Skip to main content

No, the red juice in steak isn’t blood – here’s what it really is

The squeamish among us can rest easy

We’ve all heard it said — “the bloodier, the better.” While we may agree with the sentiment, the delivery has always seemed a bit crass. What you might not have realized, though, is that it’s also incorrect. That delicious flavor juice that makes our favorite steaks and burgers oh-so-moist and tender is not actually blood at all. So, what is the red juice in steak? Contrary to popular belief, this red, juicy, savory magic is actually something called myoglobin, or “purge” to those in the biz.

In both raw and cooked red meats, myoglobin and water combine inside meat to create a blood-red liquid substance that can admittedly look, well, bloody. There can be more or less “purge” present depending on the beef’s particular cut, age, how it’s packaged, whether or not it’s been previously frozen, and a number of other factors. Myoglobin/purge is also what you find all over your hands and grocery cart if you’ve forgotten to bag your ground beef. It’s also what can be found all over your cutting board if you slice your steak too early.

Recommended Videos

What is myoglobin?

Sliced steak on a white plate
David B Townsend / Unsplash

Myoglobin is a protein in red meat that carries oxygen and stores it in muscle cells. It’s a necessary element for muscles that get frequent use, and therefore, need a lot of oxygen. Myoglobin is also the element that separates red meat from white meat. The more myoglobin cells that are present in meat, the redder it is. Animals that are considered “white meat” in the culinary world, like poultry and seafood, are named so because of their low levels of myoglobin.

While this protein may resemble blood in appearance, it isn’t related to blood at all. In fact, during the slaughter process, all of the blood is drained from the animal. So, even in the freshest of red meat, no blood should be present. It’s also worth noting that myoglobin is the reason steak looks different according to how it’s cooked. Myoglobin darkens as it cooks away, becoming hemichrome, a substance that results in a tan color when cooked to medium. At well-done levels of heat, hemichrome and myoglobin become metmyoglobin, which turns the meat a gray color. When red meat is cooked to (correct) levels of medium rare to medium, the myoglobin remains bright red, flavorful, and juicy.

So, for those who’ve always been somewhat squeamish about rare or medium rare steaks due to their “bloodiness,” you can rest assured that you have nothing to fear and can now start ordering your steaks correctly. As for the others, while it may be fun to request that your steak remain “bloody” when ordering it rare, it is quite incorrect. Of course, you could always order it extra “myoglobin-y,” but that doesn’t really have the same ring to it.

Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
What your daily cup of coffee is really doing to you, new study explores
How your coffee habits unknowingly affect your health
Long black coffee

Do you know what your morning cup of coffee does to you? As it turns out, researchers from Tufts University have been asking this same question. A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition examined the coffee-drinking habits of over 45,000 Americans from 1998 to 2018.  This observational study analyzed data from the National Death Index Mortality Data, suggesting that individuals who consumed one to three cups of black coffee had a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality compared to those who did not.

In addition to this key finding, the recently published study also found that individuals who drank more coffee achieved even better results. Those who had 2 to 3 cups of coffee had a 17% lower risk of all-cause mortality. However, the findings suggest that this research only applies to those who drank their coffee black. Adding cream and sugar to your coffee, even in small amounts, could completely negate the potential benefits of drinking black coffee. This study's findings come at a time when black coffee is on the rise, as health-focused coffee drinkers have begun to find new ways to eliminate added sugar and cream from their morning coffee.
"The health benefits of coffee consumption may be diminished when sugar and saturated fat are added," the study researchers concluded. It's also worth noting that this observational study only examined individuals who drank regular caffeinated coffee and did not explore the benefits associated with drinking decaf coffee. While this study suggests a correlation between coffee consumption and lower all-cause mortality, it does not necessarily indicate a causal relationship.

Read more
Smoking meat on a gas grill is easier than you think — here’s how to start
Affordable tools that make your gas grill smoke like a pro
chicken cooking on a gas grill

I never planned on getting into smoking; I had a basic gas grill, no fancy add-ons, and no clue what I was doing. But after trying a few simple techniques and picking up a couple of affordable tools, I realized that smoking food on a gas grill was more doable than I thought. You don’t need to spend hundreds on a full smoker setup to enjoy the rich, slow-cooked flavors of real wood smoke. With the right accessories, your existing gas grill can do a lot more than just burgers and hot dogs. These budget-friendly tools make it easier to get great results without overcomplicating the process.

Smoker box

Read more
Coffee molds: What’s really inside your coffee?
All about mycotoxins
Whole beans and ground coffee

Imagine you open a package of cheese from your fridge to find something green and fuzzy growing on it. Your immediate reaction (beyond saying "ew") probably involves throwing it in the trash immediately. Molds on foods come in all varieties, yet not all are visible to the naked eye, such as mycotoxins.

Coffee molds are one example, which could be living on your coffee beans without you even knowing. These toxic compounds are odorless and invisible and can only be identified through lab testing. Do you know what's inside your cup of coffee? Most of us don't know if our coffee has mold. Here's what you should know about coffee molds and how to avoid them.
What are coffee molds?

Read more