How do I cook a steak well-done without it drying out?
My wife and I typically eat our steaks on the rarer side of medium rare. However, since she is pregnant she's not supposed to eat steak cooked to a temperature under 160 degrees. Is there a way to cook a steak well done while keeping it tender and juicy?
UPDATE: For anyone curious, we ended up going with a combination of sous vide skirt steak (in a homemade Styrofoam cooler), and home-ground burgers with extra fat added to the mix in the form of trimmings from the butcher, and strips of bacon. It definitely did the trick, but I'm glad we're back to medium-rare again. We ate a whole bunch of Omaha steaks that I had been saving after our daughter was born. The baby won't have an opinion on her red meat preferences for some time.
Best Answer
sous vide is an excellent technique to use, for your situation. You can cook any number of foods to your desired doneness while also pasteurizing the product. So, you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. With sous vide there is no problem with a rare steak, because you can pasteurize. Remember, pasteurization is not simply a result of temperature...but, temperature + time. For example, with sous vide, you can cook a raw egg at 57C (134.6 F) for two hours...it will appear raw and behave as raw, but will be pasteurized and safe to eat. Why give up steak the way you like it?
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Quick Answer about "How do I cook a steak well-done without it drying out?"
Cook a 2cm-thick piece of steak for 2-3 minutes each side for rare, 4 minutes each side for medium, and 5-6 minutes each side for well-done. Turn the steak only once, otherwise it will dry out. Always use tongs to handle steak as they won't pierce the meat, allowing the juices to escape.How do you cook steak well done but not dry?
It all comes down to temperature. The longer you cook a steak, the hotter it gets, and as it heats up, the muscle fibers get firm and all the juices cook out. The result is that the interior of a well-done steak is a uniform gray color, and the steak itself is tough, chewy, flavorless, and dry.How do you make a well-done steak still juicy?
Cover your meat with parchment paper or foil before cooking it. Place your section of meat on a baking tray, then rip away a section of foil and parchment paper. Drape the paper or foil over your meat, then stick it in the oven for the required time.How to make a juicy well done steak-The Secret to cooking a well done steak that's juicy!
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Answer 2
Sear the steak in an oven-proof pan, then move the pan to a low temperature (120C) oven to finish. A food thermometer will let you know when to take it out.
Answer 3
This will come across as sacrilege to some: One way would be to brine the meat in the fridge for half to one day before cooking. You probably need to experiment a bit with brine concentration, say somewhere between 0.25% and 1% weight of salt to weight of water water. Weigh the meat, use the same weight of water, add the salt. Wash and dry the meat afterwards before cooking.
Salt intake might be something to watch out for though.
Alternatively, sous vide the steak at your desired temperature. If you need to be careful about food safety, sear the meat on all sides for 30 seconds before bagging it for sous vide.
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