Grilling the Perfect Steak - Step 1
The first step is to choose the right piece of meat for grilling.
A great steak starts with a quality piece of meat. The problem for many beginners when they go to the supermarket or local butcher is choosing the good meat from the bad. There are a variety of steaks to choose from and it can be very confusing. If you have a butcher shop nearby, you should definitely buy your meat there as opposed to the supermarket. Supermarket steaks have been sitting on a shelf for God knows how long whereas the steak from a butcher shop is cut fresh.
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing the perfect steak for grilling:
Grade
There are generally three different grades of beef in the United States: Prime Grade, Choice Grade and Select Grade. Prime is at the top of the grading scale and only makes up for a very small percentage of beef produced in this country. Prime Grade beef is usually reserved for restaurants. Choice and Select are usually the grades that are available to today’s consumer at supermarkets or butcher shops. So when going to your local butcher or supermarket, be sure to choose the best quality you can find. If it is not labeled on the package, be sure to ask for help.
Marbling
Marbling is the visible lines of fat that you see on the meats surface. Marbling is what gives your steak its great flavor. Now of course the more fat you have on your beef, the less healthy it will be. But I think many of us would rather enjoy a flavorful steak once in a while than the healthier alternative. The marbling should be thin lines of fat and should be evenly distributed throughout your steak. Stay away from thick marbling as this will give you a tougher steak. If you visit a butcher shop, they will definitely be able to help you.
Cut of Steak
The last factor I would like to talk about is the cut of steak. There are a variety of different cuts available today and it can be quite confusing. The best cuts for grilling in my opinion are the Rib-Eye, T-bone, Porterhouse, Strip Steak & Sirloin. There is of course the Tenderloin cuts which give you your filet mignon and Chateaubriand. These cuts are very tender but contain very little fat and are not very flavorful. I recommend avoiding these cuts for grilling. The Rib-Eye probably contains the most fat out of the bunch, but is definitely one of the more flavorful cuts. My recommendation would be test out a rib-eye, T-bone, Porterhouse and Strip to see which one you like the best, as we all have different preferences.
Step 2
Now that you know how to choose a good steak, let us talk about how to grill it to perfection. Now this is more of a craft than anything else, so it will take some practice to get things just right. This guide is catered to a steak with a thickness of about 3/4 - 1 inch, which is a descent size.
Bring Your Steak to Room Temperature
Never grill a frozen or cold steak. Your steak needs to be brought up to room temperature before you grill it so that the inside can cook properly without the outside becoming burnt. If your steak is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator first then sit it on the counter top for around 30 minutes or so.
Season
The best way to season a steak is with salt and pepper. This really allows the true flavor to shine through. If you over season your steak with other spices or marinades, then you really aren’t going to taste that wonderful beef flavor.
Get your Grill Nice and Hot
One of the reasons why restaurant steaks are so tasty is because of the heat of their grills. The high heat sears the outside and produces a much tastier steak. Now you probably won’t be able to get your grill to the temperatures that restaurants have them, but you can still get your grill hot enough to cook a very tasty piece of meat. Here is how you know if your grill is hot enough. Carefully place your hand about 2 inches above the grill grate and start counting. If you can only keep your hand there for two seconds, then your grill is hot enough.
Time to Start Cooking
Now take a deep breath, grab your room temperature steak and throw that bad boy on the grill (Don’t literally throw it. Its a figure of speech). You may want to oil the grates of the grill lightly before you start grilling to prevent sticking.
Now here comes the tricky part: how long do you cook the steak? This is not an exact science unfortunately. It really depends on the thickness and how you like it cooked.
As indicated in the beginning of this article, this guide was written for a normal size steak of about 3/4 - 1 inches. For this thickness I usually grill it for about 4 minutes per side and then check for doneness using the touch technique (explained further below).
There are two techniques that I am aware of, that will accurately tell you the doneness of your steak. The first choice is to use an instant read thermometer, which is the most accurate method. The only downside of this method is that when you pierce the meat, all of those wonderful juices that give you that great flavor can leak out. So I avoid the instant read thermometer and use the touch method, which does take practice.
Here is a great technique that I learned on a cooking show and it is the only method I use now.
Take your index finger and gently touch it to your thumb. Don’t push your fingers together hard. Now push down on the fleshy part of your hand. It should feel soft and mushy. That is a close representation of how a rare steak feels when you push down on it. Now do the same thing with your middle finger and you have medium rare. The same with your index finger and you have medium . Lastly, the same with your pinky finger and you have well-done.
Let it Rest
When your steak has reached its desired doneness, take it off the grill and transfer it to a plate and let it rest for about 5 - 10 minutes. This allows the juices in the meat to settle and evenly distribute throughout .
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