How Long To Let Steak Rest After Cooking

We’ve covered the importance of resting steak and what happens when you don’t rest steak. Now let’s examine how long to let the steak rest.

The goal of resting steak is to allow it to cool down enough so that the steak’s center achieves a temperature between 120°F-130°F.

The steaks exterior should also cool down to 125°F-140°F.

Although a thermometer is the best way to monitor the steak’s temperature, do not use a meat thermometer. It’s much better to use an infrared thermometer.

A meat thermometer probe will create a hole in the steal, allowing the steak’s juices to run out.

There are multiple rules for how long to rest steak. For example, one of the rules is to rest the steak one minute for every 100 grams.

Therefore, if you 300 grams of steak, you’d rest it for 3 minutes.

Another rule is resting the steak for 10 minutes a pound. So, if you have a 2-pound tomahawk steak, you’d rest it for 20 minutes.

The cooking time method involves resting the steak for 1/2 the time you cooked the steak.

So if it took 10 minutes to cook a thin eye of round steak, you would let it rest for 5 minutes. This same rule also suggests resting the steak for as long as you cooked it.

Another rule asserts that you should let the steak rest for 5 minutes per inch of thickness.

Therefore, if your steak is 1 inch, you’d let it rest for 5 minutes. However, if your steak is 2 inches, you should let it rest for 10 minutes.

Can Steak Rest Too Long

Just like you can rest BBQ chicken breast for too long, you can rest a steak for too long.

As the steak rests, its temperature will rise 5-10 degrees.

However, at some point, the steak’s internal temperature will start to drop.

The more the steak’s temperature drops, the colder it will be. So follow the rules mentioned above when resting steak.

How Do You Rest a Steak Without It Going Cold

The trick to resting steak is to keep it warm. Keeping the steak warm will prevent it from going cold.

Nevertheless, the goal is to keep the steak warm, not cook it further.

The best way to keep your steak warm is by covering them. The most common way to keep steak warm is by loosely covering it with foil.

However, do not wrap the steak too tightly, or it will steam and make the beautifully seared crust soggy.

You can also keep your steak warm in the oven. Most conventional ovens are designed with a warming compartment.

The warming compartment is usually located right beneath the oven.

However, if you’ve used the oven right before you cooked the steaks, I do not recommend placing your steaks in the warming compartment.

The oven will be too hot and overcook the steaks.

How Do You Revive a Chewy Steak

So you overcooked a steak. Although it can be frustrating to overcook a steak, it isn’t the end of the world.

You can use the overcooked beef in another dish.

For example, you can chop the beef into smaller pieces and use it in soups or shepherd’s pie.

You can also slice the beef really thinly and use it for wraps or sandwiches.

You can also shred the beef and use it in mac and cheese or tacos.

Either way, all of these methods will help you revive your overcooked steak and keep you from having to toss it in the trash.

Final Thoughts

How long to rest steak after it’s cooked heavily depends on its weight and thickness. Thinner steaks have a resting time of 2-5 minutes.

In contrast, thicker steaks have a resting time of 10-20 minutes. Remember to rest each steak on a case-by-case basis.

Overall, as long as you let your steak rest for the appropriate time, you will end up with a delicious, moist steak.

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William Thomas

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.