Grilled Perfection
Steak season is coming your way…
After a wild start to April, it looks like spring is finallllllllly here to stay. (Fingers crossed.)
And what comes with spring?
Grilling season!
Although grilling may be stereotypically associated with summer, I think we can agree that, here in Wisconsin, we fire up those grills as soon as possible.
And with that grilling season fast approaching, I wanted to give you my go-to instructions for a juicy, delicious grilled steak.
2-Zone Grill
The critical thing to keep in mind when cooking up a steak on the grill is that you don’t want to overcook and dry out your steak.
The best way to avoid this is by using a combination of high, direct heat to sear the steak, followed by a period of lower temperature, indirect to finish cooking the inside of the steak.
In order to do this on a grill, you’ll want to separate your grill into two zones.
Gas Grill - Start up half of your grill and set to high heat. Leave another section turned off completely. (If you have three burners, you can start up two of them to get up to temp more quickly.)
Charcoal Grill - Start your charcoal in your preferred method. Once the coals start to ash over, move them all over to one side of your grill, creating your two zones.
Ingredients:
Steak, thawed - pick your favorite cut!
Cooking Oil - butter, olive oil, etc.
Salt - to taste
Black Pepper - to taste
Directions:
Make sure that your steak is completely thawed and allow it to come up to room temperature for about 20 minutes. (Do not let it sit on the counter longer than that - you’re getting into the food safety danger zone.)
Preheat your grill. Make sure to have your direct heat and indirect heat zones set up.
While your grill is preheating, pat your steak dry and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper onto both sides of your steak.
Once your grill reaches approximately 500°F, it’s time to start grilling.
Sear your steak. The goal here is to create a delicious crust on the outside of the steak and lock in all the juices.
a. Place the steak on the hot, direct heat side of the grill for two minutes.
b. Flip the steak over and sear the other side for two minutes.
Transfer the steak to the indirect heat side and cook for another 8-12 minutes. (Final timing will depend on how well-done you want your meat - see Notes section below)
Remove the steak from the grill. Place off to the side and tent with aluminum foil, allowing the meat to rest for about 10 minutes.
Enjoy with a nice dollop of butter slathered on top of your steak.
Notes:
Steak Thickness - If you’re working with a thinner steak (less than 1” thick, you will want to reduce the searing time to about 1 minute per side. If you don’t, you’ll likely end up with a burnt steak - nobody wants that.
Seasonings - My favorite steak seasoning is basic salt and pepper. That being said, feel free to play around with different flavor combinations.
Beef Doneness - Remember, meat continues to cook after being removed from heat. If using a meat thermometer, take the steak out of the oven when it is about 5°F short of the finished temperature. Check out the chart below.
Beef Temperature Chart
Rare: 120 - 125°F
Medium-Rare: 130 - 135°F
Medium: 140 - 145°F
Medium-Well: 150 - 155°F
Well Done: 160°F
Please note that USDA food safety recommendations advise against cooking your beef to rare or medium-rare doneness. Do what you have to. I’m not going to tattle on you.