How Do I Make My Weber Charcoal Grill Hotter
Adjusting the air dampers will increase or decrease your temperature. The more air going into the grill , the hotter the grill will get . The less air going into your grill , the cooler it will get . Most of our charcoal grills have two dampers a top lid damper and the dampers on your bottom bowl.
Keep Track Of Your Steaks
I love these bamboo steak markers. They come in a pack of 500 and include five temperatures: rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well. They are 3.5 long and you insert their sharp points in the side of the steak so the meat can be flipped easily. If they dont char, you can wash them and reuse them.
The great chef and educator Bruce Aidells, author of a number of superb cookbooks including the The Great Meat Cookbook, has produced a polished detailed video series on steak covering everything from selecting the meat to cooking it. It is a beautifully produced set of seven videos starting with selecting and buying beef and chock full of tips. It is produed by the website craftsy.com and they have an excellent learning platform for watching educational videos where you can pause and come back the next day to the exact spot you left off at, a place to take notes, study materials, discussion, recipes, etc. .
Learn How Prime Steakhouses Cook Their Steaks And How To Do It Even Better At Home
Cooking a high quality steak at home can seem like a daunting task but thanks to this guide youll soon be able to create one that is perfectly cooked on the inside, features a dark and flavorful crust, and is juicy with a big bold beefy flavor. The keys to success are: Selecting the proper cuts, grades, thickness, and technique. Heres how to can raise your game to steakhouse level and have your guests reeling in deliria.
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How To Dry Brine
Unless your doctor forbids you from using salt, use it. It really brings out the flavors. Salt is an amplifier. It is also an annihilator. Adding the right amount will amplify meats flavor. Add too much and it will make it inedible. It also holds in the moisture and denatures the proteins making the meat more tender and juicy.
Brining is a method of adding moisture and salt by soaking meat in salty water. But too much water can bloat a steak and dilute its beefiness. So heres a technique popularized by Chef Judy Rodgers of San Franciscos famous Zuni Cafe. It is illustrated in the photos of a boneless ribeye, above. Click here to read more about dry brining.
1) An hour or two before cooking pat the meat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt on on both sides of the meat. Put it back in the fridge. If you have a small wire grate that can hold the meat above a plate so air circulates, all the better. If not flip the meat after 30 to 60 minutes.
2) The salt draws out moisture which dissolves the salt. See how the meat has become shiny with moisture in the middle picture?
3) The meat reabsorbs the moisture bringing the salt in with it. Notice how the color of the fat at right has changed where the salt has soaked in.
What Is The Reverse Sear Method
The reverse sear method is a better way to cook thick steaks. The process involves slowly bringing the steak up to temperature in a grill or oven at low heat and then searing it at high heat.
This method gives you more control over how the interior of the steak cooks so you can achieve a perfectly uniform medium rare with a beautiful brown crust.
Youve probably seen recipes that call for searing a thick piece of meat first to lock in the juices and then finishing it in the oven.
Food scientists have actually proved that this is false.
The reverse sear method simply flips the traditional approach on its head for a better end result.
The method originates from sous vide cooking, where the meat is sealed and then slowly brought up to temperature in a controlled water bath.
You dont need to invest in expensive sous vide gear to do the reverse sear though. A smoker, grill, or oven all work for the low and slow stage and then you can finish the steak over a hot grill or in a cast-iron pan.
You can check out the reverse sear in action in our Tomahawk steak recipe video.
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How To Grill Steak 101
Everyone needs to learn how to grill a steak properly!! I know it can be intimidating, but it truly is something everyone can master. The first step is to pick out high-quality meat, which is why I am so excited to partner with Country Natural Beef on this tutorial!
Country Natural Beef is 100% owned by family ranchers and is G.A.P. Step 4 Animal Welfare Certified which means that their animals are pasture-raised, fed a vegetarian diet, provided a safe and enriched environment and never receive antibiotics or added hormones. They also happen to be a Whole30-Approved partner! And I have to say, this is honestly the best beef I have ever tasted. You truly can tell the difference and I am so proud to be partnering with them today!
Grill The Perfect Skirt Steak With Weber Grills
I love grilling outside not only in the summer, but all year long! This Master-Touch Charcoal Grill by Weber Grills is the one I grew up cooking on with my family. It is how I learned to smoke my first slab of ribs, roast a chicken with offset heat and grill the perfect steak.The flavor you get from cooking over live fire can not be beat. It is always the one flavor I cant live without.
Here is a super quick recipe for one of my favorite dishes – Grilled Skirt Steak with Parsley Sauce. It will impress your friends and family and still allow you to enjoy the party! Let your Weber do all the work for you!
Thank you to Weber Grills for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
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Have You Tried Cooking Steak On Outdoor Electric Grill If Youre Looking To Grill Something Other Than Burgers Give It A Try
Cooking steak on outdoor electric grill is easy with the right cut of steak and preparation. I say this because I had my own expensive mistake when the meat was cut too thin!!
A few years ago I grilled a balsamic marinated flank steak that came out really well.
And one more note: this post contains affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if you buy through my link. You wont pay any more if you use this link.
Today I picked up a boneless sirloin streak from my local farmers market. It grilled up beautifully on my Weber Q240 outdoor electric grill, and fit comfortably.
What Is Indirect Heat On A Weber Gas Grill
Indirect heat is where the fire or burners are on one or both sides of the food. The food sits above an unlit section of the barbecue. This can be as simple as turning off one or more burners on a premium gas barbecue, while the food sits above the unlit burner. Think of it as converting your barbecue into an oven.
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Amp Up The Flavor With Butter Sauce
When I first began work on this recipe, I tried dry rubs, oil, and simple salt and pepper. All of these are wonderful things to put on steaks, but I felt like it needed more.
I settled on basting the steak with an herbed butter sauce. First, because butter. Second, because I have an extensive herb garden and it didnt require a trip to the store. I was worried that the butter might burn on the grill, and leave an acrid flavor, but it didnt.
It was pure deliciousness. The herbs added complexity without masking the meatiness of the steak.
How To Cook A Perfect Medium Rare Steak With The Reverse Sear Method
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The best way to cook a nice thick steak is with the reverse sear method.
This process involves slowly cooking the steak at low temperature and then finishing it on a blazing hot grill.
Its the best way to guarantee succulent, better than steak-house quality steak at home.
For this recipe I used my Weber Kettle charcoal grill, but you can easily use your oven and then finish the steak in a hot cast iron pan.
So dont risk ruining an expensive, thick-cut steak, read on and learn how to use the reverse sear method.
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How To Grill A Perfect Steak
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE SALES LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY AFFILIATE NOTICE FOR DETAILS.
How to Grill a Perfect Steak is your go-to grilled steak guide! Every step is broken down to make the process of grilling steak easy and approachable!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY:This post is sponsored by Country Natural Beef, the opinions are my own.
Getting The Same Results At Home
The solution is to use two cooking temps, one for the interior and one for the exterior. We will begin by low temp smoke roasting the meat with the lid down and bring it up to about 115°F gently so the meat remains uniform in heat and color throughout. Then we will move it over high heat with the lid up and darken the exterior quickly, flipping often, so it doesnt build up energy and overcook the interior. This method is called the reverse sear or sear in the rear.
Reverse searing produces more tender meat since low heat doesnt bunch up the proteins. It also allows smoke to do its magic, and it allows enzymes to tenderize the meat. High temp cooking moves too quickly for smoke to flavor the meat. It can also deliver a crispier surface because the meat is served after coming off the high heat. But this method is a little tricky because you absolutely must have a precise thermometer and you really need to practice to get the timing right. Click here to read more about the concept and watch a fun video of Chef Jamie Purviance and Meathead cook dueling steaks seared both ways.
So the goal is to give everything an even deep mahogany brown hue, as dark as possible without charring. For more, read my article on grill marks.
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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.
How Hot Should The Grill Be For Steak
Raichlen recommends establishing two cooking zones in your charcoal grill: one thats very hot for searing the steak, and one thats medium for finishing the steak and cooking it through.
On a gas grill, heat the grill to 450°F with two burners going, which should only take about 10 minutes, then turn one of the burners down to medium to create two cooking zones.
Not sure if the grill is hot enough? Raichlen’s tip is to hold your hand 3 inches above the grill grate and count “1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi…” If you can only hold it there for a second or two, the grill is hot and you’re ready to cook.
I followed Raichlens advice, and started my steak in the hot zone, then moved it to the medium zone to finish cooking. It worked like a charm.
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How To Grill The Perfect Steak
Making the perfect steak on the grill is easier than you think, but it requires a little practice and good timing.
Given the differences between grills, cooking surfaces, and cuts of steak, there aren’t specific cook times for grilling steak. Meat changes in texture and density as it cooks, so it helps to know how each steak feels before it hits the grill. A meat thermometer is also helpful when checking doneness.
Take note of the thickness of the steak since it will affect the cooking time.
You’ll need:
- Salt and pepper
- Very hot grill
- Timer that shows seconds
Sear The Steak Over High Heat
To properly sear the steak youre going to need to add more charcoal.
This is where doing both the low and slow and searing steps in the same grill can be a little bit annoying.
You can always do the first step in the oven, and then have your grill setup for searing, but I decided to do it all in the Weber .
Once the steak hits 80 85°F internal temperature get a full charcoal chimney going. Im using lump charcoal because it burns a little bit hotter.
Set the steak aside, remove the grill grates and pour the charcoal on top of the original briquettes.
If you had to close the vents during the low and slow part of the cook, open them up all the way now.
Give the steak a quick wipe with paper towels and then apply a small amount of vegetable oil, as well as salt and freshly ground black pepper before carefully placing back on the hot part of the grill.
The actual sear stage wont take long. About two minutes total.
Ignore the advice you often hear about not turning a steak more than once. Flipping multiple times gives you a move even sear and tastier crust.
If you are grilling a steak with lots of fat like a rib eye youre going to get some flare ups. If that happens just flip the steak.
Dont forget to hit the sides of the steak as this will help render the fat.
Once both sides of the steak have developed a nice crust I start probing with my Thermapen Mk4 every 20 30 seconds until I hit my desired internal temp of 125°F for medium rare.
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S To A Perfectly Grilled Steak
Get better, more consistent results with precise temperature monitoring technology.
Cooking meat over an open fire is the oldest form of cookingand if you ask a lot of seasoned chefs, its still one of the best tests of a cooks skill. Finding that optimal point between raw meat and leather-tough doneness is where the art of grilling lies. Before the advent of kitchen thermometers, cooks had to rely solely on their senses, judging doneness based on the color of the meats surface and its resistance to a gentle prod.
The problem: the range of temperature in which meat is cooked through and remains juicy inside but hasnt turned into a blackened brick on the outside is very narrow. With the help of an accurate thermometer that keeps you updated with alerts, however, you can banish the guesswork and explore exactly whats happening on your grill at every stepand even feel free to walk away.
The Weber Genesis EX-335 Smart Grill with built-in Weber Connect Technology turns your smartphone into a grillers best friend, thanks to an integrated, app-enabled digital temperature probe, inserted in the meat, that monitors every step of the cooking process. The apps preset cook programs, temperature alerts, cooking countdown timer, and other features offer you extra control over the cooking processand as any veteran griller knows, more control means better and more consistent results every time.
How Do You Use Weber Vents
Grilling with Your Weber Grill First, start by allowing your coals to ash over in a chimney starter. It will take several minutes. Then, uncover all the vents of the grill. To do it, rotate the top vents cover clockwise, and the bottom vents cover anticlockwise till the vents are not fully opened.
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Disadvantages Of The Reverse Sear Method
The reverse sear definitely isnt a perfect method for every cut of meat.
- More time consuming Its faster to just throw a steak on the grill and flip it a few times until its done.
- Only works on thick steak The method breaks down if the steak is less than an inch thick. 1.5 2 inches+ works much better.
If youre concerned that the streak is two big, I find that one two inch thick rib eye is enough for two people.
Charcoal Or Gas Its The Heat That Matters Most Not The Fuel
Most prime steakhouses broil their meat with open flames from above, not below, fueled by gas, not charcoal or wood, and they can hit temps from 800 to 1000°F. To the right, youll see the broiler at David Burkes Primehouse in Chicago. They have a talented team of chefs, a purebred Angus bull in Kentucky who sires all their meat, and a impressive aging locker lined with what they say are 800 year old salt blocks from the Himalayas.
At prime steakhouses like Primehouse, meat sits on grates that allow cooks to raise and lower them if they want the meat closer or further from the flame. There are a few that use grills with flames from below, and still even fewer that use charcoal. Most dont like fire from below because flareups from dripping fat that can burn the meat. Yes, the vaporization of the drippings can contribute to the flavor, but their impact is minor especially when you consider the short time it takes to cook most steaks.
I want all of you charcoal die hards who swear that you cannot grill with gas to note that almost all prime steakhouses broil from above at very high temps with gas, so clearly the secret of searing great steaks is the temp not the tool. The lesson is, if you can get a gas grill hot enough, you can sear steaks just as well with charcoal. Problem is, most gas grills cannot reach charcoal temperatures.
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