【Even Beginners Can Do It】Complete Guide to Grilling Delicious Steak

When you cook steak at home, have you ever failed to achieve the ideal doneness like a restaurant, resulting in it being undercooked or overcooked? This time, we will explain in detail how to cook a delicious steak, even for those who don't usually cook.

Which do you prefer? Types of Steak Doneness

"Delicious steak doneness" varies from person to person. So, let's first check your ideal steak doneness! Here are three commonly heard types of doneness.

・Rare

This doneness involves searing the surface of the beef at a high temperature, leaving the center of the steak almost raw. You can enjoy the "chewy" texture of the meat.
However, unless you have confidence in your stomach, it is best to avoid eating beef rare by yourself.

・Medium

This doneness means the heat has reached the inside of the steak, but the center of the meat remains pink. It can be difficult to replicate this exquisite doneness at home without knowing the tricks, so it can be said to be a doneness that highlights the chef's skill.
By the way, "medium-rare" is a doneness that is closer to rare than medium.

・Well-done

This term means "well cooked" and refers to a doneness where the center of the meat has turned brown. To cook it thoroughly, sear both sides well in a preheated pan, then cover the pan and steam it.

Some people may be hesitant to eat medium or rare steak. Perhaps it's because they were told as children, "If meat isn't thoroughly browned, you'll get a stomachache." While that's not entirely wrong, it's also true that beef is a relatively low-risk food.

In the case of pork and chicken, there is a risk of parasites, viruses, and bacteria lurking inside the meat. Therefore, raw pork should never be consumed, and raw chicken should also be avoided unless it is specifically labeled "for raw consumption."

On the other hand, for beef, bacteria are not originally present inside the meat. However, there are many food poisoning bacteria in the internal organs, and there is a risk that bacteria may have splattered from the internal organs onto the meat during processing. Although splattered bacteria may penetrate into the meat, bacteria on the surface of the meat are eliminated by cooking, so it is important to sear the surface thoroughly until it is well browned.

Furthermore, when cooking a thick cut of steak, heating the surface of the meat, including at least 1 cm into the block, at 60°C for 2 minutes can reduce the number of bacteria to less than 1/10,000, even if bacteria have penetrated into the meat. Therefore, if you can heat it at 60°C for 2 minutes or more, you can say that the risk of food poisoning can be suppressed as long as the meat has not spoiled. If you carefully achieve this "60°C for 2 minutes or more" doneness, the center will be a delicate pink, achieving a medium doneness.

（Reference: Government Public Relations Online "Please be careful! Food poisoning from raw or undercooked meat" https://www.gov-online.go.jp/useful/article/201005/4.html）