I made a 2.5 lb. beef tenderloin last night for dinner and was sort of surprised by a few things, just wondering if my meat thermometer is inaccurate or what the deal here is. So, I like my steak cooked around medium rare so I aim for an end temperature around 130º. I first seared the sides of the tenderloin and then finished in a 375º oven until the probe thermometer read 118º - inserted into as close to center as I felt I could get.
I then took out the roast, placed it in a 13 x 9 dish, covered loosely with foil, and placed into a 200º warmed oven. As soon as I put the roast in, I turned the oven off. I left the thermometer in the meat so juices wouldn't flow out and also so I could monitor how much the temperature increased from carryover. After about a 20-25 minute rest, it measured 142º... which I was not happy about because I thought that would be cooked much more than I wanted.
To my (good) surprise, when I sliced it, it was a perfectly rosy red that I would consider medium rare (some of the very center slices even slightly less done, which I was okay with).
So I was happy things turned out well in the end... but I'm wondering why the inconsistency with the thermometer... maybe it just is giving too low of readings and it wasn't really at 118? Or is the meat still that red above 140º? I'm just a bit confused and want to figure this out... because if I use that thermometer for something like a pork roast, I don't want the meat looking medium rare when I think it's good at 145.
I then took out the roast, placed it in a 13 x 9 dish, covered loosely with foil, and placed into a 200º warmed oven. As soon as I put the roast in, I turned the oven off. I left the thermometer in the meat so juices wouldn't flow out and also so I could monitor how much the temperature increased from carryover. After about a 20-25 minute rest, it measured 142º... which I was not happy about because I thought that would be cooked much more than I wanted.
To my (good) surprise, when I sliced it, it was a perfectly rosy red that I would consider medium rare (some of the very center slices even slightly less done, which I was okay with).
So I was happy things turned out well in the end... but I'm wondering why the inconsistency with the thermometer... maybe it just is giving too low of readings and it wasn't really at 118? Or is the meat still that red above 140º? I'm just a bit confused and want to figure this out... because if I use that thermometer for something like a pork roast, I don't want the meat looking medium rare when I think it's good at 145.
