Grilling a steak is one way to spend your weekend. Steaks can also be the star of your home parties. Some people have difficulties grilling steaks, and this article can teach you how to grill steak the best way. We’ll discuss choosing the perfect steak cut for you, preparing your meat, and the most important part, how to grill the steak.
Choosing Your Meat
The first step on how to grill steak is choosing your meat. There are lots of prime meat cuts out there that are perfect for grilling. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing your meat decides what your steak will be when you serve it. Some meat cuts have different tenderness and cook differently than the other cuts.
Different Cuts of Meat
One of the best steak cuts for grilling is Porterhouse or T-bone. It is a combination of strip steak and tenderloin. It has a T-bone, that’s why it is called T-bone, and it is best served grilled. Porterhouse is a bit larger than T-bone.
On the other hand, Ribeye is a tender cut of beef with marbleization that adds a lot of flavor to your meat. It is one of the most famous cuts because of its rich flavor. Marbling or marbles are the streaks of fat within the lean meat. When the fat is rendered, it adds a lot of rich flavor to the meat.
Lastly, the Filet Mignon is the tenderloin steak. It is sometimes included in porterhouse or T-bone steaks, but you can also cook it on its own. It is typically cut thicker, and it is one of the most tender steak cuts. It is full of lean meat and has a smooth, buttery texture.
Preparing Your Meat
After choosing the best steak cut for you, the next step on how to grill steak is preparing the meat. This part is simple but also essential. Steaks are flavorful on their own, so you don’t have to overprepare your steak. The only things you need to prepare your steak are olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Olive oil is very important because it helps your meat not to stick on the grill. It also adds a bit of flavor to your meat. You can use plain olive oil or something with a bit of spice. Rub some olive oil to your steak on both sides.
After the olive oil, it’s time to add the spices. First is the salt. Salt enhances the flavor of the meat. Remember that your steak is already flavorful, so you don’t need to add many flavors. Add salt generously on both sides. You want the salt’s flavor to penetrate the meat and enhance the whole steak.
Lastly, add some pepper. Use freshly ground pepper, so the flavor is directly placed into your meat. It provides a little bit of kick to your steak. Add pepper on both sides of the steak.
Now that your meat is prepared, the next step is cooking it. Grilling a steak is not complicated, but it requires patience so you can get the good, tender, and juicy steak that you want.
Grill Preparation
Before we start grilling, we need to prepare the grill properly so it doesn’t affect the cooking of our steak. If you are using a firewood grill, prepare enough wood or charcoal to use for your grill. Start your fire so that the grill starts to heat up and sterilize the grill a little bit. If you are using a gas-powered grill, Start the grill to heat up before we use it.
The next thing is to prepare your grill is to wipe some olive oil on your grill to avoid your meat sticking to the grills too much. Do this step when the grill is almost hot enough for grilling. Use a tissue and splash some olive oil in it, then wipe your grills with the tissue. After that, you are good to grill.
Grilling
The last step in how to grill steak is the grilling part, of course. Now that your meat is prepared and your grill is also prepared to cook, we can now proceed with cooking. One thing to consider when cooking your steak is the doneness you want your steak cooked in. There are four levels of doneness commonly used: rare, medium-rare, medium, and well.
Rare Doneness
Rare steak is cooked fast. The outside is charred a bit, but the interior is mostly red. In restaurants and steakhouses, rare is not requested that much since it is almost raw, and not many people like to eat raw meat. You can achieve rare doneness by cooking in high heat to push all the flavors inside. Cook one side for 4 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for another two minutes.
Medium Rare Doneness
Medium Rare is characterized by brown meat seared outside and pinkish-red interior meat. It can be done by cooking in high heat for 5 minutes and then 3 minutes on the other side. This is the recommended level of doneness for a good cut of steak.
Medium Doneness
Medium is almost the same as medium rare but a bit more cooked inside. It has a rosy pink interior with brown meat surrounding it. Cook it in medium heat for 6 minutes on one side and 4-5 minutes on the other side.
Well Doneness
Lastly, well-done steaks are brown throughout the meat. It is a bit hard to achieve since the meat might dry out if you cook it for too long. Most restaurant chefs even hate cooking well-done steaks. If your guests like their steaks cooked well done, try cooking it in low to medium heat. Cook it for 8 minutes on one side and 7 minutes on the other side.
Other Tips
While grilling your steak, so you can use butter as baste so that your steak does not dry out. You can also add the butter after cooking. It melts on the surface of the steak, and it adds a lot of flavors that enhance the taste of the meat. Match your steak with the perfect wine.
Conclusion
A grilled steak is one of the best food treats that you can give yourself or your guests. It is scrumptious, and it can be the main attraction of your event. Hopefully, you learned how to grill steak with this guide that we shared with you. Let’s hope that your next house party becomes a hit because of your steaks. Learn more about steaks here.