Well done? Rare? Somewhere in between? The doneness of your beef can raise heated discussions among family and friends! Who is right? What tastes better? The choice can be as personal as charcoal or gas. (that’s a whole other blog topic!)
So first, what is the “official” rule? The USDA recommends that whole muscle beef (aka roasts and steaks) should be cooked to 145º — also known as a doneness of Medium. Now there are plenty of you (including me, Libby) that enjoy their steak more rare. This is a personal choice, one that gives you a juicy flavorful steak. An internal temp of 145º ensures that any bacteria is killed. The thing with whole muscle cuts is that the inside of the steak has never been exposed to bacteria. So there is no way that germs are inside your steak, unless you cut it with a dirty knife.
I am not telling you how to eat your steak, but, ummmm… personally, I am all about the Medium Rare steak.
If you take a cheaper cut of beef and you cook the holy moly out of it, it’s going to be tough. In all honesty, if you take a prime cut filet mignon and you cook it Well Done, it’s not going to be juicy and tender. Overcooking evaporates all of the fat and juice out of your steak. All the yummy…. poof, gone! My best suggestion for steak is a hot grill or hot pan. Turn it once. Use a meat thermometer if you are intimidated. I have added a chart to show the temperature for the level of doneness.
As for the hamburger! That’s a totally different story. By nature, you’ve already learned that I am a rule breaker, as just demonstrated via my Rare personality. BUT, WHEN IT COMES TO GROUND BEEF, I DO NOT BREAK THE RULES! The USDA says that ground beef must be cooked to 160º to be safe. There’s a reason ground beef is more prone to bacteria. Primarily, it is due to the vast surface area of ground meat. Instead of a smooth outer surface that can be heated to kill the bacteria, ground meat is basically all surface area. The second risk factor is the number of times ground meats are handled.
To render ground beef, whole muscles are first trimmed or cut from the beef carcass. They are then handled and placed in a grinder with other cuts from the same beef. So far, that means a person has touched it once to cut it. Again to put it in the grinder. And again to package it. Hopefully their hands are clean, along with the grinder. BUT, what if the person that cooks your burger has bacteria on their hands? That’s right, it’s then inside your burger. The outside gets nice and crispy, killing any bacteria, but the inside could be hanging on to chef Jim’s dirty germs. So cook that burger until a meat thermometer reads 160º. If you have purchased fresh, tasty ground beef, the doneness will not affect the flavor.
It’s your choice how done you eat your steak. Hopefully, now you are armed to defend your delicious preference the next time your family discusses the Rare VS. Well Done debate.
Thank you for this very helpful information!
Glad we could help!