With a great steak comes great responsibility – to cook it well, of course! Cooking a steak to you desired degree of doneness takes some time to perfect, as the team at Sciacca Grill – one of the leading restaurants in Malta – very well knows. To help any budding chefs out there, we’ve compiled a guide to steak “doneness” below.
Blue rare
Seared only on the outside, the inside of a Blue Rare remain almost completely uncooked and still cool when served, at an internal temperate of approximately 29°C. To warm them up slightly, they may be placed in an oven at a low heat setting.
Rare
Low-fat steaks, such as tenderloins, should ideally be cooked rare. This is because the low cooking temperature of the oven (around 52°C) only slightly melts the steak’s fats, resulting in a particularly tasty flavour and soft texture. The sides should be lightly browned and the outsides lightly charred, while the insides should be warm all the way through with the very centre a bright red colour.
Medium Rare
Most chefs consider this to be the gold-standard of steak doneness, with a number of different factors coming together to create some of the tastiest, most tender steaks imaginable! The average temperature used to cook at this level (57°C) gives the steak’s fats a chance to melt, distributing flavour and a buttery taste; it also traps a lot of moisture, resulting in a cut of meat that is juicy and plump. After being cooked, a medium rare steak should have a streak of pink between the centre and the outer edges, with a narrow, blood-red centre.
Medium
Medium steaks retain the tasty, buttery flavour of a Medium Rare cut of meat; however, due to moisture loss, they are less juicy and tender. Only about 25% of the steak remains pink and moist.
Medium Well
If you’re the squeamish sort who doesn’t want any colour in their meat, then this is the ideal steak for you. Medium Well steaks have a dark brown surface and a good amount of charring on the top and bottom, with an overall stiff texture but insides that are slightly soft, with a hint of pink in the centre.
Well Done
The hardest to cook of all steaks, a Well Done cut of meat needs to be grilled “low and slow” so as to avoid burning it while it cooks through the middle. The steak is cooked for about 6-10 minutes on either side (depending on the thickness of the meat) at an internal temperature of 77°C or higher.
Come over to one of the best restaurants in Malta to try some of the tastiest steaks on the island!
Our expert and friendly staff will be on hand to give you advice on the best way to eat your meat – we always take into account the personal preferences of the client while giving our own suggestion. Few other restaurants in Malta do steak like Sciacca Grill!