Grilling Steak Tips
-
Learn these 10 tips for grilling a great steak!
Hi guys, I had some close friends over recently and I fired up the grill to cook a few KC Strip Steaks for everyone, other than my wife who is a Communist, whoops, sorry, I meant Vegetarian! One of my friends told me that steaks from my grill always seem to taste better. Since flattery will get you everywhere with me and they are friends, I told them everything I do to a steak before, during, and after cooking it. All of my tips seemed very basic to me, things I just assumed most people did, but they had either never heard of some of them or thought they were old wives tales. I decided to check with some other friends and family outside of this building, since most of us have been in this business long enough that we are meat snobs! I was surprised to find out that most of what I was talking about was not common knowledge, even amongst people I consider to be very good cooks. So here are just a few tips to make your next dinner party or BBQ a hit!
# 1. Not all Steaks are equal
If you are buying your steaks at a grocery store, the person grabbing them for you is usually not the butcher, they are just help that got assigned there for their shift and they probably know as much about choosing a steak as I do about Nuclear Fusion. Don’t be afraid to ask for specific steaks or to ask for a closer look at a specific steak. What you are looking for is a nice even marbling of fat throughout the entire steak, this is going to give you a nice tender cooked steak.# 2. Let the steaks warm up!
Take your steaks out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before they go on the grill so they can warm up. A cold steak on a hot grill is a recipe for a tough-as-leather disaster of a steak!# 3. Consider Tenderizing
If you purchased a steak that did not have good marbling on it or has other imperfections, consider tenderizing it with a mallet, or even a Jaccard meat tenderizer. Tenderizing a steak works by damaging the collagen and connective tissues to make the texture and taste of the steak better. If you have purchased a great steak, there is no need to do this.# 4. Ultimate Steak and Roast Rub
This isn’t one that everyone would know, but Walton’s Ultimate Steak and Roast Rub is the best thing to put on steaks! It is pretty much the only seasoning we put on steak anymore, and I’ve tried everything from just salt and pepper to a hazel nut coffee rub, which was better than it sounds. Ultimate Steak and Roast Rub is our bestselling shaker for a good reason, and is something you should add to your pantry for any steaks, but also for veggies and salads.
# 5. Reverse Sear!
I cannot say this enough, Reverse Searing is the best way to cook your steak. It gives you a perfect cook throughout the entire steak and still gives you that nice crust.# 6. Only flip once
You do not want to flip your steaks often, the less you flip it the more juice your steaks will retain. Also, flip it with tongs or a spatula, DO NOT pierce your steak to flip it. If you are reverse searing then this tip only applies to the final searing portion.# 7. Butter is your friend
You need to start putting a dollop of butter on each side of your steak as it is finishing up on the grill. A lot of people like cooking their steak in a pan with butter if they are cooking inside on a stove. The issue with that is butter has a low smoke point, and you are going to want to get to some temperatures well above that, so put the butter on the top side and let it melt down over the steak instead!# 8. Pull up short of your target
The most commonly ordered steak is medium rare, so unless specifically told otherwise that is what I aim for. Like Hank Hill said, if someone asks me for a well done steak I politely ask them to leave my house! The correct temperature range for medium rare is 130° to 135°, so I make sure to never go above 130° as they are going to continue to cook another few degrees after you take them off of the grill.# 9. Re-Season
After you pull your steaks off of the grill hit them with some more seasoning, most of what you have on there before you put them on the grill is lost during the cooking process, so make sure to at least hit them with some more salt and pepper.# 10. Let them rest
There are differing opinions on the effectiveness of napping your steaks. Some people say there is no proof that it has any real effect. I don’t care what anyone says, I know it makes a difference when I let my steaks sit for 2-3 minutes before serving them. Just do it, trust me on this!So there are 10 easy things you can do to have your friends drooling anything time you are grilling for them!
Shop waltonsinc.com for Grills & Smokers
Shop waltonsinc.com for Steak Seasonings
Shop waltonsinc.com for Thermometers
Shop waltonsinc.com for BBQ Acessories
Shop waltonsinc.com for Tenderizers
Steak and Roast Rub
Jaccard Tenderizer
-
Reverse Sear is absolutely the way to go… I am looking forward to trying Sous Vide, they tell me it’s every bit as good and easier to control…
-
Sous Vide is the only way we cook steaks. There is no more perfect way to get the proper internal temperatures in a fine ribeye. Put meat in a zipper bag full of seasonings, and squeeze out the air.
Even a tough ribeye is tenderized by leaving it in the controlled water temperature a little longer.
1 hour for a USDA prime, 2 for choice and 3 for grass fed at 129 degrees.
We finish the steaks in a hot cast iron skillet with some bacon and sausage drippings left over from breakfast. Zero grey meat under the surface of the steak.
