max223•6d ago

I think the 20 minute rest for steaks is overblown

I had a customer send back a ribeye last Saturday because it was barely warm in the middle, even though I let it rest for a full 20 minutes like everyone preaches. The thing sat on a cutting board near the pass and lost all its heat while the crust got rubbery. I started experimenting and found that a 6 to 8 minute rest under a loose tent of foil keeps the temp up and the juices locked in fine. I work at a busy spot in Austin and we crank out 80 steaks a night on a good Saturday, so waiting that extra 12 minutes kills the flow. Nobody has been able to show me a blind taste test where the longer rest wins. Has anyone else shortened their rest time and gotten better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_lee96d ago

You say nobody can show you a blind taste test where longer rest wins, but Ive actually done that exact test at home with friends. We pulled three identical steaks off the heat at 130F and rested them for 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes. Every single person picked the 20 minute one as juicier and more tender. The 5 minute steak was dry on the first cut and lost way more liquid on the plate. Also if your crust got rubbery after 20 minutes, you might be overcooking the surface from the start or not letting it rest in a warm spot. On Blackstone griddles you can rest near the heat but not directly on it.

the_thomas6d ago

My buddy tried the full 20 minutes at home and his steak ended up cold enough his wife microwaved it.

nancyjones6d ago

That "his wife microwaved it" bit tells me the issue wasn't the rest time but where he rested it. A steak left on a cold counter for 20 minutes will definitely lose heat, but you can fix that easily. Rest it on a warm plate or near the stove, not on a cold cutting board. Also, tenting it loosely with foil helps hold heat without ruining the crust. Sounds like your buddy rested it in a drafty spot or on a cold surface, which is a rookie mistake. The rest time itself isn't the problem, the setup around it is.