How To Tell When A Steak Is Perfectly Done: Meat Thermometers And The Hand Test
Experts agree that using a good meat thermometer is always the right thing to do when it comes to checking for steak doneness levels.
OK, with your super-thin steaks, fine, you get a pass, but with everything else, a good meat thermometer is the only reliable way to ensure perfect and saferesults every time.
Click here to read why it is so important to use a meat thermometer if you dont already know.
You can also get an instant-read, albeit an inexact one, from the hand test.
Heres how it works: When you think youre close to show-time, prod the steak gently with a clean finger and compare to the feel of your own hand as follows:
If the steak feels like the soft pad below your thumb when: | |
---|---|
Your pinky finger and thumb are touching | It’s well done |
Now obviously you can also cut into a steak, and see with your own eyes whether its done. But you want to minimize how many times you do this as youll be letting precious juices escape with every cut.
In the end, after Ive gone through all my sensory tests , I still turn to my thermometer for the final confirmation of readiness!
Should You Traditionally Sear Or Reverse Sear When Grilling Steak On A Pellet Grill
Which type of searing will net you the best results? Honestly, theres no clear-cut winner between traditional and reverse searing except for you and your hungry guests.
Now that you know how to cook steak on a pellet grill, you have no excuse not to pick up some ribeyes, T-bones or sirloins for dinner tonight. Perfect isnt always possible when it comes to grilling steaks, particularly on a pellet grill. But when youre cooking on a Grilla, youre on your way.
Myth : Extremely High Warmth Is Needed To Sear Steak
The searing procedure starts at temperature levels as low as 300 ° F, and the reliable hot variety is about 300 ° F to 500 ° F. Searing at temperature levels past 500 ° F can dry food exceedingly quickly, as well as generally cause unsatisfactory, burned food.
Burning can occur while your grill goes to any kind of temperature, as long as you have actually complied with the leading guideline of grilling Constantly preheat your grill! No matter what youre barbecuing, the initial step is always to pre-heat your grill above with the lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes. There are 2 major reasons this action is important for burning.
First, this will burn old food so you can clean the food preparation grates clean. Dirty cooking grates dont scorch brand-new food they simply remain to melt the old food.
Second, while the temperature inside your grill can be anywhere from 300 ° F to 500 ° F while youre burning your steak, the cooking grates themselves should go to least 500 ° F to 550 ° F to develop sear marks. Pre-heat your grill to obtain the food preparation grates to the proper temperature level and afterward change your grill to the appropriate temperature level before you place your food on.
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Remove From Fridge Let Steak Get To Room Temperature
So you normally dont want to cook a steak straight out of the fridge you want to get it up to room temperature so that it doesnt take as long to actually start cooking.
Its just a little bit harder to get a crust on the outside and the proper cook on the inside if you starting at a lower temperature stop.
Grilling Perfect Steaks Every Time Every Steak

Some of our customers tell us the Thermapen® changed their life. Its a dramatic claim reflecting lots of little daily moments. One of the things that does change when you understand how to use a Thermapen is that you never overcook steaks on the grill again. Here are 5 tips you need to know to make sure each and every steak you grill is perfect every time.
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Always Use A Thermapen
None of these steps are possible with inferior thermometers. The difference between using a Thermapen or Classic Thermapen to check your steaks on the grill and using a dial thermometer or a competitive digital thermometer is like the difference between using an electric drill to drill a hole in the wall and spinning a sharp stick between your hands. Using the right tool for a job makes getting the right results easy.
Unlike other thermometers you might have in your home, Thermapens have a professional-grade thermocouple in the very tip of the probe. That thermocouple gets to within ±0.7°F accuracy in 2-3 seconds. But once it comes to temperature, it shows you changes in temperature in real time. Thermometers with 10+ second response times dont show you the gradients as you pull them through a steak. They are still trying to recalibrate to each new temperature. Your hand starts to scorch as you wait for the reading to update and you never have confidence that the number you saw was accurate.
But finding the thermal center of a steak is easy with a Super-Fast Thermapen, which makes getting perfect steaks a reality. And that little change just might make a difference in your life!
How Long Does It Take To Cook A Steak On A Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Preheat your Pit Boss Pellet Grill to 250°F then close the lid 10-15 minutes. As the grill is preheating to the perfect temperature, spice the steaks with the Chop House steak rub. Lay the steaks on the grill for roughly 60 minutes or until the steaks reach an internal temperature of 105 to 110 degrees F.
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Is One Steak Temperature Better Than Another
First, lets cover the hot debate of what the best level of doneness for steak is. While some people like a slight pink hue in the center of their steaks, others like them practically mooing. Although most of it boils down to personal preference, there also is some science that goes on when you cook a steak that could make it taste better the more cooked it is.
Most steaks are best at medium-rare to medium. These temperatures cause the fat within the cuts to render, which allows the flavor from fat to move throughout the steak and keep it tender. Cooking only to rare doesnt give the steak quite enough time to benefit from this process, and cooking to well-done can cause the meat to become chewy and lose that tenderness that steaks known for.
Tips For Grilling Steaks:
- Choose the cut thats right for you. There are many good cuts of steak to choose from, depending on your preference. I love rib-eyes, strip steaks and T-bone steaks. If you prefer a thin steak they cook faster and youre not dealing with a big thick piece of meat when you eat. If you cant find the thin cut youre looking for, purchase a thicker cut of meat and ask the butcher at the store to slice it in half, horizontally.
- Choose high quality steak. The quality of the meat you purchase plays a huge factor in how good your steaks will turn out! Steaks are given different grades based on the marbling and the age the animal was at slaughter. The highest quality meat is younger beef that has the most marbling. At most grocery stores, youll have your choice of the following three grades:
- Select: cheaper, or sale priced meat.
- Choice: The best choice for your local grocery store. Higher quality and widely available.
- Prime: the best of the best. Not found at most supermarkets but you can find prime cuts of meat at Costco!
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Gas Grill Temperature Level For 1/2 Inch Steak
- The best barbecue grill temperature for 1/2 inch steak is between 425 ° F to
- 450 ° F. Barbecue Grill Temperature for 3/4 Inch Steak.
- The most effective gas grill temperature for 3/4 inch steak is in between 360 ° F to 400 ° F relying on the steak type
- Barbecue Grill Temperature Level for 1 Inch Steak.
- The very best gas grill temperature for a 1-inch steak is in between 325 ° F to 350 ° F. This is likewise the very best temperature for medium-rare to rare-cooked steaks.
- Barbecue Grill Temperature Level for 1.5 Inch Steak.
- The very best gas grill temperature for 1.5 Inch steak is between 110 ° F to 120 ° F, and it ought to be cooked for concerning 3 minutes per side.
- The temperature level range above is for unusual filet mignon steaks. However, ribeye or sirloin steaks must be smoked in between 130 ° F to 140 ° F for 6 mins perside. Regardless of the steaks size, you require to pre-heat your barbecue grill to a temperature of 450 ° F to 500 ° F before barbecuing.
- Switch on your gas grill and also turn the knob to a high setting. Shut the cover as well as allow the grill to warm up for about 20 to thirty minutes. Also, let your steak defrost as well as warm-up prior to putting it on the grill.
Tips For Cooking Steak
- Let your steak rest on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. This allows it to come to room temperature and ensures that the internal temperature reading will be accurate. While you’re at it, season the steak all over with salt and pepper .
- Know your salt. Our Editors advise, “Avoid standard table and iodized salts. Anything with a fine grain has a tendency to over season your steak. Instead, sprinkle on medium grain sea salt to compliment your grilled beef.”
- Rotate and flip your steak often while grilling to develop a nice crust. If your steak isn’t sizzling, the grill’s not hot enough.
- Thanks to residual heat, your steak will continue to cook even after you pull it off the grill. For this reason, we advise removing your steak from the heat when it’s five degrees shy of your desired temperature. It will fully cook to your desired doneness while it rests.
- After removing your steak from the heat, let it rest on a platter for 5 minutes to seal in all those juices, then slice it against the grain.
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Cooking Steak On A Charcoal Grill
Grilling steak over charcoal can be tricky. It’s difficult to know the exact temperature of the cooking surface, and that temperature can vary depending on the type of charcoal you used and how evenly you spread the charcoal.
Briquette charcoal can give you temperatures of around 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Lump charcoal may be able to generate higher temperatures. You can check for a high temperature on your charcoal grill using the hand test. Hold your hand at grate level, and if you can only keep it there for 2 to 3 seconds before it gets too hot, you have a 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit surface to grill.
If you’ve got that heat, you can grill using the timing instructions above. But beware your charcoal grill may have hot or cool spots that can affect the cooking time. You’ll have to keep a close watch and you won’t be able to set it and forget it like you can with a Traeger.
For wood smoke flavor, you can use wood chips. Typically, you add wood chips directly to charcoals, but this can affect the heat you’re generating.
If you add dry wood chips, they could flare up and burn your steak. If you add soaked wood chips, they will cool down the charcoal. A foil pack added before cooking is probably your best bet.
Which Cut Of Steak Is Best

All steaks are great for grilling but there definitely is a hierarchy. Here are the best steaks to grill from oh my gosh that the best to these are great. Because lets be honest, all steaks are great.
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Cooking Times And First Position
Have everything at hand before you put the steaks on so that the grill has your full attention. Keep the grill closed as much as possible to hold in the heat. Before putting on the steaks, take a good look at them. Decide which side you are going to call the “top.” You will cook the steaks in four positions, timing each change in position.
Medium Rare:
- 1-inch thick steak: 1 minute per position
- Between 1 and 2-inch steak: 1 1/2 minutes per position
- Less than 3/4-inch steak: 45 seconds per position
Medium Well or Well Done :
- 1-inch thick steak: 2 minutes per position
- Between 1 and 2-inch steak: 3 minutes per position
- Less than 3/4-inch steak: 1 minute per position
For the best results, it’s important to know your grill. Some grills comfortably hit temperatures over 700 F, while others have trouble mustering 500 F. If your grill runs at a lower temperature, you might need to increase these times by as much as double.
To start, open the grill and position the steaks on the grate farthest from youmeaning the top of the steak is to the back of the grill or at the 12 o’clock position.
With the steaks on the grill, close the lid and start counting the time as indicated above.
Grilling Steak On A Gas Grill: How To Set The Temperature
Its a typical blunder to judge the doneness of a steak solely based on its cooking time. The temperature at which a steak should be grilled varies depending on the size and thickness of the steak, and the type and form of the cut a fork and a knife, uncooked steak with salt, tomatoes, and garlic.
Here are the appropriate temperature settings for grilling your steak on a gas barbecue to produce an excellent BBQ steak. The thinner the steak, the lower the temperature at which it should be grilled.
The Temperature On A Gas Grill For A 12 Inch Steak
The ideal temperature for a 12-inch steak on a gas grill is 425°F to 450°F.
The Temperature On A Gas Grill For A 34-Inch Steak
Depending on the type of steak, the optimal gas grill temperature for a 34-inch steak is between 360°F and 400°F.
The Temperature On A Gas Grill For A 1 Inch Steak
A 1-inch steak should be cooked at 325°F to 350°F on a gas grill. This temperature is also ideal for medium-rare to rare-cooked steaks.
The Temperature On A Gas Grill For A 1.5-Inch Steak
For a 1.5-inch steak, the optimal gas grill temperature is between 110°F and 120°F, and it should be grilled for around 3 minutes per side. For rare fillet mignon steaks, the temperature range listed above is appropriate. Sirloin or ribeye steaks, on the other hand, should be grilled for 6 minutes per side at 130°F to 140°F.
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Searing Steak For The Maillard Reaction
The Maillard reaction is one of nature’s greatest miracles. It is a cascade of chemical changes that happen when meat reach approximately 285 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
THE MAILLARD REACTION IS ONE OF NATURE’S GREATEST MIRACLES.
At this temperature, certain amino acids and sugars react with each other to create hundreds of delicious flavor compounds and pleasing aromas. The meat also begins to turn brown as a result of this reaction.
The same reaction happens in bread, vegetables, and most things we eat. That classic “cooking” smell we’re all drawn to that’s the Maillard reaction you’re smelling.
Weber 44010001 Spirit Ii E
This is a propane-powered gas grill that measures 57H x 48W x 26D with lid open and 44.5H x 48W x 27D with lid closed. Each cooking grate is 10.16 x 17.5 to deliver a combined measurement of approximately 20.32 x 17.5. This grill also features porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grates, porcelain-enameled lid, iGrill 3 compatible, Built-in lid thermometer, Fold-down left side table, Open cart design, Fuel gauge, Stainless steel heat deflector, and a Panel frame. This two-burner grill is built to fit small spaces and comes packed with features such as the powerful GS4 grilling system to make steak grilling easy.
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