Resting Meat After Cooking - Tips and Guides for Grilling, Roasting and Barbecuing

Resting Meat After Cooking - Tips and Guides for Grilling, Roasting, Barbecuing

There is a lot of mumbo jumbo about resting meat after cooking before it is served. What are the facts and why is it necessary? A key issue is the moisture in the meat, and how it is affected by temperature. Another related issue, is how the moisture in the parcel of meat is distributed during resting, and how this is in turn affected by temperature. Retaining moisture is the secret to tenderness in meat which is grilled, roasted and barbecued.

Depending on the size and thickness of the meat, and how long it has been in the oven, the internal temperature of the meat will rise steadily when cooked. Most people us a meat thermometer, and remove the meat from the heat, when the safe temperature inside the meat is reached. The safe temperature partially depends on how far you want to cook the meat before serving - rare, medium or well-done. But, the same principle apply, though well-done meat will be drier when you serve it.

When the meat is removed from the heat, the internal temperature could continue to rise a few degrees, or stay steady, before starting to fall. During the resting period you want the internal temperature in the meat to drop as this tends to keep any moisture within the meat. How much to let the temperature fall and why it is important is explained below. Large pieces of meat take longer to cool and need a longer resting period.

This article dispels the myths about resting meat after cooking, and provides the best possible advice on resting time and how to set them for various cuts and types of meat.

Moisture Loss Before and After Resting

Moisture is the Key

If you conduct a simple experiment on two thick slices of steak cooked medium-rare the principles will become clear:

► Place one piece on a plate, slice it in half, and position the halves so that the cut sides are next to each other. Cover with a piece of foil.

► Place the other piece on another plate, cover with foil, but leave it whole. Set aside for 10 minutes.

► Then, unwrap the whole piece, slice it into two halves, and align the cut-surfaces together like the other piece. Re-wrap with foil and set aside for another 5 minutes.

► Then, unwrap both pieces and compare the amount of liquid or juices that have flowed out of both pieces of steak.

You will notice that there is a lot more liquid on the plate with the steak that was not rested. The graphs illustrate these differences.

Conclusion: Rested meat retains more moisture and juices at all level of cooking from rare to well-done.

Why Does Rested Meat Expel Less Juice after Cutting, Retain Moisture and Tenderness?

As muscle fibers are cooked they shrink, squeezing out moisture.

When meat is cut, the structure is opened up and the juices flow out.

When a piece of meat is rested, it cools slightly and the fibers relax a little allowing some liquid back into the fibers. Also the liquid inside the meat, around the fibers gets redistributed and becomes thicker and less free-flowing as the temperature drops.

This means that more liquid will be retained in the meat when it is cut, increasing its tenderness and 'juiciness'.

The figures below highlight how moisture content and temperature change as meat is rested. Understanding these changes helps to show the benefits of resting meat before serving