Grilled steaks are one of the best ways to enjoy the warm weather. Despite the fact that people have different tastes in how they cook their meat, medium and medium-rare remain the two most popular choices. It’s not surprising that most barbecue enthusiasts recommend these two levels when cooking meat.
Despite the similarities between medium and medium-rare, there are some important differences between them. When deciding how to cook your meat, you need to understand the pros and cons of both options.
With this guide, we’ll explain what the difference between the two cooked levels is, as well as how to grill meat to perfection.
Which Is Better, Medium Or Medium-Rare?
It depends on the kind of cut of meat and your personal preference whether you want to cook the meat medium or medium-rare. They are both nutritious, tasty, and healthy options for grilling beef. Some people prefer medium over medium-rare because the meat is more juicy and flavorful.
Others prefer fully cooked meat; others find it more appetizing. There will often be people who are turned off by the bloodier medium-rare steak, but you should be aware of this before you decide to grill it at a certain level.
The Medium-Rare Steak
In order for a medium-rare steak to be properly cooked, most of the middle portion of the steak should be pink in color with a hint of red. Grill marks should be visible on the sides and bottom of the dish, and the sides should be well browned.
Toward the middle, the surface of this steak will give a bit and this is when you will know the steak is nice and tender before you even cut into the meat. The fats will begin to melt at 135 degrees Fahrenheit, so you should grill at this temperature.
The Medium Steak
If you cook a medium steak, you should see a thick ring of light pink in the center, but overall you should see more brown than pink. In addition to the sides, the top and bottom should be grilled to a point where they are dark but not black.
The touch of this steak will be firm, but there may be some play through the middle. If you would rather eat a burger or some more typical barbeque delicacies, this is the steak for you. It is safe to use this steak as a first time cooking option since there is little blood or juice involved. The perfect medium steak would be cooked at 145 degrees Fahrenheit with the characteristics described above.
Key Rules And Information
We recommend using an instant-read meat thermometer to determine the internal temperature the most accurately. To determine the best time to remove the meat from the grill, insert the probe into the thickest point of the meat.
It is key that you start taking the meat off a bit early and letting it rest a few minutes because the cooking process does not stop when it is removed from the heat.
During the resting period, the temperature of the steak will rise by around five degrees so the juices are evenly distributed. After cooking the steak, it is important to let it rest for this period of time before cutting into it.
During cooking, meat fibers contract and become tough, causing moisture to rise to the surface. In the event you fail to follow this rule, your steak will not taste as tender and juicy as it should because the juice will pool on your plate rather than remaining inside the meat.
Despite the fact that you don’t have to use a timer, we do recommend that you do get one, since this will allow you to be aware of any timings when it comes to the grilling process and flipping them over for an even cooking process on each side.
By doing this, you’ll probably get a better understanding of how long a steak should be grilled for, which will help you become a well-rounded cook.
If you’re planning to eat a steak undercooked, you don’t have to worry about parasites as much as with other meats. The steak should not pose a risk as long as the outside is thoroughly cooked, clean cooking equipment is used, and the steak itself is intact.
Whenever you are cooking for children at a younger age or for anyone with a fragile immune system, you should take extra precaution.
How To Grill The Steaks
We talked about what temperature was required for these levels of steak in our previous sections, but we’ll explore this topic further in this section. Follow all these instructions correctly and you shall be on your way to becoming a great cook.
Medium-Rare
Take a good look at the steaks before putting them on the grill. You will want to determine which part of the steak is going to be the top, and which will be the bottom; knowing which part is which will make the cooking process much easier.
Place a 1-inch steak on a hot grill and cook for 5 minutes to achieve the best results. Grill for another 4 minutes, turning once, until the inside of the meat reaches a temperature between 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is just the basic technique when it comes to getting your steak medium-rare. Add salt and pepper to your steak, as well as any additional seasoning you use, as this will add flavor to the steak during cooking.
Medium
Just like the medium-rare steak, you are going to want to season it with salt and pepper or any other flavors you tend to use. In this way, you will aid the cooking process, so that by the time the steak is done, you are going to have the flavor you need to enjoy the steak.
Following the process of determining the top and bottom of the steak, you’ll be ready for the grilling process, where you should once again be accurate with your timing. The steak should be placed on a hot grill for 6 minutes if it is a 1-inch steak.
Once you have turned the steak over on the grill, continue to grill for another four minutes, or until an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit is reached. If you want to enjoy the best flavor of this dish, let it rest for five minutes so it can reach the optimal temperature.
Record The Results
You should consider recording your results after you have eaten the steak you cooked. Make sure that you keep track of the exact thickness and cut of the steak, the grill’s temperature, and the length of time it’s been cooking. Think about the method in which it was prepared.
Make a note of the time it takes to cook your steak if it was undercooked by the end. You should decrease the cooking time if the steak was overdone. The best way to become an expert at grilling steak is to practice and observe.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section is going to answer any questions that you may have about cooking your steak!
What Steaks Are Best Cooked Medium-Rare And What Steaks Should Be Cooked Medium?
The best steaks are those that are ribeye, sirloin, and fillet when they are medium-rare, and this is because they are among the juiciest cuts of meat a consumer can get. In this section you can also find prime rib and rib steak. A rib steak is simply a ribeye with the bone still attached.
Have you heard the term “tomahawk steak” before? The name refers to a rib steak attached to an extra-long rib section. When left on the bone, some of these tend to have more fat than others, but this shouldn’t deter anyone from grilling it medium-rare.
When it comes to medium, it’s all the same, but you should never choose medium for cuts like rump and flat-iron, otherwise it will be too chewy and the flavors won’t be as good.
How Should I Handle A Thicker Steak?
You shouldn’t be alarmed if you come in contact with a steak that is thicker than a 1-inch thick piece, because it just means that either you need to trim it down to the width you want.
In fact, you can adjust the cooking time or temperature accordingly depending on how much thicker the steak is, but there shouldn’t be any problems at all.
If anything, you will become a better cook on the barbecue as you become accustomed to dealing with a thicker, gnarlier piece of steak. All it takes is to be confident and adapt to what you have to work with.
When Cooking Steak, How Should I Avoid Overcooking It?
The only way you will get better at grilling and master your skill is to repeat the process until you get it right. Overcooking your steak is a mistake that some of the best chefs make sometimes, and it’s natural.
You can make sure your steak is cooked to the desired temperature and timings by using some recommended equipment. By doing so, you will hopefully prevent mistakes like this from occurring again.
Summary
Despite the fact that medium-rare meat has a few advantages over medium meats, in the end, it comes down to a matter of personal preference.
Depending on the taste of the person, some people prefer a steak or burger that is more juicy, while some people like meat that is cooked more thoroughly. No matter which method you choose, you can be sure to prepare a delicious barbecue by following this guide.
