How To Grill Steak Perfectly Every Time
Learn how to grill steak perfectly every single time with this easy to follow recipe where steak is seared on a hot grill and cooked to perfection. Grilling steak doesnt have to be complicated!
Learn how to grill steak perfectly every single time with this easy to follow recipe where steak is seared on a hot grill and cooked to perfection. Grilling steak doesnt have to be complicated!
How To Transform A Propane Grill Into A Charcoal Grilling Machine
by Ted Hughes | Jan 22, 2023 | Grilling Techniques
Cooking on a charcoal grill can provide a unique flavor and taste that is difficult to replicate on a gas grill. But what if you already have a propane grill and dont want to invest in a new charcoal grill? Can you turn a propane grill into a charcoal grill? The answer is yes it is possible to transform a propane grill into a charcoal grilling machine. But, it is important to understand the process and the potential risks involved before attempting to make the conversion. With the right knowledge and materials, it is possible to successfully convert a propane grill into a charcoal grill for an enjoyable outdoor cooking experience.
Getting The Sear Right
When cooking your steak, there are really two main aspects you want to get right. You want a hot grill to create a crisp, cooked outside char while heating the inside of the steak to a lower temperature to keep the meat juicy and tender. You can only obtain this by searing. You need a high heat to perfect the sear so set your grill to high . Let the grill preheat to the high temperature before placing the steaks on the grill.
The other thing that can affect the perfect sear is moisture. If there is too much moisture on the steak, it takes that much more energy to evaporate the moisture before the outside browning occurs. When this happens, you end up with your internal temperature rising too high before getting the brown, seared outside. Nobody likes a non seared steak with an over-cooked center you may as well boil it!
Searing is very different for skirt of flank steak because of the thickness. We explain these steaks in more detail here.
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What To Serve With Grilled Steak
Baked Potato in Foil: there is nothing better than steak and potatoes! Try our baked potato in foil recipe. Cook it on the grill or in the oven. The choice is yours.
Foil Pack Potatoes: These foil pack grilled red potatoes are an easy side to add to any bbq. All you need to do to make these grilled potatoes in foil is toss them in olive oil, spices, and create foil pack!
Grilled Asparagus In Foil: Jump into asparagus season with the easiest and yummiest way to eat it. Make Grilled Asparagus in foil for a 20-minute side perfect for all types of eaters!
Butter Lettuce Salad: This butter lettuce salad has a combination of vegetables, fruit, nuts, cheese, and is drizzled with a simple lemon vinaigrette. Everything on a bed of tender butter lettuce makes a perfect and delicious salad.
Foil Pack Peach Crumble: Its made with juicy peaches tossed in maple syrup and a yummy crumble topping, making it a gluten-free fruit crumble and a healthy dessert recipe for the summertime!
Best Temperature To Grill Steaks
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When grilling season hits theres nothing like a perfect steak to celebrate the season. Whether you use a gas grill or charcoal grill the question is the same: whats the best temp to grill steaks?
The cooking process for a good steak can be daunting. Steak is more expensive than ground beef or chicken so you want to get it right the first time. Theres nothing better than a perfectly cooked juicy steak, and nothing worse than a dry overcooked steak.
For a pro guide to buying steak, getting perfect grill marks, complete instructions for grilling steaks perfectly every time and more, check out our How to Grill Steak Perfectly guide.
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Instructions For The Perfect Steak On The Grill
Doneness Levels With Steak Chart
RARE : basically a quick sear on the exterior of the meat. The center of a rare steak is red AND cool. Internal temperature = 120oF 130oF. Cooking time ~2.5 3 min. per side.
MEDIUM-RARE: a medium-rare steak is how top chefs and meat virtuosos prefer to eat their steak. This doneness really allows you to taste the natural flavors of the meat. A good sear on both sides leaving the center pink and room temperature. Internal temperature = 130oF -135oF. Cooking time ~3.5 min. per side.
MEDIUM: a common request. It seems to please most as it isnt seeping with blood, nor is it super dry. The center remains slightly pink and is slightly warm. Internal temperature = 135oF 145oF. Cooking time ~4.5 min. per side.
MEDIUM-WELL: this steak is almost cooked right throughleaving just a sliver of pink in the middle. The center is just barely pink and definitely warm. Internal temperature = 145oF 155oF. Cooking time ~5.5-6 min. per side.
WELL: you will get the oddball that requests this but we certainly dont recommend it. This steak is definitely cooked right through. It is most likely tough with minimal flavor. The center is brown. Internal temperature = 155oF 165oF +. Cooking time ~7 min. + per side. For those of you that choose your steak well done, you might want to read Anthony Bourdains Kitchen Confidential to understand what happens to your steak in the kitchen. Youll never order well done again.
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Whats Your Beef A Rundown On All The Different Types Of Steak
The good news is there are many names for the same cut. This is part of the confusion. But when you realize that in fact a Delmonico steak is the same as a strip steak, the long list of names is less daunting.
Lets start with one cow and work our way to the grill. The cow is divided into eight primal cuts: chuck, rib, short loin, sirloin, round, shank & brisket, plate and flank. Of these, all but the shank & brisket cut can be butchered further into different roast and steak cuts.
As we know, not all steaks are equal, with some steaks better for grilling than others. And an easy way to remember which cuts will be tender and which tough is to think about what a cow does all day. It eats. It walks. And yup, thats about it!
So, starting with the middle back where the muscles get no workout at all, these are your tender cuts: rib, sirloin, tenderloin. Move outwards and down to the working and moving parts of the animal and the meat will be leaner, muscled and tough: shank, chuck, brisket, round.
Now there are great ways to make all these cuts successful on the grill, but you need to know which method to use.
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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 arent 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.
Youll need:
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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 perfect for a gas grill or charcoal grill.
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY:This post is sponsored by Country Natural Beef, the opinions are my own.
Why You Should Rest Your Grilled Meat
Since I last wrote about resting your meat, there have been some questions called as to the validity of the science behind it. Here is the prevalent theory as to why resting your steak is important :
“As the steak cooks, the muscle fibers on its exterior tighten, squeezing juices out of its surface. This creates an imbalance of juice in its interior, with most of the liquid being concentrated at the center of the meat. If you cut the steak open as soon as it comes off the grill, the juice has only one place to goonto your plate. On the other hand, allow the steak to rest until its temperature has normalized, and the juices will distribute themselves more evenly throughout its interior. Cut the steak open, and the juice stays put exactly where it’s supposed to be: in the meat.”
However, Nathan Myhrvold of the James Beard 2012 Cookbook of the Year Modernist Cuisine says otherwise. His claim is that it’s not so much about redistribution of moisture, but that it’s about the relative viscosity of hot vs. cool liquids. The juices stay in place because they’ve managed to thicken up a bit as they cool.
In either case, the fact remains: resting your meat works. That said, if you are using the reverse-sear method, then resting is largely unnecessary: the steak cooked gently enough that there is not a large temperature gradient inside it anyway.
Q: Should I pre-carve my steak before serving?
Isn’t that pretty?
Q: Do you have a favorite steak knife or serving tool?
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Don’t Season Your Steak Too Soon Yes That’s 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 don’t 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.”
Juan Carlos Gonzalez, former executive chef of SoBou in New Orleans, likes to add a bit of olive oil as well, which he says helps achieve a better sear or griddle marks. If you do decide to add some fat, stick with olive oil, not butter, says Angelo Auriana, executive 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.
Grilling Steak Tips + Q& a
Best grill temp for steak:
We recommend searing your steak at high heat such as 500ºF for a few minutes on each side to sear the steak and then lower it to 400ºF to finish cooking.
How long to grill steak
Depending on the thickness of your steak and how done you want it, grill your steak at around 400ºF for around 15-20 minutes.
Should I use a gas or charcoal grill?
Either a gas grill or a charcoal grill works for grilling steak. Its all about preference. We personally used a gas grill because you can manage temperature better.
How do I know my grilled steak is done?
The most precise way to know if your steak is fully cooked is to check the temperature. Use a meat thermometer and stick it in the thickest part of the steak. It should read at least 135ºF before taking it off the grill to safely consume it.
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Is It Necessary To Cook The Steaks More After Searing Them
The most important part of reaching the level of doneness you like is the internal temperature. Searing is largely for flavor. If your steak is thicker, it probably wont reach the desired doneness as fast as a thinner one. One thing that helps ensure you dont overcook your steak, is to leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. If raising the internal temperature needs to take longer because the steak was too cold, it will cause the steak to get overcooked.
The Food Lab’s Definitive Guide To Grilled Steak
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!
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How To Grill Flank Steak
When you use the right grilling techniques, grilled steak is one of the most delectable proteins you can put on your plate. Although flank steak is a thinner cut that can dry out easily, its just right for the grill, especially with a little practice and a yummy marinade.
Use this guide to learn all about how to grill flank steak while keeping it moist and tender.
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Myth #: Searing Steak Locks In Juices
Myth #1: Searing locks in juices. There is some sort of misconception that somehow the entire surface of a piece of food can be melted into an impenetrable layer that juices cannot escape from, which is completely impossible. Searing actually removes more moisture from food, but this does not detract from the great flavor and texture contrast that searing provides to food.
Sear marks are a delicious hallmark of grilled good. Not only does searing food caramelize the outside of the food and whatever seasonings you used, creating a one-of-a-kind flavor, but it also gives grilled food those recognizable markings that make your mouth water. Sear marks look and taste great, but, alas, they do not lock in juices.
Its true that the heat from the grill will actually push juices out by causing the muscle fibers to contract. Those juices can be saved, however, as long as you grill food for the correct amount of time, and of course, let your food rest for 30% to 40% of the total cooking time before you cut into it.
If youre a Weber enthusiast, I know youve seen this rule before. Letting your food rest allows those muscle fibers to relax again and the juices to run back into the meat, keeping it moist and delicious.
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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.
