For many people, the start of autumn signals the end of the traditional BBQ season, although with a gas-powered BBQ outdoor heater this outdoor dining delight never needs to end.

One of the most popular parts of any outdoor cooking is a deliciously seared beef steak, which famously can be eaten at many different stages, from a traditionally very well-done grilled steak to one where the heat has only just touched it.

The reason for this is that, unlike other meats, the bacteria cannot actually penetrate the middle of the steak, making it safe to eat so long as that surface is seared.

Because of this, there are six very different ways to eat a steak.

 

Blue Steak

Sometimes known as “bleu” steak, this is where literally the minimum amount of cooking you need to make it safe to eat is done, which is typically about a minute on each side and a few seconds on the other edges.

Blue steak is often an acquired taste because of how uncooked the inside is.

 

Rare Steak

Whilst rare steak has only been cooked a little longer, it has a significantly different and more appealing taste than blue steak, and is cooked for around two minutes.

 

Medium-Rare

The ideal central part of the scale, the medium-rare steak has an inside that is half-pink and half brown, achieved by cooking it for three and a half minutes on each side.

This is the last steak with a soft, tender middle. After this, it gets tougher.

 

Medium Steak

Cooked for four minutes per side, a medium steak is arguably the most popular way for it to be cooked, and the default if you do not get asked at a restaurant.

Contrary to popular belief, there should be a slightly pink middle to your steak, otherwise, you have cooked it well-done.

 

Medium-Well Steak

Marrying a very tough, brown outer texture with a tiny sliver of pink colouring and no juices, which for quite a few people avoids the juices but keeps the soft interior.

 

Well-Done Steak

Either perfectly textured for some or too dry for others, well-done steak has no pink in the middle and takes six minutes on each side. Any more than this and the steak becomes almost inedible.