Letting Meat Rest

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

marvinq

Assistant Cook
Joined
Sep 15, 2008
Messages
26
When I grill Steak I've been wrapping them in foil to let them 'rest'. My question is how long should I let them rest and does it really make a difference?
 
It makes a huge difference as it allows the juices of the meat to be redistributed through the whole piece. Otherwise, when you cut into it, all the juices will run out and the rest will be dry. I'm not sure how long, it's a percentage of your cooking time, depending on the cooking time/size.
Also, I just cover loosely with foil so it doesn't continue to cook/steam while resting.
 
Last edited:
When I grill Steak I've been wrapping them in foil to let them 'rest'. My question is how long should I let them rest and does it really make a difference?

what kind of steak is it?
if its ribeye or t-bone it should go from grill to plate
nothing better than a hot steak right off the grill
 
For a steak I'd say about 5 minutes should do it. I simply tent versus wrapping. Unless you are under cooking your meat I would be afraid wrapping would cause my steak to overcook. And yes, as Wyogal stated, it allows the juices to basically sink back into the meat (steak, chicken, smoked pork butt, brisket, etc.). While it's cooking all those juices are moving around and rise to the surface. If you cut a piece of meat immediately after removing from the heat source the juices simply spill out of the meat and what's left is a piece of meat with no juices left in it. Resting makes a HUGE difference.

Even grilled meats need to rest. :chef: Going from grill to plate is fine, just don't cut it! If someone served me a steak right off the grill I would let it rest on my plate and no one would be the wiser...except my tastebuds!
 
Last edited:
For the reasons stated above --- Steaks need 5-10 Minutes depending on thickness. Large roast often need 15-20 minutes in repose. Tenting is recommended over wrapping unless you are trying to hold the meat over for a (long) period of time....Be advised it will continue to cook/steam/braise however...Also tenting can sometimes soften the crust/ crispy skin/bark/sear/ etc on the meat...If you don't want to lose that...then let it rest in the open....

Fun & Enjoy!
 
Another Resting Mmeat Question

One thing I noticed is that when I let meat 'rest' in a foil wrap or tent is that there are a lot of juices outside of the meat. I'm wondering if I didn't sear the meat right and thats why all the juices are found on the outside instead of it being 'locked' in the meat. Or is it normal for some juices to be on the outside of the meat after letting it rest?

Can anyone shed light on this?
 
That is normal. And as for searing locking in juices, that is actually not what happens. Searing does not lock in juices. It actually ruptures cell walls causing moisture loss. It is worth it though because searing creates flavor so the little moisture loss is well worth what you gain in taste.
 
I agree with Bob on the rest timing.

As for the juices that accumulate on the plate, just pour them over the steak, sliced or otherwise, when you serve it. Save some for the baked potato, too.
 
i always keep a real close eye on my ribeyes
once they are cooked to my perfection
they have left the grill to the plate
with juices coming out in every cut

but i will let them rest the next time i cook them and see what happens
 
When I grill Steak I've been wrapping them in foil to let them 'rest'. My question is how long should I let them rest and does it really make a difference?

I have never heard of wrapping cooked meat to let it reat. I think that's overkill. Tenting is usually a good idea, not also not necessary for items like burgers and steaks.
 
"Stand" time is usually only necessary on larger pieces of meat because the meat continues cooking after taking it off the grill/out of the oven. Steaks and burgers usually don't need this because they are eaten in their entirety quickly, where as a large rib roast will keep cooking in the middle and you should either leave it stand for 20-30 minutes (depending on size, we only go about 3 lbs for rib roasts for the 2 of us) or if it is already at the temp inside you want, you're going to want to open it up or it will get over done in the middle.

I've not heard of tenting for this purpose, but I'm not a chef, I'm just married to one :chef:
 
Freefallin, the idea is to NOT let the roast get to the desired temp IN the oven, so that it won't be overcooked after you've let it rest to redistribute the juices.

And it is recommended to rest your steaks for a short time (around 5-10 minutes) so that the juices will not just run all over your plate or the serving platter. :)
 
Charlie, that has to be more than one piece of meat, right? I'd let them rest for 15-20 minutes.
 
Actually it is one piece. It's what butcher get into store before cutting into pieces for sale. It's almos whole side of the cow.
 
Actually it is one piece. It's what butcher get into store before cutting into pieces for sale. It's almos whole side of the cow.


I've never seen one that big. Still it's a pretty flat piece of meat so 20 minutes should be enough. If you wanted to go to 30 minutes, that would be OK.
 
Actually it is one piece. It's what butcher get into store before cutting into pieces for sale. It's almos whole side of the cow.


Just curiously, what on earth are you gonna cook your side of cow on? And to stay on topic I will add that once you cook that much beef you have time on your side, lol, let it rest til you have rested up from getting it to the table!!
 
Freefallin, the idea is to NOT let the roast get to the desired temp IN the oven, so that it won't be overcooked after you've let it rest to redistribute the juices.


I thought this was known already? That's what Stand Time is for, kind of like icing on the cake ... it's the last stage for larger pieces of meat. Though I've never done it with steaks on purpose, it usually just happens :) Lewis Grizzard, an entertainment writer for a lot of the larger newspapers (dead now, for several years at least) said "If you're grilling with charcoal, the time frame for the coals to be ready is a six-pack." So, if I'm not done with that last beer ... the steak gets a few minutes to stand by default :LOL:
 
Well, it is not the Whole side of cow, it is only the whole side of brisket. So it goes strait in the oven without any problem.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom