Tips for Grilling Steaks? (1 Viewer)

[Rich Malloy]

Not like it isn't already well covered...

Very hot grill

Steaks have been out of the fridge for awhile, approaching room temperature

Pepper it (salt, too, but I add that at the end as it seems to toughen the meat during cooking

Slap it down on the grill and don't move it until it's ready to flip (you should be able to see how far to the middle the cooking has gone)

Remove from grill, salt both sides, and let the meat sit for about 10 minutes before cutting it/serving it to let the juices settle (if you don't wait long enough, you'll know it... there'll be a puddle of juice in the bottom of the plate that should've remained in your steak)

 

[Ted Lee]

ya know, i've let my meat rest even longer (like 20 minutes) just to test this. even at that length, some juices still drip out ... i wonder what's up with that?

also, when i rest my steak, i put a small bowl in the middle of the plate, then lean the steaks on the bowl ... that way the steak doesn't "soak" in it's own juices and ruin the crispy outer layer. but, right before i serve the sliced steak, i'll pour those juices over it again.

 

[SteveLa]

Turned out very well. Brushed them with olive oil and shook some Montreal steak seasoning (which I always use on everything else) on each of the filets. The only thing that went wrong is that the instant read thermometer sucked. Some people that wanted a steak rare or medium got medium-well or well done.

 

[Yee-Ming]

I read in a lads' mag (list of 50 things all men must know or some similar article), which said that that a pressing a rare steak is like pressing your chin, a medium steak is like the tip of your nose, whilst well-done is like your forehead. I showed this to my wife, and the next time she did steaks, she swears it's spot-on.

As for marinade, the missus sometimes does steaks with English mustard (over and above the usual salt and pepper) rubbed into them as well. Great stuff.

 

[Brian Perry]

The problem with most "instant read" thermometers is that they're not really instant. If they are thermistors, which most are in the $20 to $50 range, they take about 30 seconds to reach the actual temp. That's why your meat was overcooked -- the temp was higher than you thought.

The best instant read thermometers are thermocouples and will tell you the true temp in 2-4 seconds. The best one I found is called the Thermapen by Owen Instruments -- it's about $80, but worth it if it saves a few good steaks from becoming hockey pucks.

 

[Jim_F]

Food for thought, so to speak.

 

[Dan Lindley]

I just tried some steaks with tarragon butter, a recipe found in one of Raichlen's grill/BBQ books. I sometimes try grilling quickly on both sides, then moving the steaks away from the direct heat for a little slower final cooking. This reduces the risk of overcooking and charring.

This site has loads of info: http://www.barbecuen.com/

Have fun!

Dan

 

[Greg_R]

The other problem with a thermometer is that the meat will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat. This effect will be even more pronounced with larger cuts of meat. Take the meat off when you are a few degrees below the reading you want (and watch the thermometer climb past that point to the correct temp).