frequent flipping cooks the meat more evenly, and also significantly faster: flip every minute instead of once or twice and the meat will be done in a third less time. This works because neither side has time to absorb a lot of heat when facing the fire or to lose heat when facing away.
Recent experiments and noted food scientist and writer Harold McGee indicate that flipping a steak several times while cooking results in a steak that is ready sooner but also yields better overall results than the single flip method. Flipping your meat constantly also minimizes the desiccation zone or the dry area.
After a total of around 5 minutes on the first side, flip the steaks over using your tongs (never pierce the steaks with a fork!). Rotate again. After another 2 or 3 minutes on the other side, again rotate the steaks 45 degrees to create our grill marks on the other side.
As a rule of thumb, when cooking steaks that are 1-1/2 inch thick, you want to go by the 3-4 rule. That is, three minutes per side on direct heat, then four minutes per side on indirect heat.
To cook a medium-rare steak, place it on a hot grill for approximately 5 minutes. Flip, rotate, and move to another spot on the grill. Cook an additional 4 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 130°F (it will continue to cook while resting). Let rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve.
Pre-heat your Gas or Charcoal Grill: Place steaks over high heat and sear EACH SIDE for 1 minute with lid closed. Then transfer steak to indirect heat OR reduce to low heat. Close the lid and cook according to the cooking times and temperatures below for your desired doneness.
But the reality is that flipping a steak repeatedly during cooking—as often as every 30 seconds or so—will produce a crust that is just as good (provided you start with meat with a good, dry surface, as you always should), give you a more evenly cooked interior, and cook in about 30% less time to boot!
Rare steak - 125 F, about 6 minutes of cooking. Medium-rare steak - 130 F, about 8 minutes of cooking. Medium steak - 140 F, about 10 minutes. Medium-well - 145 F, about 12 minutes.
Grill over direct heat for 3 – 4 minutes or until you see char marks. Flip the steak over and grill the other side for additional 3 – 4 minutes or until char marks form. Remove from the grill when the internal temperature of the steak reaches 125 degrees F for rare using an instant read thermometer.
On The Grill
Season the steak one hour before cooking, using extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, and kosher or sea salt. Leave it at room temperature until cooking. Brush each side with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.
It turns out that when using other proper steak-cooking methods, like cooking over high heat and ensuring that steaks are dry before searing, multiple flips did not ruin steak sears or cooks.
If you rest steak after cooking for too long under an aluminum foil tent you will get two bad outcomes: 1. Carryover Cooking: where the steak will continue to cook well past medium and into well done territory or worse. 2.
A rare steak is considered under-cooked when it doesn't reach the internal temperature of 125° Fahrenheit (52° C). Any steak or cut of beef that's cooked rarer than this can potentially be dangerous to eat.
Dietary goal
If you eat red meat, limit consumption to no more than about three portions per week. Three portions is equivalent to about 350–500g (about 12–18oz) cooked weight.
Why Do You Let Meat Rest? Internal juices constrict during the cooking process, and resting meat allows its juices to reabsorb and redistribute. Cutting it too soon will cause its juice to pool out and yield a dry cut of meat.
Rule of thumb #2: Thin-cut meat should be cooked Hot and Fast, while thick cuts are best cooked Low and Slow.
The center of the steak becomes supersaturated with liquid—there's more liquid in there than it can hold on to—so when you slice it open, all that extra liquid pours out. By resting the steaks, you allow all that liquid that was forced out of the edges and into the center time to migrate back out to the edges.
If you're cooking more than one steak, make sure there are at least a couple of inches between them—you don't want to crowd the pan. If it's a tight fit, use two pans or cook the steaks in batches.
Because minute steaks are so thin, they cook evenly and quickly in about 4 minutes (I know: Why is it called a minute steak then?).
Preheat an outdoor grill to high heat (about 500 degrees). Sear steaks for 3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking with the lid closed until the steaks reach the desired level of doneness (130 degrees F for medium-rare).
The timing.
As a rule of thumb (for a steak 22mm thick) – cook 2 minutes each side for rare, 3-4 mins each side for medium-rare and 4-6 mins each side for medium. For well done, cook for 2-4 minutes each side, then turn the heat down and cook for another 4-6 minutes.
Myth 2: Only flip steak once
Yep, you heard that right. While it's true that constantly moving and flipping your steak will prolong the browning process, evenly transferring heat to both sides of the meat provides a more consistent doneness. (And don't worry, your steak will still get great color using this method.)