What’s the Tough, Gray Band Inside My Steak?

When striving for a perfectly cooked steak, color is key. A steak that’s still red inside is rare, pink is medium, and grayish-brown is well-done. But what does it mean when you slice into a cut of beef and see an unsightly gray ring around the edge? Though the gray band is safe to eat, it’s not particularly appetizing. Here are some steps you can take to avoid it on your next steak night.

1. Why Does the Gray Band Happen?
2. How to Avoid the Gray Band

Why Does the Gray Band Happen?

Seeing some gray between the crust of your steak and the (ideally reddish pink, according to most chefs) center is unavoidable in many cases. When a piece of meat hits a grill or a hot skillet, it cooks from the outside in, meaning the side closest to the heat source will cook faster than the center. So by the time the middle of your steak is warm, pink, and juicy, the meat around it may already be gray and tough.

A thin band of gray is perfectly acceptable to most steak aficionados. The issue arises when a cut has been seared at too high a temperature for too long, resulting in a thick band of overcooked meat that’s difficult to chew. Even if the center looks perfect, a steak with this problem is as good as half well-done.

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How to Avoid the Gray Band

You can treat yourself to a more tender steak by following a few tips:

• Turn down the heat. You’re less likely to get a gray band when cooking at a lower temperature. While this makes it harder to develop a caramelized crust, it should result in a steak that’s more evenly cooked throughout.

• Skip thawing. There’s no need to turn down the heat when cookin a frozen steak. High temperatures can’t penetrate frozen items very deeply. This makes it easier to acheive a nice crust without overcooking the outer layer of the meat.

• Try reverse searing. This method involves first cooking your steak in the oven until it’s just shy of your preferred temperature. As the final step, you sear the meat in a pan or on a grill to form a crust. That way the outside of meat isn’t making direct contact with a heat source for as long. 

• Try sous vide. You can minimize the gray band with this low-temperature cooking method, which involves sealing the steak in an airtight bag and slowly cooking it in a heated water bath. Sous vide isn’t ideal if you’re looking for the taste and texture made possible by the Maillard reaction, but it is the best way to cook foods gently and evenly.

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