Resting Your Steaks
No. It’s not naptime.
You've done it.
Cooked your first steak of the season.
And you can't wait to cut into that beauty and take a bite out of it.
But you should.
Truly. Really. Honestly.
One of the easiest mistakes to make when cooking steaks (or burgers or roasts or whatever) is to not give your meat a chance to rest.
What does that even mean?!?
“Resting” your meat?
Resting simply means waiting, usually ten to fifteen minutes, before you slice into your cut.
But you're starving.
You’ve been working up an appetite all day.
And that steak looks delicious and you’re ready to just dive right in.
Why bother with this nonsense?
Because you’re setting yourself up for a world of disappointment.
If you cut that steak up, right off the grill, be prepared for steak juice to escape alllllllll over your plate, resulting in a drier cut.
I mean, I guess you can mop up the juice with your steak bites, but wouldn't it be nicer to just have it all stay in the steak to begin with?
By allowing some rest time, your steak cools off (just a smidge) and the inside juices are allowed to redistribute more evenly throughout the muscle fibers.
This means that the steak can hold onto more moisture, ultimately giving you a juicier, tastier steak.
So.
I've convinced you. You'll rest your next steak.
But how do you do it?
Pretty dang simply.
Just toss your freshly grilled steaks onto a plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and set a timer.
The general rule is about five minutes resting per inch thickness of steak or ten minutes resting per pound of steak, whichever is more.
This is the perfect time to get any last minute sides plated, set the table, or pour yourself a nice glass of wine for dinner.
Once your timer is all set, dig in and enjoy!
Seriously.
It’s that simple.
And it’ll make a huge impact on your final result.