degrees will result in a beautiful browning, but when you slice it open, it will be as dry as the Sahara.

In both cases, the pan wasn't hot enough. To make our steak sear as efficiently as possible, here is a checklist:

Dry the surface of the steak - excess moisture takes longer to sear
Use a heavy pan - The heavier the pan, the more energy it will retain, which is why many prefer cast iron. Carbon steel or stainless steel work just fine, though.
Use a ripping hot pan - Aim for 450 F or higher. If you don't have a surface thermometer, use the Liedenfrost effect.
Use a fat - Using oil in the pan or on the steak increases the thermal contact between the meat and pan, meaning more efficient heat transfer.

Using these four guidelines should help you achieve a beautifully browned crust. It's also worth noting that thicker steaks make it much easier to get a browned exterior and medium-rare or medium interior since it takes longer and more heat to do so. For a thinner cut steak, it will be more challenging.

There are many other areas to explore such as butter basting, using mayo, and testing different pans, but these are the basic principles learned from this section:

The method chosen to cook a steak is a way to apply heat. Heat is used to control the internal and exterior texture of the meat.
Lower meat temperatures will result in less moisture loss. However, the lowest temperature is not always better because collagen and fat begin to render at higher temps.
Fat begins to render and release in a steak at 130 to 140 F leading to perceptibly juicier meat that tastes beefier.
Searing a steak causes the Maillard or browning reaction to occur which creates flavor compounds making our steak, taste more like steak.

What do I do After Cooking Steak?

What is carry-over cooking?

So, as soon as you pull that steak off the heat, there are three main things to think about: carry-over cooking, resting, and slicing. We covered this earlier, but as a quick reminder, the heat on the exterior of the steak will move inward and continue raising the internal temperature of the steak, depending on its thickness.

For the New York Strips I cooked, I typically target an internal temperature of 125 and then let it come up to 130 on the plate.

What does resting a steak do?

So, if you cut into a steak right away, you may notice juices starting to expel on your plate compared to one that has rested for 5 or 10 minutes. Why is that? As we talked about before, when cooking a steak, we are expelling moisture through tightening of the fibers, but when allowed to cool, two key things are happening:

The structure of the muscle fibers loosens, allowing them to hold more moisture.
The proteins and dissolved fats will start to cool and thicken up.

Both of these things result in a steak that retains more moisture, giving us a succulent mouthfeel. So, it sounds like you should rest your steak every time, right? Well, not so fast. Here's the other side of the argument. I recreated an experiment done in "The Science of Great Barbecuing and Grilling."

I took two steaks, cooked to 130 internally, then immediately sliced into strips and let the other rest and cool down to 125 before slicing into strips. I placed the strips in a funnel and collected them in a beaker for both.

So, clearly, the one that wasn't rested has more juices, however, this is like 10 milliliters. In practice, both are still absolutely delicious, and I think it depends on the situation if you need to rest or not. For one, it's not like these juices are gone, you can always just pour them over your steak, which is exactly what I did. But let me explain the scenario.

I typically rest all the time, especially if I pull my steak off early at 125°F and account for the carry-over cooking, it should give me the perfect doneness. However, if I accidentally overcook my steak and pull it off at 135°F or 140°F, if I let this steak rest, it may continue to cook to 150°F. So, I have a decision to make: do I slice it now to halt the carry-over cooking, but have more juices expelled, or do I let it cook but retain more juices in the steak itself? I'll let you decide.

Lastly, let's talk about slicing.

How do I slice a steak?

So, you may have heard about slicing across the grain for a steak. And this does matter a lot for certain cuts like tri-tip, flank, and skirt steak because they are whole muscles. However, all of the cuts I talked about today have already been cut from a whole muscle. For example, if you stack these New York Strips, the muscle was running up and down the stack and has thus already been cut across the grain.

Now, you could technically make a diagonal cut to go against the grain again, but it's not necessary.

Let's recap what to do after cooking:

The heat from the exterior of the steak will continue to cook the interior even after it's pulled off the pan. How much depends on the thickness and cut of the steak. Larger cuts hold more energy and will carry-over cook more.
Resting a steak allows the muscle fibers to loosen holding more moisture and the liquids start to cool and thicken.
If a steak is sliced right away it will lose more juice, but if it was done to halt cooking so the steak is not overdone, the juices can be added back to the steak.
Classic steaks like the NY Strip, Filet, and Ribeye are already cut across the grain so it is not necessary, though you could cut slice diagonally to slightly short them again. Slice across the grain for whole muscle cuts of meat like tri-tip, flank, and skirt.

If you want to see the full video experimenting with steaks.