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Perfecting Steak
There’s nothing better on a grill than a great steak. The biggest secret to cooking a great steak is to start with a great cut of meat. There are lots of great cuts but my favorite is Rib Eye (aka Spencer). Rib Eye is not the tenderest cut, but I feel that Rib Eye has the most flavors and I’ll take flavor over tenderness any day. Look for steaks with a little fat marbling. A good cut of meat and a quality steak doesn’t need much seasoning, too much seasoning takes away the natural flavoring of a good steak.
Preparation
Before you put the steaks on the grill, take them out of the refrigerator and let the steaks reach room temperature. Trim any excess fat in excess of ¼”. To prevent your steak from curling, make a cut in the fat about every inch or so. Rub steaks lightly with olive oil and sprinkle steaks with fresh pepper. Oil the grill and set gas grill on high or a single layer of dense charcoal until ash is white on a charcoal grill.
Grilling
Place your steaks on hot grill using direct heat. I like cross hatch grill marks on my steak so I cook the steak for about 1 minute on each side. Then I turn the steaks 90 degrees, turning only once more turning cooking. Always use tongs to flip your steaks, never puncture them with a fork to turn and remove them.
Cooking Time
Cooking times can vary depending on external conditions like wind, ambient temperature and so on. Of course the biggest factor is the thickness of the steaks you’re cooking. If you have an exceptionally thick cut of steak, and you don’t like rare steak, you may want to partially cook the steak using indirect heat. But always sear both sides of the steak to lock in the juices first. You can tell if a steaks is done by pressing the steaks with your tongs. A rare steak will be soft, medium slightly firm and well done will be firm. The chart below is an approximation of cooking times. Remember there are a lot of factors involved in cooking times.
Thickness
RareMediumWell
RareMediumWell1" 8-1012-14 16-20
8-1012-14 16-201 1/2" 10-14 16-20 22-26
10-14 16-20 22-262 12-16 18-22 24-28
12-16 18-22 24-28What type of beer do I like with a great steak? I love a great pale ale with a bit of a hoppy bite.
Suggest Beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Want a great steak?
Since the biggest secret to cooking a great steak is to start with a great cut of meat, check out La Cense Beef. All grass feed beef straight from thier ranch in Montana. No pectisides, no hormones, no grain, no antibiotics, all natural!
Tender sirloin cuts for those with a smaller appetite. Keep prep to a minimum, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Click to order.
This thin, textured cut is perfect for fajitas! To bring out its flavor, cook it medium-rare and slice it thinly against the grain. In a rush? Don't worry: All it needs is a quick pan-fry or grilling. Click to order.
Lean, with robust flavor. Ideal for big barbeques. We recommend grilling it medium-rare to maximize the flavor. Click to order.
New York Strips on my Grill
