Tips For The Perfect Grilled Steak
Outside of the tips and methods Malcolm shares above, here are some simple tips to ensure you serve a steakhouse quality steak, every time.
Use a dry brine
Dry brining is the process of applying salt to meat prior to cooking it.
When you salt the exterior of your meat, the salt draws moisture out of the meat that then dissolves the salt, before finally being reabsorbed back into the meat. This gives us an ultimately juicier, more flavorful steak.
You can use just salt, or you can do like Malcolm did in the video and use a rub that contains salt.
Use a thermometer
I cant say this one enough. Use a quality digital instant-read thermometer. I have a Thermapen Mk4 and I cant recommend it enough.
Check your steak while you are cooking it to make sure you know when it is almost done and to ensure you do not overcook it.
Resting steak?
Some people swear you have to rest a steak to allow the juices inside to settle. I tend to disagree.
Meathead from AmazingRibs.com did an amazing job debunking this myth on his website.
While technically yes, you may lose some more juice from your steak if you remove it from the grill and immediately slice it into a dozen or so pieces, that is likely not what will really happen when you are cooking a steak to serve and eat.
To sum it up
What about you? How do you like to prepare a steak? Do you think there are any glaring omissions that weve missed out? Leave us a comment down below with your favorite methods to prepare a steak.
How Long To Grill Steak Rare To Well Done Times And Temperatures
How long should you grill steak to get your preferred doneness level? It varies, of course, and mostly on the thickness of the cut. Read on to learn the grilling times and target temperatures of steaks from rare to well done, from under 1 inch to over 2 inches thick.
Even avid grillers like you and me have occasionally been caught staring at the meat counter at the market, befuddled by the many options, names, types and cuts of steak.
And you havent even got it to the grill yet! There, youre faced with another boatload of choices from which cooking technique and what temperature, to how thick and for how long? Only high school calculus is more complicated than this!
And lets face it, the consequences of cooking the wrong cut the wrong way the wrong temperature for the wrong time? Misery in the form of dried up old shoe leather on your plate.
Ill be the first to admit Ive been there more times than I care to remember.
Thats why I decided to knuckle down, and bone up on all the many terms, cuts and cooking times, to learn how long to grill steak. Every type and any size of steak.
You now have the benefit of sitting there comfortably with your feet up, sipping a nice cold drink, and reading at your leisure all my in-depth research!
Contents
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How To Grill Flank Steak
Grilled flank steak is delicious on its own, but also stands out inside burritos and on steak salads. It’s best when soaked in a steak marinade before grilling, so don’t skip that step in your grilled flank steak recipe.
- To marinate: Trim fat from steak. Score steak on both sides by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals in a diamond pattern. Place meat in a self-sealing bag set in a shallow dish. Pour desired marinade over meat in bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes or as long as your recipe calls for. Drain meat and discard marinade.
- For a charcoal grill: Place meat on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill 17 to 21 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 145°F for medium-rare doneness or 160°F for medium doneness.
- For a gas grill: Preheat gas grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place meat on rack over heat. Cover and grill, following the same instructions for grilling on a charcoal grill.
- Transfer the meat to a platter. Cover with foil and allow it to stand 5 minutes, then thinly slice meat against the grain.
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Learn Your Steak Grilling Times
You dont want to lift the grill lid too often during cooking, as this allows heat and smoke to escape. If you know how long it takes to grill the ideal steak, you only need to lift the lid when it is time to turn the meat.
You can use a cooking chart, but as a rough guide, a 1 steak takes between 7-12 minutes to cook to medium-rare. After around 4 minutes, youll want to turn the steak and cook the second side.
A meat thermometer is a crucial piece of equipment when learning how to grill steak on a charcoal grill. A steak may look like it is ready to eat from its outside appearance, but the internal temperature is the most crucial aspect. If you purchase a digital meat thermometer, this can provide precise readings that allow you to confirm your meat is ready to serve.
The United States Department of Agriculture states that steaks should have an internal cooking temperature of 120-155°F to ensure they are safe to consume. You should also allow extra time as they require a 3-minute rest period before serving. During the rest period, the steaks juices redistribute so you can enjoy a moist piece of meat.
Serve Your Perfect Grilled Steak
Let the steaks rest 5 minutes after grilling and before cutting. This allows the juices to redistribute and helps keep them from escaping the meat as soon as it is cut .
A perfectly grilled steak needs no embellishment, but you can dress it up if you want with a bit of herbed butter, purchased steak sauce, or homemade sauce. Serve steaks with steak knives or other knives that are sharp enough to easily cut through the meat without tearing it.
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How To Cook Steak On A Gas Grill
If you’re using a gas/propane grill, the instructions are essentially the same. Set the grill to a high temperature , and follow the timing guidelines above.
You’ll need to work a little harder to replicate the kiss of wood smoke flavor delivered by Traeger wood pellets, though. Wood chips, in either a foil pack or smoking box, are the best method.
However, your chips can’t sit directly over a flame, or they’ll flare. So using wood chips may mean you don’t have as much cooking surface for your steak, or that you can’t get your grill quite as hot.
How To Use Ashed Charcoal For Grilling
Using a grill mitt, evenly distribute the ash-covered charcoal over the charcoal grate and set aside. Putting all of the lighted charcoal on one side of the grill creates a safe zone or a location to conduct indirect cooking, which is a wonderful approach to set up your barbecue. Place the cooking grate over the charcoal grate in the grill and close the lid.
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Searing A Steak With A Pellet Or Charcoal Grill
If you are lucky enough to own a gas, charcoal and pellet grill, I strongly recommend doing your steak on the gas grill. Gas grills can create the heat needed for a proper sear. I personally have a Traeger Ironwood 650 which can be cranked up to 500F but it just doesnt provide the high heat needed for a good sear. My Broil King Regal S590 can get really hot, fast and sear steak amazingly. It is my go to.
Charcoal grills can create the searing heat needed for steaks if you have the right tools. I use a charcoal Vortex to get searing temps on my Weber Kettle. You simply put the charcoal into the Vortex and the heat will be focused at the center of the grill grates. This creates high searing heat and works perfect for steak.
How To Make My Steak Juicy And Tender
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How Do I Make My Steak Sear Crispy
There are a few things you can do to make your steak sear crispy. One is to place it in a hot skillet over high heat and cook it until browned. Another is to use GrillGrates, which help create even and crispy surfaces on your steak. And finally, you can also sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top before serving.
Preparing The Charcoal Grill
You can start preparing your charcoal grill when waiting for your steak to reach room temperature and while it absorbs the seasoning.
I would usually use lump charcoal rather than briquets, as I think you get more heat, but others may disagree.
As we are grilling meat, not smoking or barbecuing, we need to get the grill as hot as possible. Make sure the lid is closed and the air vents in your grill are open, so there is a good flow of air through the charcoal with will boost combustion.
To cook a steak well it has to be hot and fast, so the grill needs to be as hot as you make it.
My charcoal grill can take up to 30 minutes to get really hot, just the right time for a steak to marinade and get to room temperature after being removed from the refrigerator.
Once the charcoal grill has reached a high temperature, it is time to prepare the cooking grate.
A lot of experts will advise coating the grate with a thin layer of oil that has a high smoke point such as extra virgin olive oil immediately before placing the steaks on the grill.
This can be achieved by putting a little oil on a kitchen paper towel and rubbing it across the grating, making sure that the complete cooking area is coated. If the grill is hot enough, there should be a little smoking.
However, not everyone likes the extra smoky atmosphere created, and if you are not quick the non-stick coating will burn off with the intense heat of the grill.
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Tips For Grilling The Perfect Steak
- Season, then chill: I apply the same technique I use for getting crispy chicken and turkey skin to grilling this steak: season, then let it chill in the fridge uncovered for up to 48 hours. This essentially dry brines the steak while also letting it air-dry. This approach allows the surface moisture to evaporate while the seasoning has time to penetrate the meat resulting in deeply flavored steak that sears beautifully and develops a nice crust on the grill.
- Start with clean grates: Just like you use a clean skillet with a little oil to cook dinner on the stovetop, you want to start with clean and oiled grill grates.
- To flip or not to flip? Flip your steak to your hearts content. Harold McGee, food science writer and author of On Food and Cooking, discovered that frequent flipping creates a steak that cooks more evenly and quickly than those flipped only once.
- Grilling directly on coals: Raichlen seemingly knows an infinite number of ways to grill meat, and theres one in his new book, Project Fire , that I particularly like: he cooks steak directly on hot coalsno grill grates necessary. I love the idea, and its on my list of things to try in the near future.
Taking Off The Chill Speeds Up Cooking
The goal of grilling a steak is to brown and lightly char the surface while also cooking the interior to a perfectly juicy doneness, right? If the steak is too cold, the interior might require so much cooking time to reach that perfect doneness that the steak overcooks deep below the surface, turning gray and dry.
Let your steaks stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. They will cook faster all the way to the center and stay juicer.
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Its All About Them Coals Them Coalsno Gas
While we heartily endorse the grill for crafting the perfect BBQ steak, starting with quality Chicago Steak Company gourmet steaks of course, there are a few initial pitfalls youll want to avoid. The biggest pet peeve we see when it comes to how to BBQ steak is the use of the gas option on your BBQ. While you can still craft an excellent meal out of a steak cooked with gas, its the flavor of the open flame created by smoke, either from charcoal or wood briquettes, that really makes a BBQ steak zing. So, ditch the gas and opt for the old fashioned method when you throw your steak on the BBQ. Your taste buds will thank you!
The Best Cuts For Grilling
First, let’s talk beef: rib-eye, strip and tenderloin are all great cuts for the grill. If you choose bone-in steaks, keep in mind that they take longer to cook. Look for good marbling to guarantee a juicy and tender cut. And ideally, steaks should be at 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick to form a nice charred crust without overcooking.
Flank, skirt and hanger steaks are also great on the grill. These thinner cuts are best marinated, grilled quickly over high heat and sliced against the grain to serve.
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Lighting Your Charcoal Grill
One of the most important aspects of grilling steak on a charcoal grill is the charcoal heat and placement. Its best to cook steak hot and fast, so purchase lump wood charcoal because it burns faster than briquettes. There is also less ash that could block the grill air vents and lower the cooking temperature.
The easiest way to light your fuel is in a charcoal chimney. Place some newspaper in the bottom of the cylinder, and add your coals at the top end. When you light the paper, the fire moves upward to ignite the charcoal. After approximately 10 minutes, you should see a light covering of ash on the coals. The charcoal is now ready to go in the firebox.
Rather than tipping the coals in one spot, spread them evenly so each grill section receives an even amount of heat. This step is essential when grilling steak because it prevents hot and cold spots on the grill that could affect the cooking process.
How Long To Let Steak Rest After Cooking
If youre cooking steak, its important to let it rest after cooking so that the meat doesnt get dry or tough. Here are a few tips on how to do this:
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How Hot Should Charcoal Grills Be For Steaks
When searing steaks, you need to ensure that the charcoal grill has enough heat to create that beautiful brown and crispy crust on the outside but not too hot to burn it.
At 450 degrees to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, you will be able to create that crispy crust on the steak within 2 minutes on each side.
However, you will not be able to cook the interior of the steak.
That is why I recommend using the two-zone technique so that if you are done putting that beautiful crust on the steak, you can use lower heat to cook the interior of the meat.
How To Cook A Ribeye Steak On The Charcoal Grill Quick View
To unveil how to cook a ribeye steak on the charcoal grill, you need to follow the following simple steps. So, lets get started:
- Firstly, season the ribeye steak with kosher salt and freshly powdered black pepper adequately.
- Then take a plastic wrapping sheet and wrap the steaks in it, set aside for 12 hours or overnight.
- Next is to start the cooking process of steaks. Similarly, the charcoal grill must be hot before putting the steaks on it. Then, place the steaks on the hot charcoal grill and let the steaks grill properly. Cook the steaks until your thermometer starts showing 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit for medium-rare and 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for medium.
- Then, its time to take out the charcoal grill and keep the steaks resting for at least 10 minutes to seal in the juice. After resting for 10 minutes, you can make slices and serve the steaks to the guests or homies.
- You can add butter after the grilling process for a juicier flavour, right before slicing and serving.
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