How to Properly Rest a Steak

At Char-Griller, we love grilling steaks, and we know our customers do too. Even though it may be tempting to dig into your steak right after it comes off the grill, it’s important to let your meat rest. Sounds easy enough, but how long should it rest, and how much time is too much? We’re going to answer all of your questions and teach you how to properly rest your steak.

Why Rest Your Steak?

The idea behind resting your steak is basically to let the meat cool down to about 120 F –125F. At this temperature, the steak will retain its juices when cut into, instead of the juice spilling out. However, you won’t be able to check the internal temperature because you don’t want to spoke into the steak, causing the juice to flow out. When resting a steak, a useful guideline is to let it rest for approximately as long as you cooked it. Another guideline is to let it rest for 5 minutes for every inch of thickness. Others say, rest the meat 10 minutes per pound. If all else fails, be sure to rest your meat for at least 5-7 minutes before cutting into it.

How to Rest Your Steak:

To rest your steak, you’ll first remove the steak from the heat source. Then, transfer the meat to a cutting board, warm plate, or serving platter. Use aluminum foil to tent the plan loosely to help retain some of the heat. After the steak has rested for the appropriate amount of time, remove the foil and slice the steak. When you slice the steak, make sure to slice it “across the grain” The grain of the steak refers to the muscle fibers within the meat. When you slice “across the grain,” it makes the muscle fibers shorter and, therefore, makes the meat more tender. Finding the grain is usually apparent, but make sure before you cut into it, you’ve taken a good look at the steak to identify the grain.