Steak Doneness Temperature Chart: Rare to Well-Done for Every Cut

What temperature is each steak doneness level?

The short answer: rare is 120–125°F (49–52°C), medium-rare is 130–135°F (54–57°C), medium is 140–145°F (60–63°C), medium-well is 150–155°F (66–68°C), and well-done is 160°F (71°C) and above. These are final resting temperatures, measured after the steak comes off the heat and rests, not the temperature at which you pull it from the pan.

The resting step matters because a steak's internal temperature continues to rise by 5–10°F (3–6°C) after cooking stops. This is called carryover cooking. If you want a final medium-rare at 135°F, you typically remove the steak from the heat at around 125–130°F and let it rest. The thicker the cut, the more heat it retains and the more it carries over.

For accuracy, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the steak, away from bone and fat. The reading you see there is the number that counts. A digital thermometer gives a faster, more reliable reading than an analog one, and it lets you check multiple spots without leaving a large hole.

Which steak cuts suit which doneness?

Tender cuts from the rib and loin—ribeye, filet mignon, strip steak, and tenderloin—are best at medium-rare to medium. Their marbling and fine texture shine when the interior is still pink and juicy. Cooking them past medium-well dries them out and makes the fat waxy rather than rich.

Tougher cuts from the shoulder and round, such as sirloin, flank, skirt, and hanger steak, benefit from either quick cooking to medium-rare or long, slow cooking to well-done. There is little middle ground. At medium-rare, their coarse fibers stay tender enough to chew; cooked to medium-well without braising, they turn chewy and dry.

A thick cut like a bone-in ribeye or a tomahawk can handle a wider range because its mass carries heat slowly and its fat content keeps it moist. A thin cut like a skirt steak, which cooks in minutes, is harder to land at a precise doneness—by the time the outside is seared, the inside is often already at medium. Choose your doneness target based on the cut's thickness and fat content, not just personal taste.

How does carryover cooking change your target temperature?

Carryover cooking is the rise in internal temperature that happens after you remove a steak from heat. The heat from the outer layers continues to travel inward, so the center keeps climbing for 3 to 5 minutes. The amount of carryover depends on the cooking method, the steak's thickness, and how hot the surface was.

A thin steak seared in a screaming-hot cast-iron pan may only carry over 3–5°F, because there is little mass to hold heat. A thick steak finished in a 450°F oven can carry over 8–10°F. If you ignore carryover, you will consistently overshoot your target by one full doneness level.

The practical fix is to pull the steak 5–10°F below your final target. For a 1-inch ribeye you want at medium-rare, pull it at 125°F and rest it for 5 minutes. For a 2-inch tomahawk, pull it at 120°F and rest it longer, around 8–10 minutes, to let the heat equalize. Resting also lets the juices redistribute, so the steak stays moist when you cut into it.

Why does a steak's final temperature depend on the cooking method?

Sous-vide, reverse sear, pan-searing, and grilling all deliver the same final internal temperature, but they get there differently, and that changes how much carryover you should expect. Sous-vide cooks the steak to exactly the target temperature in a water bath, then a quick sear adds only a thin crust. Carryover is minimal, often 1–2°F, because the interior is already at temperature.

The reverse sear—roasting low in the oven, then searing hot—produces moderate carryover of 3–6°F, because the steak is warmed evenly before the final blast of heat. Direct grilling or pan-searing from cold produces the most carryover, especially if the heat is high and the steak is thick. The outside is far hotter than the center, and that gradient drives more heat inward after you pull it off.

Your thermometer reading should also be taken at the right time relative to the method. For sous-vide, read the steak right after searing, since it is already at target. For reverse sear, read it during the oven stage and pull it a few degrees early. For pan-searing, pull it earlier still, because the carryover will be larger. Knowing your method tells you how much to undershoot.

What about food safety and steak temperature?

The USDA recommends cooking whole cuts of beef to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) with a three-minute rest, which corresponds to medium. However, many people choose to eat steak at lower temperatures, and the USDA notes that whole muscle cuts are less risky than ground meat because bacteria on the surface are killed by the searing heat.

Ground beef is a different matter. Grinding pushes surface bacteria into the interior, so a hamburger patty must reach 160°F (71°C) throughout. There is no safe way to eat a rare or medium-rare burger. The same rule applies to any steak that has been mechanically tenderized or injected with marinade, because those processes can introduce bacteria below the surface.

If you prefer steak at medium-rare or rare, the risk is low for healthy adults but not zero. Pregnant people, young children, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system should follow the 145°F guideline or choose well-done. When in doubt, use a reliable thermometer and trust the reading over the clock or the color of the juices.

How do you take a steak's temperature without ruining it?

Insert the thermometer probe sideways from the edge of the steak, not from the top. The sideways approach lets the probe reach the center—the coolest point—without passing through the hot surface crust first, so you get a true reading of the interior. Aim for the geometric center, where the meat is least cooked.

For thin steaks under 1 inch, an instant-read thermometer is still useful, but it takes practice because the window between doneness levels is narrow. An alternative is to use the probe from the top, angled so the tip sits in the middle of the thickest part. If the steak is too thin to read accurately, rely on a timer and the touch test—comparing the firmness of the steak to the fleshy part of your hand—but know that this is less precise.

Clean the probe with hot soapy water before and after each use, and never leave the thermometer in the steak while it cooks on a hot pan or grill, unless it is a probe designed for oven use. A dedicated leave-in probe with an alarm can help you monitor a thick roast or steak without opening the oven door and losing heat.

What are the most common temperature mistakes?

The most frequent mistake is pulling the steak off the heat at the final target temperature, ignoring carryover. This reliably produces a steak one level more done than intended. The second is measuring in the wrong spot—near the bone or through the fat cap gives a falsely high reading, because bone conducts heat and fat heats faster than muscle.

Another common error is using a thermometer that is not calibrated or is too slow. An analog dial thermometer can be off by 10°F or more, and a slow digital probe may give a reading that lags behind the actual temperature. Test your thermometer in ice water (should read 32°F) and boiling water (should read 212°F at sea level) periodically, and replace it if it drifts.

Finally, cutting into the steak to check doneness defeats the purpose of a thermometer. The cut lets juices escape and leaves a visible mark. If you have a thermometer, trust it. If you do not, the touch test is better than guessing, but it takes experience to calibrate your fingers to each doneness level.