Well-Done, Medium, And Rare Steak: Do You Know The Difference? (2024)

Many people are particular about how they like their steak cooked. Some like charred edges, while others prefer a juicy, red center in their cut of meat. If you are unfamiliar with the levels of “doneness” of steak, the following can help you decide which is right for you: well-done, medium, or rare.

Is It Dangerous to Eat Undercooked Meat?

If you are cooking ground beef, pork, or chicken, do not eat it undercooked. Undercooked ground beef could contain E. Coli because of bacteria spread through the raw or undercooked meat. Most restaurants will cook ground beef to well-done to prevent illness.

The risks when eating steak are different. If there are any bacteria on the this meat, they will almost always be on the outside. This meat does not have the parasites that are common in pigs and chickens, so it is safer to eat when undercooked. To minimize or eliminate the risk of foodborne illness with steak, cook the outside and handle it with clean cooking tools.

Well-done Steak

When you look at the meat and it has a gray-brown color with no pink, and has charred blackening on the outside, then you have a well-done steak. It is a challenge to cook beef to this level without overdoing it. The key is to cook on low heat, or else your steak could end up dry and difficult to chew.

Medium Well Steak

The gray-brown color is still there in this type of steak, but it should have a pale pink hint inside as well. This is the preferred level of doneness for someone who wants their steak tender, without red juice on their plate when they cut into it.

Medium Steak

A cut of beef cooked to this level has a light pink strip throughout the middle. You will notice, however, that there is still a little more gray-brown than pink in the color of the steak.

Medium Rare Steak

Your medium rare steak should have a firm outside with a juicy and soft inside. It is warm and has a center that is colored mostly pink with a red middle.

Rare Steak

If you order your steak rare, it will come out charred by a grill or flash fried on the outside. The inside of the meat will be almost completely red, with a much cooler temperature than other cooking levels. A steak cooked rare should be soft, similar to raw meat.

Blue Steak

Blue steak is almost entirely raw on the inside, with a light charring on the outside. This beef feels soft or almost sponge-like. This level of doneness is not for everyone, but is said be the juiciest and most tender out of all the cooking levels.

Some people don’t like to see a pool of what they think is blood on their plate from a steak that is not well-done or medium-well. The red you see in this meat is actually not blood, but mostly fat, water, and myoglobin. This is is a protein that causes the red coloring in meat. Even when served rare, a quality cut of meat that has been properly cleaned and drained should have hardly any blood in it.

Delicious Steaks Cooked to Perfection at Dyer’s Bar-B-Que in Amarillo, Texas!

If you’re looking for a perfectly cooked steak or are ready for some Texas BBQ, visit Dyer’s Bar-B-Que today in Amarillo, Texas. You can visit us in person at 1619 S. Kentucky E #526 I-40 and Georgia in the Wellington Square Shopping Center in Amarillo. Contact Us by email or call us at (806) 358-7104 in Amarilloto learn more About Us, and find out about our Menu options and Catering.