Grilling a Great Steak – It’s Easy
Grilling: A Delicious Way to End the Day
Is cooking steak a complicated task? No, not true. It doesn’t have to be, anyway, with some necessary information. And tips on how to grill steaks to point the way and keep going.
The temperature of the grill, what type of steak and its thickness, spices, and marinades are things you will learn. Knowing whether the steak should be rare, medium, medium, or medium, will get you on the way to cooking a fantastic steak. Doing so will give you good advice on grilled steak. So let’s go to the grill and get busy.
A hot grill warms my heart. (I use a Weber Spirit II, this one on Amazon.) One side up and one side a little cooler. The hot grill is used to seal the steak to preserve these precious juices. When you use tongs to flip the meat around, all of these juices get into the meat by the piercing holes.
Types of Steaks
The type of steak you cook determines your temperature and spice choices. The filet mignon with so little fat, although tender, has very little taste, so you should spice it up. T-bone steak, thorn, and loin steaks have large fat bands everywhere, so the flavor is great. Don’t forget some of the cheapest steaks, like flank steaks, London roast, round steaks, and even beef steaks. With proper grilling, these are great options as well!
Where you buy your steaks can be a game changer too. I like to use a small butcher shop locally to order fresh meat that I know has not been sitting around longer than I’d like. Supermarkets tend to carry a lot of pre-frozen meats, packaged, and finer fillets that i don’t care for.
A little preparation is needed to grill an excellent steak. To start, make sure the steaks warm up to room temperature. If you put frozen meat on a grill, it will burn on the outside of the steak and leaves it raw and frozen inside. Go ahead and remove the steaks from the freezer or refrigerator first. Let those bad boys get nice and cozy at room temperature.
Take it to the Grill
Cut the surrounding fat off of the steak. Try to leave as much of the meat as you can, so pay attention. This prevents the steak from shrinking because the fat will shrink faster than the steak.
If you are a purist, as in, it is heresy to put seasoning on steak, then you may want to skip the next couple of paragraphs. Steak purists believe in just cooking the meat with no seasoning.
For seasoning or not for seasoning? – That is up to you! The griller usually selects spices and condiments, so you may not have a say. If you are cooking it yourself, then a little pepper goes a long way! I rarely grill a steak without pepper. My mouth is watering as I type.
Smooth meat marinade recipes and strips of meat reinforce the aroma of many pieces of beef. For harder pieces of meat, choose a tender meat marinade recipe with ingredients such as vinegar or citrus juice mixed with a little olive oil and spices, and soak in the fridge all day.
When grilling a steak, most people keep turning the meat over and over again. That’s not good as it will destroy your steak. For example, cook the steak on a hot grill for 2 minutes, then turn it to 45 degrees and cook for another 2 minutes. Then flip it over, look at the pretty design of the grill you made, and do the same for the other side. I usually put the fillets in a cooler part of the grill, so they get a little cooler without charring.
Everyone’s Taste Buds are Different
Everyone seems to want their steak differently. Depending on your taste profile, you may want it more, or less, cooked. This is known as Rare, Medium-Rare, Medium, Done, and Well-Done. Press the top of the steak with your thumb. If it’s soft and fluffy, it has a rare steak, if there is resistance, it is moderately rare, and if it is firm, there is no rose, firmness is the trick.
If you have a sore thumb or are techier than most, there are small digital steak thermometers that show you based on the exact temperature and if your steak is the way you like it. Life gets easier. I like this one on Amazon: Temperature Gun
Enjoying friends and family grilling great steaks is a beautiful experience.
Happy Grilling!
Also check out 5 Helpful Tips For Grilling Frozen Meat
