I am an accomplished chef who is really good at cooking steak and frequently people ask me about how they can tell that a flank steak is cooked just right without the use of a meat thermometer. You can however use some other techniques to check whether it has been cooked through by using sight, feel, or touch. By practicing enough you will be able to cook your flank steaks with exactitude all the time. Learning how to know when flank steak is done without a thermometer is a valuable skill for any home cook wanting to master cooking steak
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Checking Doneness by Appearance
The first method for checking doneness without a thermometer is examining the steak’s visual cues. As flank steak cooks, it undergoes clear visual changes that indicate how done it is. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what to look for:
Rare (125°F)
When steak is rare, the interior color will be bright red throughout. The center and thickest part of the steak will look wet and glossy as if it is still raw. You won’t see any brown or charred bits on the exterior. The texture will be very soft and squishy, almost like pressing into raw meat. Rare steak essentially is still raw inside while just having browned on the very outside.
Medium Rare (130-135°F)
At medium rare doneness, you’ll see the center of the steak transition from bright red to a more pinkish hue. The interior color won’t be uniformly red anymore but will show a reddish-pink gradient from center to exterior.
The surface of the steak will start to brown and char in spots from grilling but won’t be crispy or burnt. When you slice into the steak, the center may still have a slightly translucent, glossy look. In terms of texture, medium rare steak will feel firmer than rare with a tender, yielding texture. Pressing it will feel meatier than raw steak.
Medium (140-145°F)
When cooked to medium, the interior color of the steak will be a uniform light pink with no redness in the center. The surface will be browned more deeply with nice grill marks from charring. The texture will be firm when pressed with good meaty resistance. The juices that run from the steak will be light pink rather than red. The interior will have a mostly opaque look without translucent areas.
Medium Well (150-155°F)
A medium well steak will show an interior color of light brown or tan with a slightly pink center when sliced into. The outer surface will be crispy, charred, and well-browned with darker grill marks compared to medium steak. Pressing the steak will feel quite firm with very little give or pliability. Juices will run mostly clear with just a tinge of light pink. It will feel dense with little bounce.
Well Done (160°F+)
When cooked well done, flank steak will be uniformly brown throughout with no hint of pinkness. The outer surface will be crisped and charred with very dark grill marks. The texture will be hard and dense when pressed with no pliability or bounce. Juices will run completely clear with no pink coloration. The steak will feel very firm and solid with no squishiness.
Compare the steak’s appearance to these descriptions to accurately gauge how rare or well-done it is cooked. The invaluable techniques will teach you how to know when flank steak is done without a thermometer.
Checking Doneness by Touch
In addition to visual signs, you can also determine flank steak doneness by how it feels when touched. Here’s a detailed explanation of what the steak will feel like at each stage of doneness:
Rare
Rare steak feels very soft, mushy, and pliable when pressed. Imagine pressing into raw meat, which gives and squishes easily. This lack of firmness indicates the steak is still mostly raw inside.
Medium Rare
When cooked to medium rare, the steak will begin to firm up but still feel tender and yielding. Pressing it will feel meatier and springier compared to the squishy raw texture of a rare steak. It will feel gently bouncy as you press the release.
Medium
At a medium doneness, the steak will feel quite firm and solid when pressed. The meat will resist pressure more and bounce back as you release. Pressing will feel meaty and substantial compared to the softness of rare steak.
Medium Well
A medium well steak will feel dense, barely yielding to pressure. The firmness will feel tighter, with less bounce compared to medium steak. It will feel very firm and solid.
Well Done
Steak cooked well done has a hard, dense feel that does not yield or plump when pressed. The meat will feel very stiff and unyielding, with no bouncy texture. Think of pressing a solid object.
By gauging the firmness and pliability of the steak at different points, you can accurately determine doneness based on touch alone. With practice, you’ll be able to discern varying levels of rareness and doneness by poke and press tests.
Using the Finger Test
Chefs have a handy trick for assessing steak doneness by using your own hand. By comparing the firmness of the steak to the fleshy pad at the base of your thumb, you can gauge whether it’s rare, medium or well-done. Here is how the finger test works in detail:
Rare
For rare steak, gently touch your thumb to the tip of your index finger. The fleshy pad should feel soft and yielding, similar to a rare steak.
Medium Rare
Touch thumb to middle finger, the firmness will mimick a medium rare steak.
Medium
Thumb to ring finger equals the springy firmness of medium steak.
Medium Well
Thumb to pinky feels dense like a medium well steak.
Well Done
Press thumb firmly to the base of your palm below pinky. That solid density feels like a well done steak. After practicing the methods of how to know when flank steak is done without a thermometer, you will be able to determine rare, medium-rare and well-done steaks by sight and touch alone.
So by associating each doneness level with a different finger, you have built-in indicators for judging steak readiness by touch and feel.
Cut into the Thickest Part
For the most certain way to check your results without a thermometer, you can always slice into the thickest portion of the steak. This allows you to examine the interior color and texture for a final doneness check:
- Rare steak will look completely red inside with a soft, raw-meat like texture.
- Medium rare shows a reddish-pink center that transitions toward the lighter outer portions.
- Medium is uniformly light pink inside with a firmer texture.
- Medium well has just a hint of faded pink in the very center.
- Well done shows no hint of pink and is brown throughout.
Cutting into the steak’s thickest area lets you confirm your educated guess about doneness level. Combine this check with the other methods for the most precise results.
Don’t Rely Just on Time
While cooking times can provide rough estimates for how long to grill flank steak, don’t depend just on time to determine doneness. There are too many variables that affect cooking duration like thickness, starting temperature, grill intensity, etc. You could end up with under or overcooked steak. Rely first on visual and tactile tests for accuracy.
Conclusion
It may seem difficult at first to cook a perfect flank steak without a thermometer, but with practice and attention to detail, you can become an expert. The finger test combined with visual clues and touch sensations is one way to determine how done a piece of meat is before it burns. Taken together, these methods provide distinct inputs that will aid in determining the doneness of the steak.
Cooking is as much art as science. While these techniques are useful guiding tools, always follow your instincts and preferences. An intuitive sense of when your steak is just right develops over time as you become more experienced in cooking.
The aim is to enjoy the journey and savor the outcome in its totality. Whether your cooking a rare steak that melts in your mouth or a robust flavored well-done one, each bite will display your increasing expertise.