Medium rare plus is an off-menu steak doneness that sits in the narrow gap between medium rare and medium. It means you want your steak cooked just a few degrees beyond standard medium rare, landing at roughly 135°F to 139°F in the center. The result is a steak that’s still pink and juicy but with a slightly firmer texture and a bit less red than a classic medium rare.
Where It Falls on the Temperature Scale
Standard medium rare runs from 130°F to 135°F. Medium starts at 140°F and goes up to 145°F. That leaves a small window of about five degrees where medium rare plus lives. The target is roughly 137°F, though anywhere from 135°F to just under 140°F qualifies.
This isn’t an official doneness level recognized by any culinary authority. It’s restaurant shorthand that diners invented to communicate a very specific preference: “I like medium rare, but I want it pushed just slightly further.” The “plus” modifier works at other levels too. You could technically order a rare plus or a medium plus, and the meaning is the same: nudge it up a notch without jumping to the next full category.
What It Looks and Feels Like
A standard medium rare steak has a warm, red center that transitions to pink toward the edges. Medium rare plus shifts that center from red to a deeper, more uniform pink. You won’t see the bright ruby color of a true medium rare, but you also won’t see the grayish-pink band that starts to appear at medium.
The texture changes too. At 137°F, the muscle fibers have tightened just enough to give the steak a slightly more structured bite compared to the softer, more yielding feel of a 130°F center. It still reads as juicy and tender, just with a touch more resistance when you cut into it.
Why People Order It
For leaner cuts like filet mignon, medium rare is often the sweet spot. But for well-marbled steaks like ribeye or New York strip, a few extra degrees can actually improve the eating experience. Intramuscular fat begins to melt and render in the 130°F to 140°F range, basting the meat from within. Pushing a heavily marbled steak to medium rare plus gives that fat more time to soften and distribute, adding richness without overcooking the protein.
Some diners also just prefer a steak that’s warm all the way through. A true medium rare can have a center that feels cool or lukewarm to some people, especially on a thick cut. Medium rare plus ensures the center is fully warm while keeping the steak firmly on the pink, juicy side of the spectrum.
What Actually Happens When You Order It
Here’s the practical reality: hitting a five-degree window on a grill with multiple steaks cooking at once is extremely difficult. When a cook is managing a busy line, the difference between 135°F and 140°F is a matter of seconds. One restaurant industry perspective from Chowhound noted that when a customer orders medium rare plus, the server will often simply enter it as the next highest temperature, meaning medium.
That doesn’t mean ordering it is pointless. At a high-end steakhouse where cooks are pulling individual steaks with thermometers, you’re more likely to get a precise result. At a busy chain restaurant, you’re more likely to receive something that’s functionally medium. If precision matters to you, it helps to tell your server directly: “I’d like it closer to medium rare than medium, with a warm pink center.”
Nailing It at Home
Cooking medium rare plus at home is actually easier than ordering it, because you control the thermometer. The key detail is carryover cooking. When you pull a steak off the heat, its internal temperature keeps climbing by 3 to 5 degrees as residual heat from the exterior moves inward.
To land at 137°F after resting, pull your steak off the grill or pan at about 132°F to 134°F. Then let it rest for at least three minutes. During that time, the temperature will coast up into the medium rare plus zone. If you pull at 130°F (the classic medium rare pull point), carryover will bring you to 133°F to 135°F, which is the very bottom edge of plus territory. Pulling at 134°F will land you squarely at 137°F to 139°F after resting.
An instant-read thermometer is non-negotiable here. You’re working within a window of just a few degrees, and the difference between a perfect medium rare plus and an accidental medium is about 30 seconds of cook time on a hot grill. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the steak, avoiding any bone, and check it starting a minute or two before you think it’s ready.
One note on food safety: the USDA recommends cooking all beef steaks to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F, followed by a three-minute rest. Medium rare plus at 137°F falls below that threshold. Whole-muscle steaks carry far less risk of internal contamination than ground beef, which is why most restaurants serve steak below 145°F, but it’s worth knowing where the official guideline sits.