Dont Be Afraid Of The Butcher
In most instances, the highest grade of beef youll find at the grocery store is USDA Choice. You may also run into some difficulty finding some of the good cuts of steak in these stores. If you are serious about cooking great grilled steak its time to befriend your local butcher.
Your local butcher will have a much larger variety of the best steak cuts for grilling and will have many of them in USDA Prime . Plus, if you dont see exactly what youre looking for just ask the butcher. Chances are theyll cut it for you right then.
At your local butcher shop, youll get more personalized service, they can help you select great steaks with plenty of marbling, and youll be supporting a small business as well.
If you dont have a local butcher shop, you can also order online from some of the great American cattle farms and ranches like Snake River Farms / Double R Ranch. Then youll have great quality steak cuts shipped straight to your door.
Techwood Smokeless Indoor Grill
The indoor grill by Techwood is an elegant and easy-to-use grill that provides exceptional grilling without any smoke or mess. It has a lot of good features that make it a great option to consider, especially, for families.
First off is the controls system. There is a digital temperature control system on the grill which can be used to manually select the temperature from 220F to 450F. This control on the temperature allows you to get the perfect steaks and grilled food according to your liking. The glass lid allows you to keep an eye on your food without removing the lid. You will know when to flip the steaks so it doesnt get overcooked.
Since there is no charcoal or propane involved in the cooking process, the food prepared is healthier as well. The excess fats and oils drip down and out of the food, thanks to the non-stick coating of the grill. There are no grease marks or food particles stuck on the cooking chamber that you need to scrub off after cooking. The grilling plates are dishwasher safe and very easy to clean manually as well.
The grill is smokeless and does not create an excessive amount of smoke. A small amount of smoke might be generated while grilling different kinds of meats. To tackle that, the grill is equipped with advanced airflow technology and a hidden fan. This captures any smoke or odor caused by the grill and keeps your kitchen smoke-free so that you can grill without any worry.
- Takes up a lot of space on the counter.
The Best Temperature For Grilling A Steak
First, you want your grill grates clean and oiled so the steaks flip easily. Next, preheat your grill to at least 450°F. Steaks love a hot grill and cook quickly, but it is important to form a good crust. Grill, flipping once, for 3-4 minutes until internal temperature on your meat thermometer is to your liking. See our temperature chart below for a quick guide.
Filet Mignon: Because filets are generally thicker than other cuts of steak, after searing, it is best to move them to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. Sometimes they require an extra flip or two.
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Selecting The Right Cut
First, a definition. Steaks are basically any piece of meat that falls under the category of “fast-cooking” cutscuts that are low enough in connective tissue that they don’t require the long cooking times that “slow-cooking” cuts require. The difference between a steak and roast essentially comes down to size. Any good roast can be cut into individual steaks .
Use A Thermometer And/or A Timer
Whether you are cooking a thick steak or a flat, thin cut of meat will determine whether you need a meat thermometer or not. For steaks that are at least 1 1/2 inches thick, you will want to use a meat thermometer to get an accurate reading. For rare, remove steaks at 120 F to 125 F, medium rare 125 F to 130 F, and medium 130 F to 135 F.
It’s nearly impossible to get an accurate temperature read on steaks thinner than 1 1/2 inches so it is best to use a timer instead. For 1-inch thick steaks cook them 3 minutes each side over high heat for quite rare, 4 minutes each side for medium rare, and 5 minutes for medium.
Try to avoid this if you can, but if you just have to take a peek, remove the steak from the grill and use the tip of a paring knife to make a cut into the center of the steak to see how things are going. Keep in mind that the steak will continue to cook as it rests after being removed from the grill. Cutting into the steak is discouraged because it will release the precious juices that help flavor and tenderize the meat.
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The Food Lab’s Definitive Guide To Grilled Steak
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Summer’s here and I’ve got a brand-new backyard to grill in, so now seems like as good a time as any to reexamine some of the things we know about grilling beef.
Sure, we can all agree on what our goal is: A perfect steak should have a crusty, crunchy, well-browned exterior surrounding a core of perfectly pink, juicy, tender meat that spans from edge to edge. A perfect steak should have a nice contrast between the smoky, almost charred exterior and the deeply beefy interior. A perfect steak should be chin-drippingly juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
We all know where we want to go. The real debate is, what’s the best way to get there? You’ve just dropped $50 on some prime aged beef, and you’re rightfully nervous about screwing it all up. After all, there’s a lot at… ahem, wait for it… steak.
Want to know how to grill a steak? Here’s my advice: Do not do it the way they do it at steakhouses. It seems counterintuitive: Surely a restaurant with years of experience cooking hundreds of steaks a day knows a thing or two about how it’s done, right? Well, yes. They know how to cook a steak in a steakhouse setting, where their goal is consistency, quality, and, more importantly, speed. Hungry customers don’t want to have to wait for their meat, and a steakhouse has equipment and techniques designed to meet those needs.
Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
Why Use An Electric Grill
Electric grills in contrast to gas or charcoal have many advantages. Lets cover them now!
- Faster Electric grills heat up quick, faster than charcoal grills, gas grills however as are just as quick to heat up.
- Less messy Electric grills do not require charcoal briquettes to clean up.
- Safer Electric grills do not require you to light charcoal with flammable lighter fluid or have an open flame.
- More Convenient No gas tanks or charcoal to carry around and store.
- More versatile They can be used inside if the weather turns nasty.
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Does A Warming Rack Matter
Chances are youve had a time or two where you took your steak directly off the grill, and cut into it, only to see the pink juices flow out onto the plate. Whats left behind is a once succulent piece of meat turned dry.
This is due to the nature of protein fibers and their tendency to contract when heated. If you give a piece of meat 3 to 5 minutes to Rest the meat fibers will loosen and the juices will redistribute. You can do this by removing the steak from the grill and wrapping it in heavy-duty aluminum foil, or by removing it to a cooler part of the warming rack. This will keep the meat warm, without advancing the level of interior doneness.
Does Salting Steak Make It Tender
Salt tenderizes a hunk of meat, or the stalk of fibrous vegetables, in the same way it preserves them. Adding salt to the exterior of a piece of steak draws out the moisture in the steak. In this process, the lean muscle proteins in the meat are broken down, made juicier and more tender. All thanks to salt!
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How To Tell When Steak Is Done
How long steaks take to cook depends on many factors like the cut, thickness, grill temperature and preferred doneness. The best way to see whether or not your steaks are ready is to check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Measure the temperature in the thickest part of the center and make sure not to touch any bones.
Meat Doneness Temperatures:
For A Thick Steak Use The Reverse Sear Method
For steak that’s 1 1/2 inches thick or more, the best strategy to ensure meat that’s perfectly charred on the outside and cooked to desired doneness in the middle is the reverse sear. You’ll cook the steak until it’s almost at the desired doneness over indirect heat, then move it over the hotter direct-heat section of the grill for a final quick sear.
First, make sure the indirect-heat section of the grill is around 225°F , add the steak to that cooler part of the grill, and then cover the grill. When the lid is down, hot air circulates around it, and you can gently warm the meat so that from top to bottom, its the same temperature and color, Goldwyn said. You’re basically creating an oven for your meat.
Start checking the temperature of the steak after about 15 minutes , and continue checking every 5 minutes, until the internal temperature of the steak is 10-15 degrees below your target temperature . Once the food hits that temperature, its ready to move to the direct-heat side for a quick sear.
Next, you want to crank up the heat. Remove the steak to a plate and set aside. For a gas grill, close the lid and turn all the burners to high heat for a few minutes. For a charcoal grill, gather the lit coals into a pile or add half a chimney’s worth of fresh lit coals to concentrate the heat.
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Thicker Steaks Should Slide Over
Most steaks grill beautifully over direct high heat alone. The only time you might need to move them is if/when they cause flare-ups. However, some steaks are so thick that if you left them over direct heat alone, they would burn on the outside before they reached the internal doneness you like.
If your steaks are much thicker than an inch, consider the sear and slide approach. After you have seared both sides nicely over direct high heat, slide the steaks to a part of the grill that is not so hot, perhaps over indirect heat, and finish cooking them safely there.
Dont Forget The Thermometereven If Youre A Pro
Chef Christian Ragano thinks this is one of the most important things to remember. Temping a steak by hand can be tricky, he says. It takes a ton of practice and a ton of experience. Thomas Keller once said, You have to cook a steak a thousand times just to suck at it.’
Dont have a meat thermometer on hand? Ted Hopson, chef and co-owner of L.A.s The Bellwether, recommends using metal cake testers. People always are looking for secrets on how to get the perfect steak doneness, he says. We use metal cake testers. the best tool you can use for this. Insert the metal tester into the steak, leave it for five seconds, then pull it out and touch it to your lips or inner wrist. The internal temp of the steak will tell you how done it is. If it is cold, your steak is rare, if it is just warm, medium rare, slightly hot, medium, etc… No more pushing on it to test itwhat happens when you hit a muscle knot? now it is even easier. Plus, cake testers are less than a dollar and you can get them in baking sections or on Amazon.
Chef Prentiss offered these numbers to aim for:
Rare: 120-130°F
Well: 160-165°F
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What Temperature To Grill Steak On A Gas Grill
The worst kind of steak is a burned steak. Grilling steak on a gas grill doesnt have to be complicated but the mistake most people make is relying on steak cooking time alone without considering the temperature. Since gas grills are meant for fast and hot cooking, it is essential to maintain temperature control when grilling steaks to avoid the dreaded burned and charred steak.
Heres a guide on what temperature to grill steak on a gas grill.
Season Your Steak And Refrigerate
You’ll want to season the steak with salt a few hours before grilling. Follow this simple rule of thumb from grilling expert Meathead Goldwyn: Season the steak with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. “You do not need to rinse off excess salt. It will all be sucked into the meat.” The salt acts as a dry brine, helping the meat stay juicy throughout the cooking process.
For thinner, tougher cuts like skirt, hanger, or flank steak that come from muscular parts of the cow, you can also use a instead. Consider adding sugar into the mixit’s a secret trick for tenderizing tougher cuts.
Make sure to remove steaks from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to grilling so they don’t have a chill on them before you throw them on the grill.
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What Type Of Grill Is Best
When buying a new outdoor grill, the two biggest players are gas and charcoal but electric, kamado and pellet grills are also fair game. When selecting what type of grill to buy, consider how often you’ll be grilling, the amount of space you have for storage, what flavor you prefer and the amount of time and attention you’ll want to spend cooking. Here are the basics on each:
- Doubles as a smoker
- Heavy
Faqs For Outdoor Electric Grills
Q: Are electric grills easier to clean?
A: In terms of the grill itself, an electric grill will largely be the same as others when it comes to cleaning. Non-stick materials should be sought after given that these make the cleaning process much simpler. Electric grill do have an advantage, however, in that they do not have charcoal or other such materials which need to be disposed of.
Q: Are electric grills as good for grilling as charcoal or gas?
A: There are passionate debates among grilling fans around the world as to which grilling method of superior. Some believe that charcoal infuses meals with unique flavors which cannot be replicated using other methods, while others swear by using gas.
Electric grills given that they cant achieve very high temperatures are sometimes regarded as a poorer option but what they lack in power they make up for in convenience and portability. At the end of the day, its all down to the preferences of the buyer.
Q: Can electric grills be preheated?
A: Electric grills can indeed be preheated and many expert grillers recommend preheating as much as possible in order to make up for the lower heats that are achieved by electric grills when compared to gas and charcoal options. Its also recommended to do as much cooking as possible with the lid closed in order to preserve heat as effectively as possible.
Q: Can all electric grills be used inside?
Q: Can an extension cord be used to power an electric grill?
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Choose The Right Piece Of Steak
Have you heard about that principle in chemistry where the accuracy of your analysis isnt any more accurate than the quality of your samples?
Steaks have the same principle, too!
Really, there are only three things you need in making a good steak: beef, salt, and fire.
But once youve gotten that beef wrong, everything else, and we mean everything, is going down.
On that note, look for a slice that looks plump, bright red, and with lots of marbling!
Dont Season Your Steak Too Soonyes Thats A Thing
With larger steaks it’s always a good idea to finish with some large flake or finishing salt once it’s sliced, says Prentiss. If you do not have an hour to temper and season ahead of time, season immediately before grilling, anything shorter than 40 minutes will only pull moisture out of the steak and not let the outside get those beautiful grill marks and crust.
Chef Juan Carlos of SoBou in New Orleans likes to add in a bit of olive oil as well, which he says help gets better sear or griddle marks. If you do decide to add some fat, stick with olive oil, not butter, says Angelo Auriana. Hes the chef at Factory Place Hospitality. There is no real need for butter when cooking a steak because it already has plenty of fat and flavor in the meat itself, he says.
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Charcoal Or Grill Grate Height Adjustment
While exposing a steak to high heat certainly helps develop a flavorful sear, you might not want to leave it on maximum heat for a minute or two. A grill that lets you move the charcoal firebox up or lower the grill grate down allows you to develop a powerful sear, then you can move the heat slightly away from the steak, which will allow it to finish through to rare, medium, or medium-rare on the inside, without turning the beautiful sear into a burned crust.
