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 The image of a perfectly grilled steak reminds us of all the things that are good about summer, grilling and dining al fresco. Grilling the perfect steak is an art form. It takes practice and patience to master it. If you follow these simple steps you will be able to create the perfectly grilled steak every time.
Begin with good-quality beef and the right cut. The USDA's grading system gives you a good way to assess quality: beef that's labeled "prime" is superior; "choice" is runner-up. "Select" is third - we don't recommend it for a steak. The grading designations are largely determined by the amount of visible fat that's streaked throughout the muscle tissue, called marbling. Beef that's richly marbled gets a higher grade; it's more tender, juicy, and flavorful.
Let your steak reach room temperature before grilling.
Some people might tell you that this isn't necessary, however, this helps grill your steak more evenly and faster.
Trim the steak of excess fat. Any strips of fat should be about 1/4" thick. Also cut through the fat strip about every 1 1/2". When grilling, fat shrinks faster than the meat and it can cause your steaks to curl.
Season. Brush with olive oil and maybe some fresh cracked pepper.
Preheat the grill. Hot as it will go for a gas grill or a single layer of ashy white coals for a charcoal grill.
Oil the grate. An easy way to do this is to take a piece of trimmed fat, hold in tightly in a pair of tongs and rub it on the hot grate.
Grill. Place each steak on the grill and after a minute, rotate 45 degrees and grill for half the remaining cooking time. Turn the steak and repeat the rotation. If you do this right you will get a nice diamond pattern of grill marks. Do not keep turning the steak over; cook one side and then the other.
Remove when done. When you are getting close to having a done steak press it with your index finger or the flat side of a grilling fork to get a feel for it. A rare steak will be soft. A medium steak will be firm but yielding. A well steak will be firm. Once you get the hang of this trick you will be able to remove steaks from the grill at just the right second.
Let the steaks rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This will let the juices flow out from the center so the whole steak is nice and juicy. |
