How To Properly Grill A Steak

Dont Forget To Let The Steak Rest

Cooking the steak to ten degrees below your desired temp and then resting it allows for the collagen in the meat to thicken the juices as it cools slightly, says Prentiss. This creates a way juicier steak than just cooking straight to temp.

Sharp agrees. Let it rest. This is crucial, he says. Just because the steak is out of the pan doesnt mean it stopped cooking. Keep it in a warm placeyou don’t want a cold steakand rest it for about as long as you cooked it.

Chef Carlos recommends allowing the steak to rest for half the cooking time before servingso if your steak takes 10 minutes to cook, youd let it rest for five.

If youre not able to keep the steak warm while it rests, or you want to eat it quite hot, Prentiss recommends returning the steak to the grill after its rested and bringing it up to the internal temperature of your preference before eating.

How Long To Grill Steak

For a 1 1/2-inch thick steak, here are the general cooking times:

• 6 to 8 minutes for rare
• 7 to 10 minutes for medium-rare
• 10 to 12 minutes for medium
• 12 to 15 minutes for well done

Note that the USDA recommends cooking whole cuts of beef to an internal temperature of 145°F.

Keep in mind that the thickness of your steak, the heat of your grill, and your desired level of doneness will all impact the time it takes your steak to grill. Raichlen suggests checking the temperature of the steak by inserting a digital meat thermometer through the side, not top down. You can also use Elises handy dandy guide.

Grilling Steak Why You Need To Do It

Steaks on the grill really is the bees knees. Theyre juicy, tender, and that charred flavor on the outside you just cant beat it! Our sous vide steak is one of my favorite things to grill, but I realize that not everyone has a sous vide, so we thought wed come up with a much simpler, marinated grilled steak recipe.

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What’s The Best Cut For Grilling

While personal preference is certainly a big factor when choosing the right cut, steaks with significant fat marbling are always going to be preferable for grilling because when it comes to steak, fat equals flavor.

You’ll also want to pay attention to the thickness of the steak. Thicker steaks about 1 ½ to 2 inches are the best choice for beginners because they’re harder to overcook. Thick, well-marbled cuts recommended for grilling include ribeye, strip , and filet mignon .

Cheaper cuts like skirt and hanger steaks are also good for grilling, but there’s more room for error with these, as they are thinner cuts. For best results, marinate overnight and use a meat tenderizer to break down the muscle fibers.

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Steaks Under 1 Inch Thick

Pitmaster, Meathead Goldwyn, came up with an awesome technique: the afterburner grilling method which he calls extreme. I guess its fair to say that anything resembling the afterburner of a jet engine is extreme!

This is about as hot as it gets short of actually throwing the meat into the fire. Were talking intense.

How To

With this method, you take the charcoal chimney that you would usually use to light a charcoal grill, light it up good and hot with coals on the inside and paper underneath, put a grill on top and cook these thin steaks over the chimney for about 2-3 minutes each side. Super hot. Super fast.

The only drawback with this method is you cannot cook many steaks at the same time because your cooking surface is only as big as the opening of the chimney.

Check out this short video for an excellent introduction to the afterburner method of cooking steaks.

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Dont Use The Wrong Kind Of Salt And When In Doubt Oversalt

True sea salt is always the way to go when seasoning a steak, Prentiss says. We use Jacobsen’s Kosher Salt from Portland, Oregon. The grains are medium sized and have a pleasant minerality that lends itself perfectly to grilled beef. Any true fleur de sel or sel gris type sea salt will work well for good beef. Avoid table salt, iodized salt or small fine-grain sea salts as they have more weight to volume than larger grain salts and you can easily over season with them. Just think medium grain, true sea salt.

Cervantez is a fan of kosher salt, which is, according to experts, virtually identical to sea salt. Cervantez is a fan of pepper, as well, and recommends combining both in equal quantities.

And when you do, Always overseason your steaks a bit, adds chef Christian Ragano. Hes the executive chef at Cindys, the rooftop restaurant at the Chicago Athletic Association. When you think it’s enough, always add a little more. A lot of salt and pepper always falls off during the cooking process and doesn’t always penetrate the meat.

Jayawardena of FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in Bloomington, Minnesota, agrees. Now is not the time to be shy about seasoning, he says, adding that salt is the most important ingredient you could ever add to a steak. Do this before you let the steaks rest so the seasoning has time to work its way deep into the meat.

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.

Also See

• Beef flank steak

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How Long Does It Take To Grill A Steak

Depending on the kind and thickness of the steak, as well as other considerations such as whether or not the meat has been marinated, direct grilling a steak over high heat will take between 5 and 15 minutes. Indirect grilling can take around one hour, with the indirect heating taking approximately 45 minutes and the direct grilling taking a further 5 to 10 minutes.

The Two Best Ways To Grill Steak

The ideal grilled steak has an appetizing browned exterior with tender, still-pink meat inside. The tricky part is making sure that you don’t burn the surface of the meat before the inside gets warm enough to eat, or cooking the inside too much before getting those nice surface grill marks.

There are two ways to go about it.

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Should You Boil Steak Before Grilling

Never, never, never boil steak before grilling. Boiling the steak will give the exterior an unpleasant grey color, and it will probably be overcooked before it gets to the grill.

There is a technique called sous vide cooking where you immerse steak in warm water to cook it to a desired temperature, then finish cooking it on the grill. But the water temperature is kept closer to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, never as high as the boiling point of 212 degrees.

How To Check For Medium

Now that you are armed with the what and why of a medium-rare perfectly cooked steak, its time to talk application. If you dont know how to check the level of doneness of a steak, you might end up with a medium cooked or a medium well steak, despite your best intentions of cooking a steak to medium-rare.

Because cutting into a steak while cooking to assess the appearance of its insides will allow juices to escape and leave you with something resembling steak tartare, we recommend checking doneness in other ways to preserve your steaks texture and flavor. When it comes to knowing how to cook steak or grill a steak medium-rare, there are a few tried and true techniques to choose from.

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Best Steak Marinade For Grilling

In this particular grilled steak recipe, were using our favorite grilled steak marinade. Its made with some of our favorite ingredients. Heres what you need:

• garlic: minced garlic is such an amazing flavor for pretty much any marinade.
• Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce is tangy with a punch of vinegar and its so necessary.
• balsamic vinegar: balsamic adds a hint of sweetness with too much sweet.
• lemon juice: a little citrus goes a long way and really brightens up this steak marinade.
• olive oil: olive oil will help keep things nice and juicy.
• lemon pepper: I love that you get the traditional pepper flavor, but also a lemon zest punch with lemon pepper.

Let The Steak Rest Briefly Then Serve

“You always want to account for carryover cooking in the time that it takes to get the steak off of the grill and on the table,” says Epi Food Director Rhoda Boone. Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes, and it’ll be ready to slice or serve whole so that your hungry guests can attack it with their own knives.

Now that you’ve learned how to grill the perfect steak, dress it up and add variety with delicious sauces, marinades, and spices. And don’t forget the sides!

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Everything You Need To Know About Grilling Pork Chops Steaks Hamburgers Lamb And Bbq Including Temperature Ranges Tools And Tips

• How to BBQ on the Grill

On my street there is no mistaking the smoky, savory notes carried on the breeze when a neighbor fires up a grill full of meat. Cooking raw meat over a live fire is quintessential grilling and truly a method as old as time.

Grilling meat to a safe and delicious temperature for consumption is a seemingly straightforward process, but to achieve backyard grillmaster status, its important to understand the types of heat and the degrees of temperature needed for each cut.

Mike Lang

Gas Vs Charcoal Grills

Most people will tell you that charcoal or wood-fire grills are preferable for grilling steaks because they bring that smokey, charred flavor. If you are using a charcoal grill, skip the charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid, as these can add a kerosene flavor to your steak. Instead, opt for wood or natural, hardwood lump charcoal .

But don’t fret if you have a gas grill. The heat is ultimately more important than how you get it. You can still achieve great results with a gas grill. And gas grills allow for greater precision and control over the heat, which is definitely a plus for the amateur and the grill-master alike.

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From The Right Temperature To Resting Time

It seems that people approach grilling steak one of two ways: either in a casual manner or paying perhaps too much attention. Some will heat the grill with abandon, throw the steaks on, flip once, then pull them off, and serve others will fret and worry, cutting into the meat every two seconds wringing their hands over whether the meat is done or not. Both techniques do have some merits but a method somewhere in the middle is ideal.

Grilling a delicious steak is easy, as long as you follow a few simple steps. As with anything, a bit of practice always helps, too. Follow some advice, grill a few steaks, and you’ll be serving up perfectly cooked juicy steaks in no time.

Steak Cooking Time & Temperature

A key element in learning how to BBQ steak flawlessly is knowing the finished temperature depending on personal preference when it comes to your meats doneness. Heres a quick list of cooking temperature per steak doneness and key indicators to help you determine when the meat is ready to be taken out of the grill.

• Rare: 120-125°F internal temperature red, shiny, and soft when touched

• Medium-rare: 130-135°F internal temperature deep red to pink, soft but firm

• Medium: 140-145°F internal temperature pinkish color in the center part, a bit firmer

• Medium-well: 150-155°F internal temperature very light pink center with slight graying on the edges firm but tender meat

• Well-done: 160°F+ internal temperature no hint of pink color anywhere meat is very firm

To check the internal temperature precisely and conveniently, we recommend using a digital BBQ thermometer or meat thermometer. This stops you from opening the lid. To ensure your steak remains juicy and tender, never cut into it to check doneness and use tongs to prevent the meat from being pierced. Remember that when the lid is closed, the grill will be able to maintain optimal cooking temperature, resulting in beautifully and evenly cooked steak. When youve taken it off of the fire, allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Internal Temp Of Steak

To check the internal temp of steak use an instant-read thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the steak. Here are the temperature ranges to look for :

• Rare : 120 130 degrees
• Medium-Rare : 130 140 degrees
• Medium : 140 145 degrees
• Medium-Well : 145 155 degrees
• Well-Done : 160 degrees

Should I Put Olive Oil On Steak Before Grilling

The answer is a resounding yes. When it comes to cooking steak, olive oil is an absolute must-have item. The fact that olive oil should not be added to steaks before grilling is widely believed by many individuals. Chefs throughout the world, on the other hand, advocate that while creating steaks, olive oil should be applied twice to the meat to ensure that the meat is well cooked.

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Charcoal Or Gas Grill

Grilling a Wagyu steak requires advanced technique and confidence since the heat is high and less forgiving. Make sure to preheat your grill before placing the Wagyu steak on it this will help you keep track of the cooking time to ensure the perfect sizzle.

Its important to pat your Wagyu with a paper towel before you cook it, or it will take longer to cook and not fulfill its potential. After gently blotting it, then you can season it to your preferences.

Heres where the instructions split. Depending on the thickness of your Wagyu, the cooking time will vary. For example, a cut that is ½ inch thick will take much less time to cook than a thicker piece. Dont forget that Wagyu takes a shorter time to cook than Angus beef due to its fat content. The fat content cooks the Wagyu internally in a way that Angus does not.

When deciding on a cook time, ask your butcher or meat provider for their recommendation. Every cut will be different. Just make sure to rotate the steak 90 degrees to achieve those signature cross-stitch grill marks.

Season Steaks With Salt And Pepper

When it comes to seasoning a steak, you don’t have to get too complicated about it. There are all kinds of spice rubs and seasoning mixes out there, but a perfect steak really doesn’t need much more than Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Kosher salt is the best kind of salt for seasoning a steak because its coarse crystals will really grab onto the meat. Season generously. When it comes to pepper, everyone’s tastes are a little different. But even a little bit of freshly ground black pepper will spice up a steak and also give it a slight crunch. But please be sure to use freshly ground black pepper and not the powdery stuff that goes in pepper shakers.

Seasoning a steak is one of those topics someone could write a whole article about, and in fact, we have. For a little more depth, check out this article on seasoning a steak.

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How To Grill A Perfect Ribeye Steak On A Gas Grill

You cant beat the flavor of a ribeye. If youre not familiar with how to cook this cut of beef, its simple on a gas grill. Follow the steps below to cook the perfect ribeye at your next backyard barbecue.

Ribeye steaks are one of the most flavorful cuts of meat because of their marbling, or fat content. The more marbling, the higher the USDA grades the steak. Prime is the highest rating, followed by Choice and then Select. Our experts recommend buying ribeyes that 1.25 inches thick with marbling throughout. Anything much thicker or thinner could make cooking more difficult, and the fat enhances the flavor.