How would you like your steak? That’s probably a question you’ve been asked many times in restaurants and usually people have a standard answer based on the level of “doneness” they like their meat. Yet few know exactly how to recreate that perfect level of cooking steak at home for themselves. Today I’m showing you exactly how to get that steak to the level you love plus some tricks for a juicer steak on your plate.

Cooking Steak Based on Internal Temperature

The easiest way to begin cooking steak the way to like it is to use a meat thermometer and aim for the correct internal temperature. To use this method place the probe of the meat thermometer into the center of your steak so that the tip rests in the middle of the steak’s thickness.

Grill your steak until it is approximately half way to the desired temperature, remove the probe, flip the steak and reinsert the probe. Continue cooking until the desired internal temperature is hit.

Internal Temperature Guide:

Rare: 120-125 degrees Fahrenheit (bright pink throughout)

Medium Rare: 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit (bright pink in center, brown at edges)

Medium: 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit (light pink in center, brown at edges)

Medium Well: 150-155 degrees Fahrenheit (no visible pink)

Well Done: 160 degrees Fahrenheit and above (uniform brown throughout)

I highly recommend that you shoot for the lower of the two degrees as when you let your meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes after pulling it off the grill (which you should always do prior to cutting into the meat to allow any juices to redistribute) the steak will continue cooking for the next few minutes.

While cooking steak using a meat thermometer is very accurate there will likely come a time when you’ll want to be able to do away with inserting and reinserting the meat probe. Doing this is as simple as timing how long you cook your stead on each side (using the thermometer) to achieve the doneness you want. As long as you’re heat source is reliable timing your cooking should produce just as accurate results.

A Tip for Cooking Steak:

Do you hate the thought of seeing any pink inside your steak but wish your steak wasn’t so dry? Here’s a sneaky trick used in top restaurants to rid the steak of the pink without overcooking it.

Cook your steak to an internal temperature of 14-145 degrees Fahrenheit (medium) so that just a little pink is left in the middle). Make a warm au jus and, once the steak is removed from the grill, pour some au jus into a shallow pan and sit your steak in the warm au jus while it’s resting. Flip once halfway through.

The steak will soak up the au jus and turn the meat a brown color while still keeping it moist. This is because, despite rampant misconceptions, blood does not run from your steak when cooked rare—juice and water does. Red meat is colored (you guessed it) red and therefore that red meat colors the water and juices within it red. By soaking in a brown liquid you recolor the juices to a brown color, keeping your meat moist but eliminating the pink coloring from the meat and juice which seems to offend so many people due to the whole “blood” misconception.

Cooking steak to perfection really isn’t difficult if you use these handy tips and tricks. Happy grilling!