What’s The Point Of Resting Meat Before Cutting It, you might ask? This is a very important step that can sometimes be overlooked. If you allow time for your meat to rest, it will make an impact on the juiciness and tenderness of your meat.
The amount of time that you need to let meat rest varies by the type of meat you are cooking; from a steak at 5 minutes, to a turkey at around 40 minutes. If you are a hungry meat lover, waiting this long can be very difficult for you. So, why should you wait? There is actually a very good reason why you should wait to let your meat rest before you dig in.
Why Resting Is Important
When your meat cooks, its muscles contract. This action pushes the juices towards the center of your meat where it is cooler. Think of a sponge in a bucket of water. When your hand squeezes it, the sponge contracts, and the water leaves the sponge. Then when you let go, the sponge expands and the water is absorbed again. This is similar to what happens with your meat.
When meat cooks over heat, it contracts from the heat and the juices inside it all flow to the middle. If you were to cut into it fresh off of the grill, you would end up with an overflow of juices from your hot meat. When you allow the meat to sit for awhile after removing it from the heat, it will still cook for a few minutes and then it will begin to relax and the internal temperature of the meat will even out. When it relaxes, the juices will reabsorb into the rest of your meat. The result is that your meat will be juicer throughout the entire piece, making the meat more tender.
Best Tips For Resting Meat
Here are what we believe to be the best steps to allow your meat to rest after it has been cooked. These simple steps should allow you to achieve the best results for meat that has been properly cooked.
Follow These Steps:
First remove your cooked meat and place it on a cutting board, or a wire rack above a plate that can catch all of the juices that do run out. Note: Please keep in mind that the internal temperature of the meat will rise even after it has been removed from the oven due to residual heat. A good rule of thumb is to remove the meat slightly before it is finished cooking. That way you can avoid over cooking. To determine your meat’s internal temperature, it would be beneficial to invest in a meat thermometer. There are many great ones available for purchase.
Second, loosely tent your meat in foil. This simply means to take a piece of foil, and fold the piece of foil together so that it is large enough to cover your meat. Gently cover your meat, but do not wrap it tightly around it. If your foil tent is too tight, you will loose your crisp crust.
Last, to determine how long your meat should rest, see your recipe. That will be your best guide. The resting time depends on the type of meat, as well as its thickness and weight. If your meat is larger, such as a turkey, it will need to rest longer than a steak would.
Learning all about What’s The Point Of Resting Meat Before Cutting It will help you enjoy the most deliciously tender and juicy meat possible. Give these simple steps a try and discover what a difference it can make.
How do you rest your meat?
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