Master the Perfect Steak
Lesson 4 · Hit the Right Temperature
6 min read
Doneness is not opinion. It's a number. Buy a thermometer, learn the numbers, and never overcook again.
The single best investment in your kitchen
An instant-read thermometer is the largest upgrade you can make to your cooking, period. They're $15. Use it on every steak, roast, chicken thigh, and pork chop you cook for the next month. After that you'll have built such a strong calibration that you'll need it less — but you'll still use it. Pros use it. So should you.
Pasture-raised temperatures (the real numbers)
Pasture-raised beef runs leaner and finishes faster than commodity feedlot beef. The temps we recommend are 5°F below the standard playbook because that lean meat keeps cooking harder during the rest. Pull at 120°F for rare, 125°F for medium-rare, 130°F for medium, 140°F for medium-well. Anything higher than 140°F on a great steak is a waste of a great steak.
Carryover is real
A steak's internal temperature continues to climb 5-10°F after you pull it from heat, depending on thickness and how hard you seared. Thick + hard sear = more carryover. A 1.5" ribeye pulled at 125°F will land at 130-132°F by the time you're slicing it. Plan for that, don't react to it.
Where to probe
Insert the thermometer through the side of the steak so the tip lands in the dead center — the coldest point. If your steak is bone-in, stay well away from the bone (bone reads hot and lies to you). Take three quick readings in slightly different spots and trust the lowest one.
Try this next
Reverse-sear a thick ribeye
This is where the thermometer really shines. The reverse sear is bulletproof for thick cuts.
Quick Check · 3 questions
Prove you got it.
Get all three right to earn +15 XP and lock in the win. Retry as many times as you need.
1.What temperature do you PULL a pasture-raised steak for medium-rare?
2.About how much does the internal temperature climb during the rest (carryover)?
3.The single largest kitchen upgrade you can make for under $20 is...
Answer all three to check.