If you are like me, when you think grilling, you think steak. Just thinking about a good cut of steak perfectly grilled in all its wondrous glory makes me salivate. We’ve all had them, the over cooked steak. It’s saddening when you pick yourself up a good cut of meat, and then reduce it to shoe leather on the grill. Grilling a perfect steak every time is not a complicated thing, if you follow a few simple tips.
image courtesy of roland/flickr
First, go to a butcher shop and pick a good cut of meat. New York Strip, Porterhouse, Rib-eyes are good grilling steaks as well as others.
- If you haven’t done so already, pull the steak out of the refrigerator prior to grilling. You want the steaks to be at room temperature prior to grilling, this helps to cook your steak more evenly and quicker.
- You’ve got your perfect cut of meat and spent quite a bit on it, now don’t go over seasoning it. You only need to season it with three items for a perfect tasting steak.
- First, brush it lightly with a bit of canola or olive oil.
- Next, a bit of fresh cracked pepper.
- And finally sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt. Do this just before placing the steak on the grill, as salt will pull moisture from the steak.
- The grill. If you are using a gas grill turn it all the way up to high. If using a charcoal grill a layer of white coals will do. If you can hold your hands over the coals for about 2-3 seconds, it’s ready.
- Take a brush, and oil the grill grate with a bit of olive or canola oil.
- Diamond-patterned grill marks. If you enjoy the visual appeal of the grill marks, here is how you get them. Place your steak on the grill for approximately one minute. After one minute flip it and leave it for an additional minute. The steak will be nice and seared at this point, locking in the flavors. At this point, you’ll want to turn the steak 45°. Leave the steak at this point for half of the cooking time before flipping.
- Doneness is ultimately up to you.
- You may use a instant read meat thermometer to test for doneness. Stick the probe into the thickest part of the meat. When the temperature is 5 – 10 degrees below what you want, pull it off the grill. The steak will continue to cook after you pull it off. You may use the internal temperature guidelines that come with your thermometer to help judge doneness.
- The best method to determine doneness in my opinion is a touch test. A steak will get firmer as it cooks, so you can touch the steak to see how much give there is. A rare will be soft. A medium steak will be a bit firmer, but it will still have some spring. A well done steak will be firm.
- Once done to your liking, let the steak “rest” for about 5-10 minutes. During cooking the juices are pushed internally by the heat, allowing the steak to rest will redistribute the juices throughout the steak making it juicier.
Approximate Grilling Times
These times are for each side and will vary depending upon grill temperatures and conditions.
Thickness |
Rare |
Medium/Rare |
Medium |
1″ |
4-5 |
5-6 |
6-7 |
1 ½” |
5-6 |
6-7 |
7-9 |
2″ |
6-7 |
7-8 |
8-10 |
Miscellaneous Points
- Only use tongs to flip your steak. Do not use a fork, all the juices will run out.
- Do not cut to test for doneness. Again, you’ll lose those precious juices.
- Flare-ups happen. You may want to build areas of higher and lower heat on your grill. If a flare-up occurs you can then slide the steak to the other end until the flame goes down. On a charcoal grill put the majority of the coals to one side, leaving an area of lower heat. On the gas grill have one burner on high and the other on medium.
- Do not feel the urge to over handle your steak. Let it be. Flip it the first initial times to sear in the grill markings, and then only flip it once more when it is half way through cooking. Flipping can lead to flare-ups.
I know this may all seem a bit complicated at first, but after you get the hang of it, it will be just like riding a bike. So, how about you get out to the grill and start making some perfect steaks. Before you know it, everyone will be asking you “how do you make such delicious steaks.”
If you are going to grill up that perfect cut of steak you are going to need a quality steak knife. I’ve used a lot of different steak knives, but I really like J.A. Henckels 8 piece steak knife set. They look great and go perfectly with stainless steel flatware. They work great and have a good cutting edge. This set is perfect for a gift as well because they come in a wooden box with a mahogany finish. You can check them out here >> J.A. Henckels 8 piece Steak Knife Set