Expert: Kris Yager - 3/23/2011

Question
How can you tell if a steak is medium rare without cutting into it?

Answer
  As you probably already know, the industry standard for medium-rare is warm all the way through with a pink center. Any steak lends itself to be cooked to medium-rare. The way I do this is by using my tongs as an extension of my hand. It's all about "give". A rare steak will have a lot of "give" when you press on it. A well done steak will have almost no "give". This idea coupled with grilling a lot of steaks will net you your desired results.
  When grilling, always place your steak on a preheated, hot grill.  You flip the steak when you see moisture visible on the top surface. Then continue cooking until moisture is present again. Assuming you are grilling a 1" thick ribeye, this process, consuming around 7 to 8 minutes, should lead to a desirable, medium-rare steak. Enjoy!
  Some people employ a meat thermometer to accomplish this task. The reason I don't advocate this is because once you probe the steak, you create a hole for moisture to run out. If you're wanting to enjoy a juicy, medium-rare steak, then you don't want this kind of effect.
  In a slightly related side-note, people often ask me how to get the "criss-cross" or "diamond" marks on steaks. This is very simple and for whatever reason, impresses a lot of people. For example, if your steaks take 8 minutes to cook, try this; Place your steaks on the grill at a 45 degree angle. Two minutes in, turn the steak 90 degrees and place on a part of the grill that wasn't be used before. Two more minutes, flip the steak onto an unused hot spot, keeping in mind the 45 degree placement. Final two minutes, turn the steak 90 degrees and place on an unused hot spot. Ta-da! You should have some wonderful looking and delicious steaks to enjoy!