Rest Steak, and Why it’s Important.

As you explore the world of barbecue and try to enhance your skills, you’ll uncover no end of “secrets” to better grilling.

Even something that seems basic, like cooking a steak, has insider tricks and tips for the best results.

Grilled steaks are also better after a short rest. It’s true!

We’re all after that perfect barbecued steak experience, and this vital information will help you get there.

How Long to Let Steak Rest

Let’s get this out of the way right now. There are many opinions, guidelines, and rules of thumb.

A five-minute resting period is plenty for any steak of at least 1-inch thickness.

You could go longer. You’ll read “5 minutes per inch of thickness” on many sites, which would be 7.5 minutes for a steak with the recommended best thickness of 1.5 inches.

Now, different steaks take different times to cook, so the theory is you need to rest them for different times. But honestly, 5 minutes is enough. You won’t see or taste enough difference to make those extra minutes mandatory or worth it.

You also have steaks cooked blue, that barely touch the pan and only need a minute or two to rest, but the people who eat steak blue are few and far between.

Now that you know how long to let steak rest, let’s learn why we’re doing it.

Why Rest Your Steak After Grilling?

If you don’t rest your steak, then you will lose juices, moisture, and flavor

For example, if you cut into a steak and juices flow out and create a puddle on your plate, you think, “Wow, what a tender, juicy steak! This will be delicious.” And yes, it was a tender and juicy steak, right up until you let all the moisture out.

It might still be ok, but it won’t be as good as it could have been.

What Happens to Steak During Cooking?

Meat is muscle, and muscle is full of bundles of protein fibers that expand and contract as needed when the brain asks the muscles to work.

Exposing the fibers to high heat during cooking causes them to contract. Contracting fibers squeeze out moisture (raw beef is about 75% water), forcing most of it towards the center of the steak.

What Happens During Resting?

Once the steak comes away from the heat, the fibers relax, allowing the moisture to redistribute more evenly.

That means when you cut into it, the bulk of the fluids will stay in the meat instead of leaking onto your plate. You’ll enjoy a far juicier steak, with a better mouthfeel and more intense flavor.

Something else that happens when you rest your steak is Carryover Cooking.

Meat absorbs heat as it cooks, and it doesn’t simply disappear when you take it off the grill. The residual heat will continue to cook your steak from the inside while it rests.

Do all Steaks Need Resting After Cooking?

Yes, we recommend resting all your steaks, no matter the cut. This especially applies to the best thick, juicy steaks for grilling (1½ inches is optimal). You could probably sear a very thin steak (½ inch or less) and then dig right in without losing much fluid or flavor.

And if you are one of those people who like a well-done steak, by the time you’ve cooked it that much, there isn’t much moisture and tenderness left to preserve.

How to Rest Your Steak

Remove the steak from your grill.

Place the steak on a clean plate, platter, or cutting board. (Never reuse the plate you brought the raw steak to your BBQ on.)

Leave your steak uncovered somewhere safe from bugs, pets, impatient guests, etc.

(Some people tell you to tent it with aluminum foil, but naked on the counter is just fine.

Do something else until the required rest time elapses.

Serve the now-perfect steak immediately.

What Happens if You Don’t Let Steak Rest Long Enough?

When you slice into the steak with your knife, all that collected moisture (and flavor) escapes onto your plate, leaving you with a less tender, less tasty cut of meat.

The effect of slicing right away without letting the steak rest is not huge, but it’s there, and it does make a difference, with some steaks more than others. So just rest them all.

Can You Rest Steak Too Long?

Not really.

The worst that could happen is your steak is no longer warm when you go to eat it.

Final Thoughts

The simple technique of resting steak (you’re doing nothing) makes a huge difference to the taste and everyone’s enjoyment of the meal. When it comes to steaks, patience is a virtue that pays off.