Steak Doneness and Temperature Chart (°F / °C)

Steak doneness is measured by internal temperature, not by time or color. Pull the steak about 5°F / 3°C before your target and let carryover cooking finish it during the rest. The numbers below are the chef-recommended ranges used across the cooking world.

The USDA recommends cooking whole beef steaks to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F / 63°C, followed by a 3-minute rest. Many cooks prefer steak below that for texture, which is a matter of personal preference. Either way, an instant-read thermometer is the only reliable way to hit your mark.

Before You Cook: 4 Rules That Make or Break a Steak

The prep matters more than the cut.

• Pat it bone-dry: Surface moisture steams the meat and blocks browning, so dry it until it looks matte.
• Salt ahead of time: Salt 40 minutes to overnight to season the meat through, or right before cooking if you are short on time.
• Take the chill off: Let the steak sit out about 30 minutes so it cooks evenly from edge to center.
• Keep a thermometer close: Color lies. Temperature does not.

How to Season a Steak: Salt, Dry Brine, and Beyond

Salt is the one thing a steak truly needs, and when you add it, it matters more than what else goes on. A dry brine, salting the steak and leaving it uncovered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, draws moisture out and back in, seasoning it deeply and drying the surface for a better crust.

From there, the season for the cut. Well-marbled ribeye needs little more than salt and coarse pepper. Lean cuts take well to a rub of garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Tougher, thinner cuts like flank and skirt benefit from a 30-minute marinade of oil, acid, garlic, and salt, which seasons and tenderizes at once. Save a finishing touch like compound butter for the end, where the flavor lands brightest.

How to Cook Steak on the Stovetop

Searing in a heavy pan is the most reliable everyday method for steaks up to about 1½ inches thick. Heat the pan over medium-high until it is just smoking, add a thin film of high-smoke-point oil, then lay the steak down and leave it alone to build a crust. Flip once, then in the last couple of minutes, add butter, garlic, and thyme, and spoon the foaming butter over the top.

A cast iron skillet is the classic choice because it holds blazing, steady heat, which is what an even crust is made of. For a lighter option, tri-ply stainless steel cookware bonds an aluminum core between layers of stainless for edge-to-edge heat. When you are done, our guide to cleaning a cast iron skillet keeps yours ready for the next steak.

How to Cook Steak in the Oven

For thicker steaks you would rather not babysit, sear first and finish in the oven. Brown the steak hard on one side in an oven-safe pan, flip it, then move the whole pan into a 300°F / 149°C oven to finish to temperature, giving you a crust and a gently cooked interior with little fuss. An oven-safe pre-seasoned cast iron skillet or tri-ply stainless pan moves from stovetop to oven without missing a beat.

How to Reverse Sear a Steak (Best for Thick Cuts)

The reverse sear flips the usual order, and for thick cuts, it is the most foolproof method there is. Cook the steak low and slow in a 275°F / 135°C oven until the center is about 10 to 15°F below your pull temperature, then finish it with a hard, fast sear of one to two minutes a side in a screaming-hot pan or over direct grill heat.

Because the steak heats so gently at first, it cooks evenly from edge to edge with no thick gray band under the crust. It is the technique of choice for anything 1½ inches and up: thick ribeyes, strip steaks, and especially a tomahawk. A heavy cast iron skillet gives you the fierce, even heat that the final sear depends on.

How to Grill Steak

Grilling adds smoke and char a pan cannot. The key is two zones: one hot, direct side to sear, and one cooler, indirect side to finish. Start over direct heat to build color and grill marks, then move anything thicker than about 1¼ inches to the indirect side to finish gently. Pull a touch early, since a hot grill carries over more than a pan. A good set of grilling tools makes two-zone cooking easier, and a cast iron or tri-ply grill pan brings the same sear marks indoors.

Steak skewers are a summer favorite that cook fast. Cut a firm cut like sirloin or ribeye into 1 to 1¼ inch cubes, thread them onto kebab skewers with a little space between each piece so the sides sear, and grill 8 to 10 minutes total, turning to color all four faces. Pull at 130°F / 54°C for medium-rare and rest a few minutes. A flat griddle gives the same cubes a full-surface crust when you want to cook them indoors.

How to Cook Steak in an Air Fryer

An air fryer is a fast, low-mess weeknight method. Preheat it to 400°F / 204°C, leave an inch of space around the steak for airflow, and flip it halfway through. Time depends mostly on thickness rather than doneness: a 1-inch steak runs about 10 to 12 minutes, and you control how done it gets by pulling at the right internal temperature. Start checking a couple of minutes early, since air fryers vary by model. For a deeper crust, give it a quick sear in a hot skillet at the end.

How to Prep, Cook, and Finish Every Cut of Steak

Match the cut to the method, and you are halfway to a great steak. Here is how to get the most out of each one.

Ribeye

Ribeye is the cut for flavor lovers. All that marbling renders as it cooks, basting the meat from the inside and making it the most forgiving steak on the board. It takes well to almost any method, so here are three worth keeping.

• Pan-Seared with Garlic-Thyme Butter: The classic, and for good reason. Sear a well-salted ribeye in a smoking-hot pan until a deep crust forms, then flip it and drop in butter, smashed garlic cloves, and a few sprigs of thyme. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the top for the last two minutes, which lacquers the steak in flavor and helps it reach color in the corners. Pull at 125°F / 52°C for medium-rare and rest before slicing.
• Reverse-Seared with a Peppercorn Pan Sauce: For a thick ribeye, 1½ inches or more, the reverse sear gives you wall-to-wall pink with no gray band. Cook it in a 275°F / 135°C oven to about 10 to 15°F below your target, then sear it hard in a hot pan. While it rests, build a quick peppercorn sauce in that same pan: soften a chopped shallot, deglaze with a splash of brandy or stock, add cream and coarsely cracked black pepper, and simmer until it coats a spoon. Spoon it over the sliced steak.
• Grilled with Chimichurri: Char and smoke suit ribeye beautifully. Grill it over a two-zone fire, searing over direct heat and finishing over indirect, then let it rest under a blanket of chimichurri, the bright Argentine sauce of parsley, garlic, oregano, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. The acidity cuts the richness and makes each bite taste fresh. Aim for medium-rare to medium, 130–145°F / 54–63°C, so the fat fully renders.

New York Strip

Firm, beefy, and evenly shaped, the strip is the steakhouse workhorse. It has less marbling than ribeye but a satisfying chew and a clean, beefy flavor. Score the band of fat along one side before cooking so it does not curl, and salt well ahead.

• Cast-Iron Seared with Compound Butter: Strip steak loves cast iron. Sear it hard on both sides in a screaming-hot cast iron skillet, then finish it with a slice of compound butter, which is just softened butter mashed with garlic, herbs, and a pinch of salt and chilled into a log. As it melts over the resting steak, it turns into an instant pan-free sauce. Pull at 125°F / 52°C for medium-rare.
• Grilled with a Peppercorn-Garlic Crust: Press a coarse rub of cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and salt onto the strip and grill it over direct high heat, turning to build an even crust. The pepper toasts against the grates and gives the steak a steakhouse bite. Rest it, then slice across the grain so each piece stays tender. A medium-rare finish, 130–135°F / 54–57°C, keeps it juicy.
• Sliced for a Steak Salad or Sandwich: Cook the strip to medium-rare, rest it, and slice it thin for a steak salad over peppery greens, or pile it onto crusty bread with caramelized onions for a steak sandwich. A spoonful of horseradish cream pulls either one together. This is the move when you want one steak to feed two, or to stretch leftovers into lunch.

Filet Mignon

Filet is the most tender cut there is, and the leanest. That tenderness is the draw, but with little fat of its own, it leans on added richness and careful cooking to shine. Sear it hard for flavor, keep it between rare and medium, and never push it further.

• Bacon-Wrapped and Oven-Finished: Wrapping a filet in bacon bastes it with fat as it cooks and adds a smoky edge. Secure the bacon with a toothpick, sear the steak on all sides in an oven-safe pan, then finish it in a 300°F / 149°C oven until it reaches 125°F / 52°C for medium-rare. Crisp the bacon under the broiler for a minute if it needs it.
• Steak au Poivre: This French bistro classic was practically made for filet. Press coarsely crushed peppercorns onto the seasoned steak, sear it, then build the sauce in the pan: soften a chopped shallot, deglaze with cognac or brandy, and stir in heavy cream and a touch of mustard until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. If you are out of cream, our guide to heavy cream substitutes keeps the sauce on track.
• Surf and Turf with Garlic Butter: Pair a seared filet with butter-poached shrimp or a split lobster tail for a steakhouse plate at home. Finish both with the same garlic butter, spooned over the steak and brushed on the seafood, so the flavors tie together. Keep the filet at medium-rare, 130–135°F / 54–57°C, where it stays buttery.

Top Sirloin

Lean, flavorful, and kind to your budget, top sirloin rewards fast, high heat and a little help with moisture. A 30-minute dry brine, or a quick marinade, makes a real difference. It is at its best from medium-rare to medium and sliced thin against the grain.

• Marinated and Grilled: A marinade of oil, garlic, herbs, and a splash of soy or vinegar seasons sirloin and keeps it juicy on the grill. Pat it dry before it hits the grates so it sears instead of steams, cook it over direct high heat, and rest it before slicing thin across the grain. It is a weeknight steak that eats like more.
• Garlic Butter Steak Tips: Cut sirloin into 1-inch cubes, season well, and sear them in a single layer in a blazing-hot cast iron skillet, leaving them undisturbed for a couple of minutes to build a crust before tossing. Finish with butter, minced garlic, and parsley swirled in off the heat. Served over rice or mashed potatoes, steak tips turn an affordable cut into a full dinner.
• Steak Frites, Sliced: Sear a sirloin to medium-rare, rest it, and slice it thin to fan over a pile of crisp fries, the way a Paris bistro would. A pat of herb butter or a spoonful of garlicky aioli is all the sauce it needs. Keep it to 130–145°F / 54–63°C and no further, since lean sirloin dries out quickly past medium.

T-bone and Porterhouse

These bone-in cuts give you two steaks in one: a strip on the larger side and a tenderloin on the smaller, joined by the bone. The catch is that the leaner tenderloin cooks faster, so the goal with every method is to protect it while the strip side catches up.

• Bistecca alla Fiorentina: The Tuscan way treats a thick porterhouse simply and lets the beef speak. Bring a 1½-inch-plus steak to room temperature, season it generously with coarse salt and pepper, and grill it over a very hot fire, 450 to 550°F / 230 to 290°C, turning once. Traditionally, it is served rare to medium-rare, then carved off the bone, finished with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of good olive oil, and a little parsley.
• Broiled, Steakhouse-Style: No grill, no problem. Position an oven rack near the broiler, get a pan ripping hot underneath the element, and broil the steak close to the heat, turning once, for a fast char much like a grill. Finish it with a slice of compound butter as it rests. Keep the tenderloin side angled toward the cooler edge of the pan so it does not race ahead.
• Reverse-Seared for Thick Cuts: When the steak is a full two inches, the reverse sear is the safest route to an even cook on both muscles. Bring it up slowly in a 275°F / 135°C oven, then sear it hard at the end and rest it. Pull at 125°F / 52°C for medium-rare, knowing the bone keeps the meat beside it cooking a touch slower than the rest.

Flank and Skirt

Thin, lean, and full of long muscle fibers, flank and skirt are flavor-forward cuts built for high heat and bold seasoning. They turn tough if overcooked or sliced wrong, so the rules are simple: cook hot and fast, keep them to medium-rare, and always slice thin against the grain.

• Carne Asada for Tacos: Marinate the steak in a citrus, garlic, and cilantro mix for at least four hours and up to eight, then grill it over high heat for just a few minutes a side until the edges char. Pull it around 125°F / 52°C, rest it, and slice it thin against the grain for tacos, piled into warm tortillas with onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Skirt steak especially crisps up beautifully on a hot grill.
• Grilled with Chimichurri: For a simpler route, season the steak with just salt and pepper, grill it hot and fast, and let chimichurri do the rest. The herb-and-vinegar sauce both seasons and tenderizes the lean meat, and it doubles as a finishing spoonful at the table. Slice thin and serve with the sauce alongside.
• London Broil, Sliced Thin: The London broil method tames these cuts through marinade and high heat. Marinate the steak for a few hours, then sear it hard or broil it close to the element until it hits 125°F / 52°C for medium-rare, rest it for a full ten minutes, and slice it very thin across the grain. That thin, against-the-grain cut is the single biggest fix for chewiness.

Tomahawk

A tomahawk is a thick, bone-in ribeye with the long rib bone left on, and it makes a showstopping centerpiece. Its thickness is also its whole challenge: too thick for the stovetop or air fryer alone, it needs gentle heat to bring the center up before a hard sear finishes the crust. Salt it a day ahead if you can.

• Reverse-Seared with Compound Butter: The most reliable method for a cut this size. Cook it on a wire rack in a 275°F / 135°C oven until the center is about 10 to 15°F below your target, then sear it hard in a hot cast iron skillet, basting with butter, garlic, and herbs. Let it rest, then melt a slice of compound butter over the top as you carve it off the bone.
• Two-Zone Grilled with Flaky Salt: On the grill, build a hot side and a cool side. Cook the tomahawk over indirect heat until it approaches your pull temperature, then move it over the coals for a hard, smoky sear. Finish it with a pinch of flaky salt, which adds crunch and seasons the crust right before serving.
• Smoked, Then Seared: For deep, smoky flavor, run the tomahawk in a smoker or covered grill around 225°F / 107°C until the center reaches roughly 110 to 115°F / 43 to 46°C, then sear it hard over direct heat to build the crust. Pull on the low side of your target, around medium-rare to medium, since a cut this thick carries over several degrees as it rests.

Technique and Troubleshooting

A few habits separate a good steak from a great one.

• Butter basting: In the last two minutes, add butter, garlic, and herbs, tilt the pan, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for flavor and color.
• The gray band: That overcooked ring under the crust comes from heat that is too high for too long. The reverse sear all but eliminates it.
• Sticking: A steak sticks when the pan is not hot enough, or you move it too soon. Preheat fully and let the crust release on its own.
• Smoke: Use a high-smoke-point oil like avocado or canola for searing, and save the butter for the end.
• Resting and slicing: Rest 5 to 10 minutes so the juices stay in the meat, then slice against the grain for the most tender bite.

Sauces and Finishing Touches

A finishing sauce turns a weeknight steak into an occasion, and most come together in the same pan while the steak rests.

• Pan sauce: Pour off excess fat, add a splash of wine or stock to the hot pan, scrape up the browned bits, and finish with a knob of butter.
• Compound butter: Mash softened butter with garlic, herbs, and salt, then melt a slice over the resting steak.
• Chimichurri: A bright blend of parsley, garlic, oil, and vinegar that cuts through rich, fatty cuts.
• Peppercorn cream: A steakhouse classic. If you are out of cream, our guide to heavy cream substitutes has a swap.

When it is time to serve, a sharp steak knife set gives you a clean cut, and our guide to choosing the right knife helps you pick the blade.

What Is the 3-3-3 Rule for Steak?

The 3-3-3 rule is a simple framework for a roughly 1-inch steak over high heat: sear it 3 minutes on the first side, 3 minutes on the second, then rest it 3 minutes before slicing. It is an easy way to remember the rhythm of searing and resting. Like any shortcut, it has limits, since thicker steaks, leaner cuts, and higher doneness all shift the timing, which is where a thermometer and the calculator above take over.

Cook Your Best Steak Yet

A steakhouse-quality steak at home is not luck. It is a dry surface, a hot pan, a thermometer, and a few minutes of patience while it rests. Pick the method that fits your cut, and let the calculator handle the timing. When you are ready to equip your kitchen, explore the cast iron cookware and tri-ply stainless steel collections built to deliver the sear.

Be patient. Be a better cook.

More Ways to Cook With Confidence with These Tools

A few more cooking tools to keep close by the next time you're in the kitchen:

• Stainless Steel Oil & Fat Calculator: the right oil and heat for whatever's going in the pan
• Explore Every Type of Kitchen Knife: find the right blade for the job and how to use it
• Heavy Cream Substitute Guide: the best swap for any recipe, from creamy sauces to baking