While the hardcore-meat-lover may claim that medium-rare is the only way to eat a steak, a lot of home cooks look to cook their steaks to a safe and still flavorful medium temperature. To achieve a medium temp in your steak or other beef cuts we recommend using an instant-read thermometer, like the Thermapen® Mk4, which gives you critical temperature readings Super-fast® so you don’t accidentally overcook and dry out your steak.
Temperature Tip: Medium steak temp is 135-145ºF internal temperature.*
While knowing what temperature range to shoot for when cooking your steak, it is equally as important to know that the temperature of your steak will continue to rise after you take it off the grill. For this reason, you should actually pull your steaks from the heat 2 or 3°F below your target final temperature. For example, if you want a final doneness temperature of 140°F, pull each steak from the heat when it shows a lowest internal temperature reading of 137°F. The steak temperature will continue to rise about 3°F while the steaks rest before serving. A full roast will rise as much as 10°F after being pulled from the heat depending upon the intensity of the cooking environment (a hot oven will spur more carry-over cooking than a relatively cool smoker cooking “low and slow,” for example).
*The Medium temperature range of 135-145ºF is our chef-recommended temperature range for medium. Check out other Chef-Recommended, ThermoWorks Approved temperatures to learn about other target temperatures for meat and other foods.
More on Cooking Steak and Beef Temperatures
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