How to Cook the Perfect Medium-Rare Steak

Introduction

Cooking the perfect medium rare steak is an art and not everyone is an artist. There are many keys and facts which one should know before cooking the steak. In this article we’ll delve into knowing the perfect medium rare steak. While cooking the steak one should know the correct steak cut, essential tools, correct seasoning method and essentials cooking preparations, resting time, techniques and method, and many other factors. 

To get a fruitful result, the chef or homecook should follow the accurate method of cooking steak. Cooking takes a lot of effort and patience and to make sure that it goes on the right path the homecook should be aware about the correct method of cooking and that is medium rare steak. Here in detail about the perfect medium rare steak:

Why to choose Medium-Rare steak?

 

The medium-rare is one of the prominent cooking methods used for cooking any kind of steak. The method of medium-rare strikes the doneness for the perfect balance between flavor retention and juiciness. Also people consider the medium rare method the best for many reasons and one is that it brings the perfect balance between tenderness and flavors. This method ensures that the steak forms a perfect crust on the outer layer and remains tender and juicy on the inside. This method also maintains the steak freshness and natural flavor and juices which enlighten the eating experience as it gathers the perfect level of doneness. Every bite of the steak brings joy in eating and gives the savory experience.

While choosing to cook the steak comes a big responsibility of adding perfection into it, to cook steak is itself a challenging task as it requires the techniques and proper understanding and by choosing the method of medium-rare the responsibility of cooking a perfect dish is increased. As we know that medium rarely brings the perfect outcome it also requires great effort and attention. To achieve the perfect cooking one should take the steak to the temperature of 130 to 135 degree fahrenheit to break down the connective tissues without drying out the steak. It is also a sign that the intramuscular fat or marbling will fully render, infusing the meat with the perfect depth of flavor. 

Choosing the medium rare method is a great option for cooking steak as it brings the additional taste and texture to the steak.

How to cook the Perfect Medium- Rare steak?

As of now we know the reason for choosing the medium-rare method for cooking steak but the foremost important thing is to know how to cook the perfect Medium-Rare steak. Here in detail about how to prepare the medium rare steak and the methods, tools, techniques, kind of steak cut and many other aspects. 

1. Understanding and choosing the steak cut

The very prior thing is to know and understand the kind of steak to use for cooking for the perfect meal. As different cuts have different specifications and characteristics, and different outcomes, one should know everything about their kind of steak before cooking. Here’s about steak mentoring their qualities:

• Ribeye- Ribeye steak is well-known for its marbling and is one of the most flavorful and tender cuts. Its fat melts down while cooking and adds extra texture and flavor to the meal. 

• Strip steak- Strip steak comes from the short loin of the cow and is lean in texture but it still offers a great flavor. It has a firm texture but contains a good amount of marbling. 

• T-bone and Porterhouse- These kinds of steak cut include a T-shaped bone with meat on both sides. The Porterhouse usually have larger portion of tenderloin in comparison to T-bone. Whereas, both cuts are prized for their combination of tenderness and flavor.

• Filet Mignon- This cut is from the tenderloin and is one of the most tender cuts of beef. It has less fat compared to Ribeye so its buttery soft may not be as flavorful. 

While opting for steak one should choose the steak which has good marbling, rich juiciness and flavor. Also the steak should be atleast 1-1.5 inches thick to ensure it will contain juiciness after cooking while the thinner steak has high chances to dry out after cooking or be overcooked. 

2. Preparing the steak- seasoning and accurate temperature 

Going step by step, the initial stage is to prepare the steak for medium-rare to get the perfect outcome. Here some important preparation, temperature setting and many more:

Temperature- One of the common mistakes which people make is that they cook the steak directly by taking it out from the refrigerator, however, it is very important to bring the steak to room temperature for the smooth cooking.  The drawback of cooking the cold steak is that if the cold steak hits the pan it leads to uneven cooking as the cold steak may cook faster then the inside. If we cook the steak at room temperature it is usually cooked evenly. It is advised to take the steak out of the refrigerator before cooking and let it sit on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes depending upon the thickness of the steak. 

Seasoning of the steak- As steak carries a lot of flavors and textures itself, it is important to note that a lot of seasoning is not required to add on as the star of the meal is steak only. The basic and effective seasoning elements are- salt, pepper and other optional seasonings. 

Salt and pepper- Salt is the key seasoning element as it helps in creating a crust and decreases moisture from the surface, The use of kosher or sea salt is preferred for seasoning as it enhances the steak flavor. It is preferred to salt the steak for about 30 minutes before cooking. Pepper is the element which can be added before cooking the steak or afterwards as it gives the perfect blend of flavor and compliments the steak. 

Other seasonings- Most of the people prefer a general seasoning of salt and pepper only but one can also enhance the flavor with other seasonings like- garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, other herbs and spices. Also adding smoke of paprika is usually preferred. 

For a good tender flavor one can marinate the steak with herbs, spices, garlic and lemon while for usual cuts simple seasoning is mostly preferred as it betterly enhances the flavor of steak. 

3. Cooking methods- 

The most important step is the cooking method of how to cook the steak to medium-rare. There are many ways to cook a steak for medium-rare and the top three ways are- grilling, pan searing and sous-vide which are explained in detail:

Grilling- The method of grilling brings the smoky flavor to the steak and makes the external portion of steak crusty. Nowadays, everyone is opting for grilling whether a chef or homecook.

Here's a recipe :

Ingredients- a thick steak (ribeye or strip steak), meat thermometer, tongs, salt and pepper, a gas or charcoal grill.

Directions- 

• The major step is to preheat the grill, for charcoal grill make a two-side fire by piling coals and for gas grills, set one side to high heat and the other to medium-low. 

• While the grill is on preheat, one can season the steak with salt and pepper or with their choice of seasoning. 

• After seasoning, place the steak directly over the high heat zone and sear for 3-4 minutes on each side to form the chair.

• After searing the steak, then move it to the medium-low heat side as it allows the steak to cook more slowly and make sure that it reaches the medium-rare without overcooking.

• During cooking, put the thermometer to the thickest part of the steak and once the temperature is 54 degree celsius, take the steak out from the grill. Moreover, let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Pan-searing-Pan searing is an easy and trustable way to cook the steak as it has less possibility of overcooking and one has control over heating the steak. The recipe of cooking the steak over medium-rare is mentioned below:

Ingredients- Thick steak (filet mignon, strip or ribeye steak), butter, salt, pepper, oil, heavy cast-iron skillet or stainless steel pan, and aromatics (optional).

Directions-

• Starting with the common step, preheating the pan for around 10-15 minutes as a hot pan is important for creating a good sear and to maintain its juiciness. 

• After heating the pan, add a small amount of heated oil (vegetable or canola oil), now place the steak in the pan and let the steak sear for 3-4 minutes which will help in forming the caramelized crust and sear the steak in batches. 

• After one side of steak turns brown and crusty, flip the steak and let it seat on the other side for 3-4 minutes more. 

• Now comes the optional step as one can lower th what to medium and add butter to the pan, also garlic, thyme and rosemary can be added to the butter for more flavor. 

• For the medium-rare to check the temperature is important. Once the steak reaches the temperature of 54 degree celsius remove the steak from the pan. 

• Let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes on a cutting board and after that slice the steak against the grain to ensure tenderness and serve it. 

Sous vide- It is a unique french cooking technique which involves sealing the steak in a bag and cooking it in a water bath at a precise temperature. The Sous Vide method confirms the perfect doneness from edge to edge. Here a recipe for Sous vide method:

Ingredients- sous vide machine, vacuum bag seal or reusable plastic bag, salt, pepper, butter or oil for serving and a pot of water. 

Directions- 

• Preheat the water bath and set the sous vide machine at a temperature of 54 degree celsius for medium-rare. Also season the steak with salt and pepper and then vacuum seal the steak in a bag. 

• To cook the steak, submerge the bag in the preheated water bath and cook it for 1-2 hours. The uniqueness of this method is that it can’t overcook the steak and it will stay at the desired temperature until the cook is ready to finish it. 

• As soon as the steak is cooked, remove it from the bag and dry it with paper towels. Then take a high heat pan with little oil and sear it for a few seconds on both sides.

• Let the steak rest for a few minutes before slicing and then serve it. 

4. Check for doneness-

One of the most important factors while cooking the steak on medium-rare is to check its doneness, whether it has reached the doneness point or not. For a perfect medium-rare it is important to check the temperature of the steak. Once the internal temperature of the steak reaches 54 degree celsius and the steak reaches a warm and red center, it is considered to be done.

Checking for doneness can be performed two-way, with a finger test or with a thermometer. Here are some range of temperature which defines various level of doneness:

• Rare- cool, red center- 49-52°C

• Medium-Rare- Warm and red center- 54-57°C

• Medium- warm pink center- 65-68°C

• Medium-well- slightly pink center

• Well-done- little to no pink- 71°C+

5. Resting the steak-

 

After cooking the steak, one of the important steps is to let the steak rest for a few minutes. Before slicing or cutting the steak it should be kept for rest for 5-10 minutes. Resting the steak is important as it helps the juice of the steak to reach every end. While people love to serve the steak hot so most of the time people cut it down immediately but to balance its flavor one should keep it for rest. To keep it hot one can cover it with foil while keeping it for rest. 

6. Serving the Steak

After cooking and resting the steak, one can cut the steak into pieces and for best outcome, prefer the steak to slice it against the grain as it shortens the fibers and results in a more tender bite and flavor. Grain refers to the direction the muscle fibers run through the beef.