The Steak Cooking Mistake To Avoid, Unless You Want Dried Out Meat

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There is a wealth of misconceptions people believe about what can ruin a steak. Notions such as only flipping it once on the grill or the need to let the beef come to room temperature before it's cooked are just a couple of examples of steak myths that aren't always true. Another belief some home cooks hold is that jabbing the beef with a fork is a mistake that will dry out the meat. However, it turns out that, in some instances at least, this theory is actually correct.

The Takeout spoke with Jeffrey Williams, the executive chef at Willowsong, who confirmed that stabbing holes in your meat isn't the best approach to cooking steak. "This is true, poking a steak with a fork will release the juices and essentially make it dry," he said. Still, Williams did indicate that this concept applies more to your Rolls-Royce cuts like filet and ribeye. "Now there are exceptions to the rule," he said. "Those are the type of steaks; I've seen recipes where you poke the steak to achieve tenderness for steaks like a chuck, or if you plan on deep frying." Yet, if you're cooking a strip or a porterhouse, you're better off investing in a quality set of tongs like these Hotec Stainless Steel Kitchen Tongs.

Home cooks and professional chefs alike often utilize a meat thermometer like this Alpha Grillers Meat Thermometer to avoid overcooking a steak. The instrument affords folks precision control over the internal temperature they are attempting to achieve, but it also pokes a hole in the meat, allowing precious juices to escape. Nevertheless, Jeffrey Williams noted that although a thermometer is penetrating the beef, it's not as big a deal as you might think.

"To check a steak's doneness, we do sometimes use thermometers," Williams said. "These are a single prod, though, so it doesn't affect the internal juices that much." Sure, if you had a meat thermometer that looked like it came out of a sci-fi movie with 15 probes, you might be doing more harm than good sticking them all into the steak. But, as far as I am aware, nothing like that exists because it's wildly unnecessary. One little hole from a meat thermometer isn't going to dry out a steak.

Still, if you aren't interested in tempting fate by jabbing any holes into the beef, with enough practice, you can tell if a steak is done by touching it. "I think determining temps comes with experience," Williams said. "You get to a level where you can press a steak with a finger or cooking time to determine accurately the internal temp."