Give It A Rest: Why Your Meat Has To Rest After You Cook It

That thick, juicy, 100% grass-fed steak. It’s steaming hot and you’re ready to eat. You can practically taste it.

It might be tempting to slice and serve steak right after you cook it, but not so fast – and here’s why.

If you’ve ever cut a steak straight off the grill, you’ve seen all the juices flow out onto the plate. That is exactly what resting is meant to prevent.

Through the process of cooking, the proteins in the beef set and become firm. The outside of the meat cooks first and seals in the juices, which are drawn into the center as the meat cooks.

By taking the time to let the beef rest after you remove it from the heat, you give the juices a chance to flow back from the center and reabsorb throughout the rest of the meat. That way, when you cut a steak, it loses less juice. And the end result is a juicier, more tender steak on your plate.

It’s worth a few minutes to have a juicier piece of meat. But really, how long should you wait?

Loosely, we suggest resting a thicker, bigger piece of meat for longer than a thinner piece. For most steaks, five to seven minutes is a good rule of thumb. A roast will take longer, usually 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how big it is.

Place your steak on a cutting board and tent it with foil to keep it warm while it rests. But don’t cover it too tightly. That’s because the steak will cook a bit more while it rests anyway, and you don’t want it to go past the doneness you prefer. Wrapping it too tightly can also cause it to lose the moisture you’re trying to keep in. We also suggest removing the steak from the heat a little bit before it reaches your desired internal temperature.

With just a little extra waiting, your extra juicy, 100% grass-fed beef is ready to serve.