Testing for Doneness and Grill Temperature by Hand

Lesson

It’s best to use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of meat. But in the absence of one, use your hand. Yes, that sounds strange, but the old hand trick can work well. Simply press on the meat (after it’s off the grill, of course) and gauge how it feels.
The following guidelines will help you know what meat feels like at various levels of doneness.
Raw meat: Open the palm of your hand and relax it. Take the index finger of your other hand and push on the fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm. This is what raw meat feels like.

Rare: Press the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb. The fleshy area below the thumb should give quite a bit. This is approximately what rare meat feels like when pressed.

Medium-rare: Gently press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb. The fleshy area should be a bit more solid. This is what medium-rare meat feels like.

Medium: Press the tip of your ring finger and your thumb together. The fleshy area should be even more solid. This is what meat cooked to medium doneness feels like.

Well-done: Now gently press the tip of your pinky and your thumb together. Again feel the fleshy area below the thumb. It should feel quite firm. This is what well-done meat feels like when you press on it.

Testing Temperature of a Grill – Without a Thermometer

The following is a way to estimate grill temperature by holding your hand between 4 and 5 inches above the hot barbecue grill surface.

If you can only hold your hand 1 to 2 inches above the grill for 1 second the temperature of the fire is approximately 600°F (or higher), 2 seconds equals 500º – 650ºF +, and so on.

1 Second (or less) = Very Hot Fire – 600°F or more
2 Seconds = Hot Fire – 500° to 650°F
3 Seconds = Medium Hot Fire – 450° to 550°F
4 Seconds = Medium Fire – 400° to 500°F
5 Seconds = Low Medium Fire – 300° to 400°F
6 Seconds (or more) = Very Low Fire – 300°F or less