Especially beef.

This discussion arises frequently for cooks and chefs. And all cooks and chefs have stories. They can easily recall multiple, horrific tales of beautiful steaks they were asked to ruin. Any cook or chef worth his salt grimaces, groans, and contemplates seppuku when a steak is ordered medium-well or well-done.

And while we’re at it, we should equate “mid-well” with “well-done.” The hint of pink in the otherwise gray center of a mid-well steak is ordered by the diner simply to assuage his “overdone-meat guilt.” Nobody is fooled.

Once can approach such a request one of two ways: with naïve hope, or sheer resignation.

The hopeful chef cooks the steak just to the low end of medium-well, and sends it out. He is pleased the steak has retained at least a little color, a touch of flavor and a few drops of moisture. Sadly, this chef is courting heartbreak, and will likely see that steak again.

The resigned chef (usually a former hopeful chef) emotionally detaches himself from the steak immediately, sears it hard, and places it in the oven. This steak is a goner, a loss. There’s nothing the chef can do. It’s like driving helplessly past a fatal automobile accident.

And the worst moment for any chef is that moment where, in the depths of your food-obsessed soul, you hear the steak cry out for mercy as the last drop of its juicy, flavorful goodness is driven out like a demon. You feel guilty, because you are complicit in this murder. You killed the steak to appease a customer so you can get paid. You’re a sellout. You know it, and so does everybody else.

Sometime—seemingly hours—later in the evening, the chef will vaguely recall something about an order for a well-done steak and open the oven door. He’ll squint into the inferno, and cheerlessly retrieve the dessicated, wooden plank of meat.

The accompanying mashed potatoes and gravy are less like sides, and more like attendees to a meat funeral. The chef dejectedly shakes his head as the plate is delivered to the dining room. In the distance, a sorrowful trumpet can be heard playing “Taps.”

I suppose there is a third option, though for most chefs it’s just a fantasy. In this fantasy, you burst into the dining room, angrily waving a cleaver and demanding to know who ordered the overcooked steak. When the guilty party reveals himself, you mercilessly chase him—unsated and weeping—into the dark, unforgiving night.

I hear this option, while tempting, is bad for business.

I won’t chase you with a cleaver, but I will tell you that you should never order a well-done steak. Even if you have zero respect for a chef’s ability to choose good cuts of beef and cook them properly, just do it to save money. Good steak cuts are usually expensive.

A great natural beef filet mignon typically wholesales for about $20 per pound (or more). Filet has no fat or connective tissue to save it from cook temperatures above medium. A mid-well or well-done filet is simply overcooked. It’s dry, lifeless and abused. It’s a tragedy on a plate. The only comfort is that the cow will never know what gross disrespect was visited upon its flesh.

That said, enjoying well-done beef need not be a crime. Just stop ordering steaks.

You know what is beautiful when it’s well done? Brisket. Short ribs. Chuck roast. Cheek. When cooked “slow and low” the intramuscular fat and, more importantly, the connective tissue, break down gently to lubricate the meat. It stays juicy and succulent. And on a smoker, these cuts really shine.

Few people would think to tell their dentists, doctors, plumbers, bricklayers, framers, electricians…etc, how to do their jobs. Nevertheless, we are free to walk into most any restaurant and essentially tell the chefs and cooks how to do theirs.

Honestly, when we act like beef (or any meat) is a one-size-fits-all ingredient, we’re missing the opportunity to enjoy the best possible dishes. I propose that we match the temperature to the cut.

Many beef steaks can be enjoyed rare for those who enjoy rare steaks. I think most beef steaks are ideal at mid-rare. And, frankly, I like a good fatty ribeye cooked to mid-rare/medium.

Hanger steak and filet are beautiful cuts and are best cooked mid-rare. I prefer burgers to be ground in-house and served mid-rare/medium.

Pot roast, short ribs, brisket—are best served well-done. And can you build a burger or meat loaf to be tasty even when cooked well? Yes.

It may take a while for this idea to catch on, but when it does, it will have been worth the wait.

Look, if you’re a well-done meat lover, don’t take my words personally. I want to take the greatest possible care of what ingredients I set before you. Please understand that I simply want the best for you…and the cow, too.