Journal › At the table
How to order the doneness you actually want
Most disappointment with steak comes from two people picturing different things when they say medium. Here is how we take the guesswork out.
By the Ember & Oak kitchen team · October 2026
Doneness is a temperature
Colour is a clue, but it changes with the light and the cut. Temperature does not. We probe every steak at its thickest point: 50 degrees for rare, 55 for medium rare, 60 for medium, 65 for medium well and 70 or more for well done.
The resting rule
A steak keeps cooking after it leaves the fire, by about three degrees. So we pull it early and rest it for roughly half its cooking time. Resting also lets the juices settle, so they stay in the meat instead of running across your plate.
Match the cut to the doneness
Fatty cuts like ribeye and tomahawk need medium rare or a little more, so the fat melts. Lean cuts like fillet are best rare to medium rare; past that they turn dry. If you love well done, pick a ribeye and let us butterfly it.
| Cut | We suggest |
|---|---|
| Fillet | Rare to medium rare |
| Ribeye | Medium rare |
| Striploin | Medium rare to medium |
| Flank | Medium, sliced thin |
How to ask
Tell your server how you want the middle to look and feel, not just the word. "Warm and pink all the way through" is clearer than medium. Or use the doneness slider in our cut guide and show them the screen.
If it is not right
Tell us straight away. We will cook a fresh steak, not put the same one back on the fire. That promise covers every steak on the menu, every night.