temperature of 130°F, then sliced one open every 2½
minutes to see how much juice would leak out.
Here’s what happened:
- After no resting: The meat at the exterior of the
steak (the parts that were closest to the pan) is well
over 200°F. At this temperature range, the muscle
fibers are pinched tightly shut, preventing them
from holding on to any moisture. The center of the
steak is at 125°F. While it can hold on to some of
its juices at this temperature, cutting the meat
fibers open is like slitting the side of a soda bottle:
some juice might stay in there (mostly through
surface tension), but liquid is going to spill out. - After 5 minutes of resting: The outermost layers of
meat are down to around 145°F and the center of
the steak is still at 125°F. At this stage, the muscle
fibers have relaxed a bit, stretching open a little
wider. This stretching motion creates a pressure
differential between the center of the muscle fibers
and the ends, pulling some of the liquid out from
the middle toward the edges. As a result, there is
less liquid in the center of the steak. Cut it open
now, and some of the liquid will spill out, but far
less than before. - After 10 minutes of resting: The edges of the steak
have cooled all the way down to around 125°F,
allowing them to suck up even more liquid from the
center of the steak. What’s more, the center of the
steak has cooled down to around 120°F, causing it