Although we give cooking times for beef, we debated doing so at first. There are so many factors involved: how cold your refrigerator is, how cold the meat is, how marbled the meat is, how accurate your oven is, how consistent the heat is, how often you open the door, what the composition of your roasting pan is, etc.
In the end, the only reliable test is done with an instant-read meat thermometer, inserted diagonally into the center of the meat for 5 seconds to get an accurate reading. What that temperature actually means is a matter of debate. For example, we prefer beef rarer than the USDA guidelines.
Theirs have been established for safety; ours, for safety and taste. Should you choose to follow our recommendations, realize what you’re doing, buy certified organic beef from a reputable butcher, and cook it within a day of purchase. Rare meat should not be consumed by anyone with immune deficiencies, expectant mothers, or the infirm.
Our definitions are rare, 120°F; medium-rare, 125°F; medium, 140°F; and well done, 160°F. The USDA’s are rare, not recommended; medium-rare, 145°F; medium, 160°F; and well done, 170°F.
However, you’ll notice that we don’t strictly adhere to these temperatures inside some recipes. We sometimes suggest you take the beef off the heat at a slightly lower temperature than those given.
Larger cuts of beef continue to cook off the heat, the fat still hot in the meat. Also note that there are no temperatures given for fattier, tougher cuts that are stewed, braised, or roasted-brisket, for example-because these are cooked to temperatures well beyond medium, even well done, until the meat falls apart.
Theirs have been established for safety; ours, for safety and taste. Should you choose to follow our recommendations, realize what you’re doing, buy certified organic beef from a reputable butcher, and cook it within a day of purchase. Rare meat should not be consumed by anyone with immune deficiencies, expectant mothers, or the infirm.
Our definitions are rare, 120°F; medium-rare, 125°F; medium, 140°F; and well done, 160°F. The USDA’s are rare, not recommended; medium-rare, 145°F; medium, 160°F; and well done, 170°F.
However, you’ll notice that we don’t strictly adhere to these temperatures inside some recipes. We sometimes suggest you take the beef off the heat at a slightly lower temperature than those given.
Larger cuts of beef continue to cook off the heat, the fat still hot in the meat. Also note that there are no temperatures given for fattier, tougher cuts that are stewed, braised, or roasted-brisket, for example-because these are cooked to temperatures well beyond medium, even well done, until the meat falls apart.
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