Why Meat Keeps Cooking as It Rests (And What to Do About It)

Have you ever removed meat from the heat at the perfect temperature, only to find it overcooked once you carve it?

That's because of carryover cooking. Understanding how it works can help you cook steak, chicken, pork and roasts more accurately, preventing overcooking and delivering juicier results every time.

What is Carryover Cooking, and Why Does it  Happen?

When one thing is hotter than another, it will pass the heat on until they settle on a similar temperature.

For example, when you hold a mug of hot tea in cold hands, the heat redistributes. The hot tea warms your mug, which in turn warms your hands. This happens rapidly at first, but as your hands and the tea reach a similar temperature, it slows down, before stopping altogether.

Cooking is the same: heat passes from the source (your oven, grill or pan) to the outer layers of the meat, and each layer of meat passes the heat towards the centre, raising the internal temperature.

However, when you remove your meat from the oven, it’s not finished. The outer layers are still hotter than the inside, which means they’ll continue to pass on heat and increase the internal temperature until the meat is more evenly cooked. At the same time, because the air temperature around the meat is cooler, some of the heat will also transfer into the air.

The heat that remains after cooking is called residual heat. The process of the heat redistributing is called carryover cooking. Knowing about this is essential for cooking meat perfectly. It’ll stop chicken drying out, lamb roasts surpassing perfectly pink, and rare steaks drifting into medium territory.

What Should You Do About It? 

You can’t stop meat from carryover cooking. If you’re thinking about skipping the resting process to prevent it—don’t. Resting is a crucial part of the cooking process, resulting in more tender, juicy and flavoursome meat. 

The only thing you can do is make sure you pull your meat off the heat a little early to account for the difference, so while it rests, it hits your target temperature. 

But remember: it’s not done resting as soon as it reaches your target, it actually needs to start dropping a few degrees. The temperature drop is the part where all the juiciness and tenderness happen, so you should keep checking the internal temperature until you’ve seen it reach its peak and start to drop a little. 

Does All Meat Carryover Cook the Same Amount? 

Unfortunately not, which can make removing your meat from the heat at the right time a little more difficult. 

There are three primary factors which affect the amount that meat will carryover cook:

Shape

Flat foods experience less carryover cooking than round foods because they have more surface area to vent heat outwards. Round foods have less surface area, meaning more heat gets trapped inside. So, the rounder the food, the earlier you should stop cooking it. 

Size

Bigger foods hold more heat and have a smaller surface area in relation to their volume, meaning more heat travels inwards. The bigger the food, the more carryover cooking will occur. Our experiment on resting lamb legs showed they can rise up to 14°C!

Cooking Temperature

Cooking food at a lower temperature, like low and slow dishes, means there is a smaller temperature gradient throughout the food, resulting in less carryover cooking. Whereas cooking on a high heat, like searing, means the outside of the food is much hotter than the inside, and more carryover cooking will occur. 

A Rough Guide to Different Meats

As we’ve explained, the shape, size and cooking method all impact the amount of carryover cooking to expect, and once you start monitoring your meat as it rests, you’ll get a better idea of how much they increase. 

But to get you started, we’ve put together a rough idea of what you can expect, plus how long you’ll need to rest them for to ensure the full rise and drop takes place. 

The carryover cooking temperatures listed above are general guidelines. The actual temperature rise can vary slightly depending on the size, shape, and thickness of the meat. It’s always a good idea to monitor the temperature closely with a reliable thermometer like the Thermapen, and adjust your pull times based on how the meat is resting.

Practical Example

If you want roast beef to finish at 56 °C (medium rare), remove it from the oven at around 46 °C. Continue monitoring the temperature while it rests. Once the temperature peaks and begins to fall, it's ready to carve.

The meat rises by 10°C during resting, from its pull temperature of 46°C to its target temperature of 56°C. Once the temperature begins to fall, it's ready to carve.

How to Monitor Carryover Cooking

RFX Wireless Thermometer

The RFX app alerts you when your chosen pull temperature is reached, then continues tracking the temperature throughout the resting period. Watch the temperature rise during carryover cooking, peak, and begin to fall, so you know exactly when your meat is ready to carve.

Best for:

• Brisket
• Pork shoulder
• Roasts
• Whole chickens
  

DOT Leave-in Thermometer

Monitor the cook in the oven using the DOT leave-in thermometer. The alarm will sound when your chosen pull temperature is reached. Remove the meat from the heat, then monitor the temperature on the device as it rises, peaks and begins to fall before carving.

Best for:

• Roasts
• Turkey
• Chicken
  

Thermapen ONE

Spot check your meat throughout the cook using the Thermapen ONE. Check the temperature before removing it from the heat, then again after resting to confirm it has reached its target temperature before carving.

Perfect for:

• Steaks
• Chops
• Chicken breasts
• Checking different parts of large joints
  

For the most accurate results, monitor the cook with a leave-in thermometer, then confirm the final temperature with a Thermapen before serving.

Key Takeaways

• Carryover cooking causes meat to continue cooking after it's removed from the heat.

• Remove meat before it reaches your target temperature to avoid overcooking.

• The larger the cut, the greater the temperature rise during resting.

• Monitor the temperature as your meat rests, and carve once it has peaked and begins to fall.

• Use a leave-in thermometer to track the cook and rest, then confirm the final temperature with a Thermapen before serving.

Want to know the best methods for resting your meat, such as whether it’s best to do it covered or uncovered? Check out our ultimate guide.