BBQ Revivers
The 10 Secrets to Grilling a Perfect Steak
By Steven Raichlen
from Steve Raichien's BARBECUE! BIBLE (barbecue bible.com)
Not even high-end steakhouses get it right all the time. No wonder backyard grillers face raw — and pricy! — steak with trepidation. You’d be surprised how many people know their way around brisket and ribs, but can’t consistently grill a good steak.
Yes, much can go wrong at every stage of the process, from the procurement to the plating. But armed with the 10 strategies below, you should nail a great steak every time.
1 Choose the right steak: A Porterhouse is the best of both worlds, consisting of a New York Strip and a filet mignon united by a slender T-shaped bone. Other top cuts include rib eyes, T-bones (a smaller version of a Porterhouse), and new cuts, like the flatiron. Don’t overlook tougher, meatier cuts, like sirloin, hanger steak, skirt steak, and flank steak — just be sure to thinly slice across the grain before serving.
2 Keep it in the refrigerator until grilling. This runs contrary to many theories, but no steakhouse worth its salt leaves meat out at room temperature in a hot kitchen.
3 Build a 3-zone fire: Use the hot zone for searing, the medium zone for cooking, and have a safety zone where you can move the steaks to dodge any flare-ups.
4 When it comes to seasoning, keep it simple: Season generously with coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper right before grilling. (The salt helps form a satisfying crust.) Or for a more complex flavor, try my Best of Barbecue steak rub.
5 Remember the grill master’s mantra: Keep it hot. Keep it clean. Keep it lubricated. (The grill grate, that is!) A hot, clean, well-oiled grate prevents sticking and gives you killer grill marks.
6 Get good marks: Arrange the steaks on the grill grate all running the same way slightly on the diagonal to the bars of the grate. Rotate 90 degrees after 2 to 3 minutes to lay on a crosshatch of grill marks. To get the best marks, use a cast iron grate, like my Tuscan grill.
7 Turn, don’t stab: Use tongs like my Lumatong, not a fork to turn the steaks. The only purpose served by stabbing a steak is to drain out the juices. Enough said. By the way, look for beads of blood that form on the top of the steak a few minutes after it goes on the grill. That tells you it’s time to turn.
8 Poke your food: Use your index finger to poke the steak. If it’s soft and squishy, it’s rare; gently yielding, medium-rare; springy and firm indicates well-done. (Not that you’d want to cook steak well-done.) And remember, large steaks continue cooking after they come off the grill.
9 Give it a rest: Always let steaks rest on a platter or plates for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute themselves
— resting gives you a juicier steak.
10 Anoint thy steak: Enrich it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pat of butter or compound butter, melted beef fat, or even a slather of my steak sauce.
Marinated Grilled Steak
courtesy of Cully's Kitchen
Ingredients
1. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic (I use 6 large cloves)
2. 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
6. 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil (can use vegetable oil)
7. 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
Directions
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Pour over steaks.
3. Cover tightly and place the steaks in the refrigerator for minimum 4
hours or even better for 24 hours.
4. Remove the steaks from the fridge.
5. Bring the steaks down to almost room temperature before grilling.
6. Season steaks with steak seasoning or seasoning of choice if desired
Grill to your liking.
Ingredients
1. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic (I use 6 large cloves)
2. 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
6. 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil (can use vegetable oil)
7. 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
Directions
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Pour over steaks.
3. Cover tightly and place the steaks in the refrigerator for minimum 4
hours or even better for 24 hours.
4. Remove the steaks from the fridge.
5. Bring the steaks down to almost room temperature before grilling.
6. Season steaks with steak seasoning or seasoning of choice if desired
Grill to your liking.
Grilled Asparagus
courtesy of Elizabeth Karmel
Grilling asparagus miraculously transforms it from the kind of vegetable you hated as a kid to a sweet, meaty, lip-smackin’ treat that you can’t get enough of as an adult. This is the least amount of work you will ever have to do to be considered the Queen of the Grill. Contrary to popular belief, look for the fatter stalks when buying asparagus, they are much better suited to grilling and actually have better flavor.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 pound fresh asparagus
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (use salt according to taste)
Methods/steps
Grilling Method: Direct/ Medium Heat
Trim off the tough bottom of the spear by grasping each end and bending it gently until it snaps at its natural point of tenderness—usually two-thirds of the way down the spear. If the spear is less than 6 inches long, chances are it has already been trimmed for you. Alternatively, you can cut the ends off with a knife. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer skin of the lower half of the remaining stalk.
Coat each spear with olive oil by placing clean, dry spears in a reclosable plastic bag, pour in the oil and massage spears to coat each one. Sprinkle with salt and massage again. Leave the asparagus in the bag until ready to cook.
Place on the cooking grate crosswise so it won’t fall through. Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally to expose all sides to the heat. Asparagus should begin to brown in spots (indicating that its natural sugars are caramelizing) but should not be allowed to char.
Remove from grill and serve immediately--eating spears with your fingers enhances the experience.
Tip: Look for fat firm stalks with deep green or purplish tips. Also check the bottom of the spears. If they are dried up, chances are they have been sitting around for too long.
© 2002 Girls at the Grill™
Grilling asparagus miraculously transforms it from the kind of vegetable you hated as a kid to a sweet, meaty, lip-smackin’ treat that you can’t get enough of as an adult. This is the least amount of work you will ever have to do to be considered the Queen of the Grill. Contrary to popular belief, look for the fatter stalks when buying asparagus, they are much better suited to grilling and actually have better flavor.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 pound fresh asparagus
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (use salt according to taste)
Methods/steps
Grilling Method: Direct/ Medium Heat
Trim off the tough bottom of the spear by grasping each end and bending it gently until it snaps at its natural point of tenderness—usually two-thirds of the way down the spear. If the spear is less than 6 inches long, chances are it has already been trimmed for you. Alternatively, you can cut the ends off with a knife. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer skin of the lower half of the remaining stalk.
Coat each spear with olive oil by placing clean, dry spears in a reclosable plastic bag, pour in the oil and massage spears to coat each one. Sprinkle with salt and massage again. Leave the asparagus in the bag until ready to cook.
Place on the cooking grate crosswise so it won’t fall through. Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally to expose all sides to the heat. Asparagus should begin to brown in spots (indicating that its natural sugars are caramelizing) but should not be allowed to char.
Remove from grill and serve immediately--eating spears with your fingers enhances the experience.
Tip: Look for fat firm stalks with deep green or purplish tips. Also check the bottom of the spears. If they are dried up, chances are they have been sitting around for too long.
© 2002 Girls at the Grill™
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