Whats The Best Steak For Grilling
Honestly, when it comes to cooking a steak on the grill, you cant really go wrong with any cut you choose. However, getting a perfectly cooked steak from a grill can be tricky if youre new to steak cooking or using a grill. Each cut of steak is a different size, thickness, and texture, so itll be a different process to grill ribeye steak than it would be to grill a much thicker steak, like a filet mignon.
Another issue you might have with the grill lies in the fat content of steak. Although steaks with more fat tend to be more flavorful and tender , they also can be more dangerous to cook on the grill. As fat drips off cut steaks, grill flare-ups can happen. This is especially common with cuts like the rib eye, which are known for their marbling.
That doesnt mean you cant grill them, but youll definitely need to take extra precautions when doing so. Whether you want to cook a rib steak, a T-bone, or flat iron on the grill, you can learn to do it by following our helpful grilling tips for steak.
Cooking Thinner Steaks On The Grill
You can grill a steak of any thickness successfully, but there is a sweet spot of thickness. Steaks that are too thin will probably not get those beautiful pronounced grill marks by the time the interior is cooked to your liking. If you are cooking thinner steaks on the grill, 1-inch or thinner, only flip them once so that the outside can sear up before the steaks overcook. Keep the heat fairly high so the outside has a chance to sear and caramelize before the inside gets too well done.
What Is The Best Way To Season A Steak
When seasoning a steak, you cant go wrong with the classic freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Finishing salts such as flaky sea salt and can be applied at the end as a final touch. Add some chopped herbs such as thyme, rosemary or sage to your salt to make a flavored salt for your steak.
Don’t Miss: What Ingredients Are In Montreal Steak Seasoning
The Beauty Of Compound Butter
Compound butter sounds fussy, but its really just seasoned butter. You can make it in advance, and its a great way to season the steaks after theyve been sliced. Use the recipe below as a framework you should really use your favorite herbs and spices. If youre in a pinch for time, grab some cultured butter and use that instead.
How To Cook Strip Steak
The strip steak is a Kansas City original, and that’s where it gained its name: The Kansas City Strip Steak. Others borrowed the idea and call it New York Strip Steak or NY Strip. All are the same cut, and are prized for a rich, hearty flavor. The best way to cook strip steak is on the grill. But no matter which method you choose, our cooking instructions and video will deliver the tender and juicy steak you crave. Use a meat thermometer and you can be sure your steaks are cooked to perfection!
You May Like: What Is The Best Steak To Buy
Setting The Temperature To Grill Steak On A Gas Grill
Judging how well a steak is done only by its cooking time is a common mistake. The temperature to grill a steak varies according to the steaks size and thickness, type, and shape of the cut .
To ensure you prepare a perfect BBQ steak, here are the necessary temperature settings to grill your steak on a gas grill. Generally the thicker the steak, the lower the temperature you need to grill a steak.
Helpful Tips For Grilling To Keep In Mind
Once you have a good grill sear over high heat, you can move your steaks to a lower temperature to make sure they dont dry out quickly. This is known as indirect grilling. To do this, sear both sides over high heat for a couple of minutes on each side, and then move to low heat. Only turn your steaks once the full time for one side has been reached. Flipping too often on the grill can ruin the cooking process and dry out your steaks faster.
Also, always allow your steaks to rest. You should plan to rest your steak for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the juices to move back through the meat for ultimate flavor and tenderness.
If you do use a digital meat thermometer to better gauge your time for steaks on the grill, make sure you remove your steaks when its internal temperature reaches about five degrees below your desired temperature, since it will continue to cook a bit after you remove it from the grill. If you want your steak to cook to 135 degrees, then remove it when it hits about 130 degrees.
Don’t Miss: How Long Will Omaha Steaks Last In Freezer
Cooking Thicker Steaks On The Grill
If you have steaks that are thicker than 1 ½ inches, then you want to be careful not to let the grill heat get too high, or you will risk getting the outside of the meat too charred before the inside is cooked enough. You can also flip these steaks a total of three times as you cook them, turning the steak a quarter turn with every flip. This will result in those tempting cross-hatched grill marks.
The Food Lab’s Definitive Guide To Grilled Steak
- Pin
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!
Read Also: Best Steak In Fort Lauderdale
How To Cook New York Strip Steak
You can always use the Reverse Sear method for New York strip steaks , but that process takes quite a bit of time and effort. Sometimes the best things in life are simple and allow the flavor of the beef itself to shine through. I think the best way to cook a NY strip steak is with salt, pepper, a little butter, and a screaming hot grill.
Heres my method for cooking New York strip steak:
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 .
You May Like: Steak And Shake Kids Meal
How To Get Perfect Crosshatch Grill Marks
First, make sure you have cleaned the grill well. Place the steaks on the grill on the diagonal, at about a 45 degree angle. Grill for about 4 minutes, pressing on the steak gently with a spatula occasionally. Rotate the steaks a quarter turn so the angle of the steaks on the grill is about 45 degrees in the other direction. You are looking to create a diamond patterns with the grill marks.
Flip the steaks and grill the steaks the same way, at a 45 degree angle to the grill bars, then after a few minutes turning the steaks another quarter turn so that the grill marks form the same diamond crosshatch pattern on the other side.
How To Grill Steak:
1. Season the meat and allow it to rest before grilling!
You can use a wet marinade , or a simple dry seasoning to add flavor to your steak. Allow the steaks to rest at room temperature at least 15-20 minutes before grilling and season them about 10-15 minutes before grilling.
2. Clean and oil your grill.
Turn your charcoal or gas grill to high and heat it for about 10-15 minutes before you start cooking. If you have a temperature gauge on your grill, look for it to reach about 450-500ºF. Otherwise, observe the coals or gas heat level to see if the coals are barely covered with ash or hold your hand over the heat and you shouldnt be able to handle it for more than about 3-4 seconds.
Use a grill brush to brush away any chunks of charred meat and drippings. To prevent the steak from sticking to the grill, soak a paper towel with some vegetable oil and use tongs to rub it gently over the grill rack.
3. Sear and cook: only flip once!
The cook time of your steak will largely depend on the thickness of the steak. Heres a rough guide but use a thermometer for more accurate internal temperatures.
- 1 inch thick : grill 3-7 minutes per side depending on desired doneness.
- 1 ¼ inch thick : grill 8-10 minutes per side depending on desired doneness.
Only flip steaks one time during cooking.
4. Use a thermometer to check for doneness.
5. Let it rest.
You May Like: Authentic Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich Recipe
Grilling The Perfect Steak: A Simple Grilled Steak Recipe
Want a recipe for grilling the perfect steak that you can try out for dinner tonight? You can do this with rib eye, porterhouse steaks, boneless strip, or whatever other cut delights you the most. You can also use a steak marinade overnight and grill the steaks the next day. This recipe serves four.
How To Cook Strip Steak On The Grill
- Be sure your steak is completely thawed.
- Bring the meat to room temperature. Remove your steak from the refrigerator 30-40 minutes before grilling.
- Season steaks as desired we recommend Kansas City Steak Original Steak Seasoning.
- To cook on a charcoal grill, place steaks over the hottest part of the grill, and sear both sides for 1-2 minutes. Then move to medium, ash-covered coals and continue to grill for the times listed in the chart below. Turn about 1 minute prior to the halfway point.
- To cook on a gas grill, preheat on high. Sear both sides for 1-2 minutes, then reduce to medium heat and continue to grill for the times listed in the chart below. Turn about 1 minute prior to the halfway point.
- For the perfect medium-rare strip steak, grill for 9-12 minutes for a 1-inch steak, and 12-14 minutes for a 1½ inch steak, turning about 1 minute before the halfway point. A meat thermometer should read 130°F.
- Rest your steaks for 5 minutes before serving, covering lightly with foil. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise about 5°F during this time . The final temperature will read 135°F.
- Resting steak is also important because the heat of cooking pulls the juices in the meat toward the surface if you slice into it immediately after cooking, those flavorful juices will end up on your plate, not in your steak. Allowing your steak to rest will give the juices time to sink back in and throughout the meat, keeping it moist and flavorful.
Recommended Reading: Best Steak On Pellet Grill
Gas Grill Temperature For 15 Inch Steak
The best gas grill temperature for 1.5 Inch steak is between 110°F to 120°F, and it should be cooked for about 3 minutes per side. The temperature range above is for rare filet mignon steaks. However, ribeye or sirloin steaks should be grilled between 130°F to 140°F for 6 minutes per side.
Regardless of the steaks size, you need to preheat your gas grill to a temperature of about 450°F to 500°F before grilling. Turn on your gas grill and turn the knob to a high setting. Close the lid and allow the grill to heat up for about 20 to 30 minutes. Also, let your steak defrost and warm up before placing it on the grill.
Black Pepper New York Strip Steaks With Horseradish Sauce
Recipefrom Weber’s Charcoal Grilling by Jamie Purviance
- 2 tablespoonsfinely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 teaspoonsDijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
Also Check: The Best Steak Restaurant In Nyc
A New York Strip Can Handle Being Grilled In The Medium To Well Done Range Because Of The Fat Content
When grilling a NY strip steak we will follow all the same basic steps as grilling any higher end cut of beef. While using a slightly lower heat and keeping and eye out for flare ups caused by the melting fat from the edge.
Step 1: Remove the strip steaks from refrigeration at least 1 hour before grilling and season to taste. For almost any steak we will only season with either salt and pepper or Lawreys seasoning salt. In either case use just a light dusting that covers the entire steak. If you feel like you must cover your meat while out of the fridge, set a paper towel over the top. Over this hour not only will the steak be reaching room temperature it will be breaking down and absorbing your seasoning.
Step 2: Preheat your grill to a medium high heat, when grilling with charcoal have multiple heat zones available. We use a lower heat then normal here to help slow down the cooking process. If using a gas grill you may preheat to high to get better grill marks, just turn down the heat before the steaks hit your grates.
Step 3: Grill a NY strip steak directly over the flames for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness. Until they no longer stick the grill grates. If you only used dry seasonings they will release on there own when they are ready. If you are cooking a thin cut strip and it takes more then 3 minutes to release from the grates jump to step 5 and check your temperature.
How Long Do You Grill A 1
A 1-inch thick strip steak might not seem like it is too thick, but for a tough cut of meat, you need to grill it for longer periods of time to allow the heat to seep through the meat.
Usually, I cook mine for at least 10 minutes as with that amount of time, I like the slightly medium-rare finish.
This takes a lot of practice though, as the timer is not the most reliable indicator.
So if you want to make sure that the steak is cooked to the doneness that you want, invest in a good meat probe to measure the internal temperature of the steaks.
You May Like: Best Steak For Bbq Grill
Best Steak Cuts For The Grill
Lean Cuts These have less intramuscular fat and are not as prone to flare ups . They also cook faster, so attention to the internal temperature of the steak is important.
- Filet Mignon
- Top Sirloin Filet
- Petite Sirloin
These have more intramuscular fat and have amazing texture and flavor from the marbling. These cuts are also more prone to flare ups, so be aware of that potential when grilling these cuts.
- Ribeye
- New York Strip, or Striploin
- T-Bone
- Porterhouse
Chefs Tip Buy a thick cut steak for best results. A thin steak can easily overcook, and having the thicker cut will make it easier to keep the interior tender. You can see more great grilling cuts here.
What Is Strip Steak
A strip steak is cut from the short loin of the cow. This muscle doesnt do too much work, making the strip steak a rather tender cut of meat. Its not quite as tender as the nearby tenderloin, but its still a great option for a nice, typically boneless steak that cooks evenly and quickly with a great beef flavor and nice chew.
Strip steaks have many names, including Kansas-city steak, New York strip steak, top loin, and a hotel-style steak. No matter what you call them, they are delicious and tender and a popular restaurant steak. Strip steaks are best when they are well-marbled with nice, white fat weaving through the muscle of the steak.
Read Also: Wusthof Serrated Steak Knife Set
