The Perfect Grilled Steak

As an avid griller for many years, I have always taken a keen interest in preparing the best quality grilled foods. Whether it’s smoking some baby back ribs, cedar-planking some salmon, threading a prime rib on the rotisserie, or simply grilling a steak, I go to great lengths to do it the right way.

While the charcoal v. gas barbeque debate is best left for a future discussion, I believe one can prepare a quality grilled steak on either medium….but whichever option you choose, the preparation for the perfect grilled steak begins days in advance. Here me out.

Shopping
While proper preparation, seasoning, and grilling can improve a lower quality cut of meat, the old adage holds true as ever here in that you get what you pay for. Always attempt to buy the best quality meat you can afford, preferably from a local butcher or a higher end market that offers premium quality meats, such as Whole Foods Markets. I prefer a good rib-eye steak, with its nicely marbled meat, but this is a subjective area. Pick up the cut you enjoy, whether it’s rib-eye, filet mignon, porterhouse, etc.

Preparation
In order to prepare the steak for a proper grilling, the first step in the process is to dry age your steak(s) in the refrigerator for 2-3 days prior to grilling. Dry aging is a process that will naturally tenderize the beef and concentrate the fantastic flavor. Some fine meat shops will do this for you, but it’s far less common today as the process results in the beef losing 15-20% of its marketable weight, meaning less profit for the seller.

To dry age your steak, set atop a wire rack, with a plate beneath to catch the drippings. Place a paper towel over the meat and change it daily to encourage moisture loss. The result is a brighter, exceptionally tender cut of meat.

Prior to grilling, remove the steak from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the steak. This is a critical step to allow for even cooking throughout the meat.

Preheat your grill on high for 15 minutes before adding the steak. Just prior to putting the steak on the grill, season generously with kosher salt and pepper, and then brush a little olive oil over the steak.

Grilling
Grilling times will vary depending on the thickness of the steak. For a nice 2″ thick steak, sear over direct high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, then finish cooking over indirect medium heat for another 6-8 minutes for a proper medium rare steak.

Let Rest
Another, equally important, step in the process is to allow the steak to rest for at least 5 minutes to allow the juices, which have been pushed to the center of the meat due to high heat, to redistribute throughout the cut.

Let’s Eat!
You are now ready to enjoy a mouth watering steak!

These are my tips to a prefect steak; how do others do it?

chris@clawblog.com

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