America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Well-Done Meat

Which cuts of steak are the best for cooking to well-done? And what's the best way to do it?

Which cuts of steak are the best for cooking to well-done? And what's the best way to do it?

As meat cooks to well-done (155-160 degrees serving temperature), its proteins start to unwind, which forces moisture out of the meat, thereby making it tough. Lean cuts have little protection from drying out because they contain little fat (melted fat acts as a moisturizer). To improve the odds of keeping a steak moist, start with a well-marbled cut. Using rib eye, we poached, basted, roasted, and salted, until we found two methods that improved the steak’s texture when cooked to well-done. The first was brining (we soaked 2 pounds of steak in 2 quarts of cold water with 1/4 cup each of salt and sugar for 1 hour). Brining seasons meat and keeps it moist; it’s typically used in recipes for poultry or pork because those meats must be cooked to a higher internal temperature for safety. Roasting the steak at a low, 275-degree temperature also helped, ensuring that it cooked evenly without the exterior drying out from contact with intense heat. After roasting, we broiled the meat briefly to give it a charred crust, which didn’t alter its juiciness.

THE BOTTOM LINE  Well-done steak will never be as moist, tender, or flavorful as steak cooked less. That said, for well-done steak done (reasonably) well, start with a well-marbled steak, brine it, then cook it slowly.

Recommended Reading

This is a members' feature.