Grill up that perfect steak with these tips and fan favorite recipe

5 Tips For Grilling Steak

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5 Grilling Steak Tips​

How do you grill a perfect steak? Well you've come to the right place!  Here are 5 tips to grilling the perfect steak. Scroll to the bottom to get a fan favorite recipe from Weber's Greatest Hits. Preview more recipes from the cookbook here.

1. Salting your steak early pays off

There is a belief that salting meat too far in advance of cooking can draw out moisture. While it’s true that salt can draw moisture towards itself, it's also true that over the course of 20 or 30 minutes that can actually be a good thing as the salt will begin to dissolve into that little bit of moisture that's been drawn out. 

So, when you drop the steak onto the hot cooking grate, all the sugars and proteins in the moisture will mix with the salt, and any other seasonings you've added, which creates a perfectly crisp crust. The flavor of that delicious crust is worth any moisture you may lose.

2. Taking off the chill of your steak speeds up cooking

Grilling steak until it's a brown with a light char on the surface, while also making sure the interior is cooked to a perfect juicy doneness is the goal, right? However, if the steak is too cold it can require so much cooking time for the interior to reach that perfect doneness that the steak may overcook and turn gray and dry. To remedy this, allow steaks to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before you grill them. They will cook faster through to the center and stay juicer.

3. Searing steak equals flavor

A rule of thumb that separates professional chefs from many home cooks is that chefs sear their steaks for more time. This is because professionals understand that you can lock in flavors and aromas on the surface of steak by searing it, so they let their steaks sizzle over direct heat until the surfaces are dark, dark brown. Don’t believe that searing “locks in the juices.” It’s a myth. But searing sure does make a steak a whole lot tastier.

4. Thicker steaks should slide over

Using only high heat can grill most steaks perfectly. If you see flare ups is the only time you would really need to move them around on the grill. Some cuts of steak are so thick that they would burn on the outside if grilled over direct heat alone and wouldn't reach the desired internal doneness. This is why you should consider the sear and slide approach for steaks thicker than an inch. After you've seared both sides nicely over direct high heat, slide the steaks to a part of the grill that is not so hot, ideally over indirect heat, and complete the grilling process there.

5. You can’t put moisture back inside a steak

Steaks grilled over high heat will lose moisture. This means that the fat and juices are literally pushed out of the meat. Over time, as we've made steaks easier to digest, this is an unfortunate reality. Perhaps the most important part of maintaining this moisture when grilling a steak is to take it off the heat before it becomes too dry. 

You usually only have a minute or two to execute this. When steaks go from medium rare to medium, or from medium to medium well can happen quickly. You must be vigilant to catch that window. Never walk away from a steak on the grill. Be cautious as it’s always better to take a steak off when it’s underdone than to let it over cook, because you can always return it to the grill.

Here is a great fan favorite recipe for you to try out!

New York Strip Steaks with Red-Eye Barbecue Sauce
By Jamie Purviance

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes for the sauce 

Grilling time: 6 to 8 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
Sauce 
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
2 teaspoons minced shallot 
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
1/2 cup ketchup 
1/4 cup brewed dark-roast coffee or espresso 
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar 
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder

4 New York strip steaks, each 10 to 12 ounces and about 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and cook until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a simmer, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

2.  Brush the steaks on both sides with the oil and then season on both sides with the salt and pepper. Let the steaks stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before grilling.

3.  Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).

4. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the steaks over direct high heat, with the lid closed, until cooked to your desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare, turning once. Remove the steaks from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

5.  Serve the steaks warm with the sauce on the side 

Check out this article for more tips of grilling the perfect steak on your charcoal grill.

©2018 Weber-Stephen Products LLC. Tips from Way to Grill by by Jamie Purviance. Recipe from Weber’s Greatest Hits™ by Jamie Purviance. Used with permission