Meat Resting — Carryover Cooking and Juice Redistribution

Ingredients

• PRINCIPLES
• Proteins continue cooking internally after removal from heat source, typically 5–10°C rise in core temperature.
• Residual heat causes muscle fibres to contract further; pausing this process allows juices to redistribute evenly throughout meat.
• Resting time varies by thickness and protein: 5 minutes for steaks (100 g), 10–15 minutes for poultry breasts and roasts (500–1000 g), 20–30 minutes for whole birds or large roasts (2000 g+).
• Carryover cooking adds 10–15% to internal temperature; account for this when pulling meat from heat.

Method

1. 1
   Remove meat from heat when internal temperature reaches 2–5°C below target doneness (rare: 48°C pull, 52–54°C final; medium: 55°C pull, 58–60°C final; well-done: 63°C pull, 65–68°C final).
2. 2
   Transfer meat to a warm plate or cutting board; tent loosely with aluminium foil to retain radiant heat without trapping steam.
3. 3
   Do not cover tightly—steam will soften the crust and warm the exterior unevenly.
4. 4
   Rest for the calculated period (see above); do not cut or pierce until resting is complete.
5. 5
   Cut against the grain after resting; juices will remain in the meat rather than pooling on the plate. RESULT: Evenly cooked, moist protein with redistributed natural juices.