Given the steak is either marinated or not, what is the proper way to cook it? I heard its generally 5 minutes per side, for an average (1 inch) cut of decent grade at medium. I noticed thought that sometimes my meat comes out good and sometimes it doesn't... I think most of this is because I really don't know what I am doing when it comes to grilling. Some say to keep the grill covered, and some say not to.... Some say charcoal dominates propane gas... Some say to keep the vents open, some say closed....

I think a lotta pressure comes down on me when I invite people over for a bbq. I know that they really won't care, but I want them to enjoy their food... So thats why I'm asking for your help....

Suppose I'm grilling some typical top-sirloin steaks... WHATS THE KEY TO MAKING THEM TURN OUT GOOD? (GAS GRILL)

I also heard some GOLDEN RULES:
-------------------------------------------
- Do not cut the steak open while cooking to determine its redness inside.
- Let steak rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Do not open the grill unless you absolutely need to.
- Do not flip a steak more than once.
- Do not trim the fat on a steak prior to cooking.
- Do not request A1 with a pre-marinated steak... <-- proper home recipe ettiquite. I AGREE.

Can anyone provide me with some insight? Thanks guys. -Ak

 

ummm, cook it on the bbq however you want. its all about the maranade

 

^ most def the marinade, but i tenderize the steak wih a fork, man that just makes it so much better.


but i do not follow a time frame with steak. i keeep the heat all the way down and cook slowly.

when i start to see the white smoke from the grill, then i flip

 

you shouldn't have to marinade a top sirloin. I like all your golden rules except the flipping one. i like to get the diamond-shaped char marks, so I flip 3 times.

High heat, close to the flame for ~90 seconds per flip. Low heat or indirect heat, for another 6-8 minutes. After searing, I know some guys who will finsih the steak in the over. All you are doing in a BBQ at this point is roasting/baking anyways.

Absolutely let the meat rest for 5 minutes.

 

The most important key is having a HOT HOT HOT grilling surface. This will properly sear the steaks... I'm talking 500+F... A must!

 

The last two gave the key! It is all about searing! My grill has cast iron grates and nothing can sear like cast iron.

Good luck.

 

and yes, charcoal dominates

 

One way you can grill a steak is to get your grill nice and hot, I am talking have the controls set on high. Obviously you want to add some marinade to the steaks ahead of time - personally I like it simple. Worchester sauce and some Montreal steak seasoning.

Slap the steaks on the grill on high for ~2 minutes per side to sear them and trap the juices in. Take them off the grill and let them cook in their own juices for 7-10 minutes and then cook them over low-to-medium heat as desired (if you like them rare cook them less and if you like them medium-well cook them longer). That's how I do it.

 

Personal preference, but a good cut of meat doesn't need anything!!! Perhaps a touch of crushed pepper corns, but that's all.

Marinades, etc. tend to take away from the steak IMHO.

 

the most important thing is to flip it the least amount of times possible.

As far as marinades go, its all preference.

But to get grill marks running the right way, Up and down, flip an turn.

 

Very, very very good point.



IMO, filet minion sucks. I know there's gonna be a couple of un-informed, 7.95 shop rite steak guys in here that are going to say, "hey, thats not true, its great"


Fuck that, filet minion has the least flavor of all the steaks. Its tender, but has the least flavor. that just doesn't cut it for me.

 

Sear each side on high for 2 minutes each, then reduce to medium heat and cook to the desired level of doneness. The exact time will depend greatly on the thickness of the steak, your grill, etc, but start with an extra 3-5 minutes for a 1" steak. For the "steakhouse grill marks look" rotate the steak 90 degrees after a minute of searing....gets you that cool criss-cross pattern.

Keep the grill covered as much as possible, especially during searing. Uncovering the grill will slow cooking and won't smoke the steak as well.

Buy good meat, and the results are terrific. Anyone with Safeway (or affiliated) stores should check out their new "Rancher's Reserve" steaks. I haven't had a bad one yet. Had one on Monday for dinner. Makes my tummy happy.

 

I don;t know if I would say that filet mignon sucks! haha! But you are right about the flavour - there is a reason that its often served wrapped in bacon.

Personally, I love the tenderloin, but at $42/kg, it's not something I eat too often.

Dets, I want you try this way of preparing filet mignon and tell me it isn;t the best cut of meat you've ever had..

-get about a 2 pound cut of beef tenderloin
-cut it like a spiral / jelly roll. If you can't do that, cut it so that it is butterflied or splayed out flat
-dice up 3-4 shallots, a pack of portobello mushrooms, and a clove of garlic. fry up that in a pan with a half stick of butter
-dice up a small pack of Port Salut cheese
-spread the frying pan mix on the face of the tenderloin and sprinkle the port salut chees over top
-roll up the tenderloin & tie it off
-sear it on the BBQ
-roast it in a pan for about 45 min - 1hr, medium rare is best

make some au jus with the roasting pan, some beef consumme and red wine

 

^^You are for sure a beef expert.

 

No marinade needed...

Listen to Scrib people... Hot grill, some fresh crushed pepper corn. Right before it hits the grill, get some salt on there to help the searing process.

I prefer blood in my steaks, so it's really like 1.5 mins per side for me.

A little tip when searing... when you flip, pick a new spot on the grill, the grates will be hotter there. I'm on SS grates, cast iron would be better, but I'd still think it would cool down slightly from the initial searing...

Hardest part of grilling steak is to make sure everything else is cooked, so the steak can go from the grill to your plate...

 

2 good points.

Also, don't ever puncture your steak, ALWAYS use tongs. If you want tender steak do 2 things:

1. Buy good steak!!!(Ribeye, NY strip, Filet, T-Bone, Porthouse). Last 2 are my favorites. Also, try and buy fresh meat, not pre-frozen(kills flavor). Stay away from London Broil, Flank steak(fajita steak), or Sirloin. This stuff has less marbeling and is naturally tough.

2. You can rub any meat(as apposed to a wet marinade) with some sea salt, cracked white/black/red pepper, a splash of Watsithere sauce and a few Tblsn of molasses. Do this 24 hours in advance of any grilling. The salt will tenderize/season the hell out of it & it will be fork-tender/cook faster/be 10x juicier. The dry rub works with broiled steak too.

 

Damn, this thread is bad ass. Learned a lot about the art of steak grilling.

 

A few words from the chef...

How to grill really depends upon your cut of meat, but generally, a few rules apply:

1) HOT grill (as Scrib and others have said). Hotter the better to sear the meat and seal in the juices. Give the meat 1/4 turn after a few minutes for those lovely grill marks. Then turn once.

2) Never poke holes in the meat...you're just giving the juices place to run out. Always use tongs.

3) ALWAYS allow the cut of meat to rest after grilling 5-8 minutes. During grilling, the heat concentrates the juices towards the center of the meat. Resting allows juices to redistribute throughout the meat and you'll lose less when you slice into it.

4) As far as when it's done, the best way is to press on the meat with your finger in the center and see what kind of resistance you get. If it's soft, it's pretty rare in the center, more firmness means it's closer to medium. It takes time to learn how to do it this way.

Seasoning: With a good cut of meat, you need very little IMHO besides Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. A little garlic if you like at the end (so it won't burn). I don't use table salt because it usually has iodine in it.

Marinades? Hate to disagree with anyone, but the main purpose of a marinade is to tenderize the meat by breaking down the tough fibers. Salt will not tenderize a steak (unless there's MSG in it...and you don't want that). Only two things will accomplish this: acid and time. You MUST have some sort of acid (like lemon juice or wine) in your marinade and you must give it time...at least 12 hours refrigerated. I leave my steaks in for 24 hours. Marinade will impart flavor as well, but again, time is the key.

Happy grilling...

 

So worchester sauce would be on par with lemon juice or wine since acetic acid, vinegar, is it's main ingredient.

 

A-1 makes a good marinade also(contains orange juice), but I never put it on after the steak is done.

 

wrong, it's all about the piece of meat!

 

^

 

Yes but I'd personally cut it with something else as Worcestershire can impart an extremely strong flavor that might take over the meat. Try mixing with red wine, fresh chopped garlic, lemon juice, herbs (bruised) of your choice, salt and cracked pepper.

Really, a good quality piece of meat...we're talking USDA choice or above...will taste best simply flavored. But again it's what you like.

 

OK, good advice. I'll try that mix and see how it turns out.

 

a little salt and pepper is all a really good piece of meat needs. After starting to buy good pieces of meat while they were on sale all I'll eat now is good quality meat.



Another good simple marinade is a dab of olive oil and a bunch of garlic

 

Damn....forgot all about the olive oil! Put in on the steak before you grill or in the marinade!

 

yea... I have been using some olive oil on steak...

I believe red wine and garlic cloves and such are good on roasts, but not grilling.

 

balsamic vinegar also makes a quick easy marinade, esp. chicken

 

I miss the Good Eats forum.........

 

10 secs each side...if its still moving....just bite it

 

For steak skewers....italian dressing...

 

My favorite way to cook steak.....
1 about 10-12oz Fillet Mignon
Make a light marinade of fresh black pepper, terriyaki, hoisin and red pepper.
Marinade for 30-60 min
Take out of marinade and wrap in bacon.
Grill on 35-40% heat for about 4-5 min on each side.
Let it sit for a few, while your prepping a baked potato.
Enjoy!

 

damn.. the help is coming in! thanks guys!

 

Italian dressing is also good on grilled chicken...

 

big motherfuckin

 

Yeah, but it really didn't get that much traffic... We'll just have to remember to post more "good eats" type posts here...

Food network must have sent a cease and desist order for copyright infringement for the "good eats" name. (Alton Brown's show http://www.altonbrown.com/ )

 

When my mother-in-law orders steak and the waiter asks how she wants it cooked she replies, "Walk the cow by the fire, when it says 'moo' you know its done".



I like my steak rare, but with a warm center.



Now back to the thread...

 

Good Eats=By far the most informative cooking show since the Frugal Gourmet or maybe Justin Wilson, I guaraunteeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

I have several recipes and they're easy......perfect for single guys trying to impress the biatches(or their moms ).

Maybe I'll post my Coconut Shrimp recipe later...it's just as good, if not better than Outback Steakhouses CNT Shrimp.

 

Just to prove I'm a cooking wack-job, I just remembered I have a new Euro-Pro fryer in the trunk of the CL I bought at BJ's last week, on sale no less.

 

when my old cook where i worked at taught me how to tell when a steak is done...

take your palm and hold it face up, the oart in the lower left part of your left palm below the thumb is the most tender part, push in on this part and this is what a rare steak should feel like to touch

then put your thumbs and pointer finger together and push this same part, this is medium-rare

then you thumbs and middle figner together, this is medium

then thmbs to ring finger, this is medium well

then thumb to pinky, this is well done



this is a fail proof way and i have had 2 cooks tell me this is the way they have been taught, and i use the same method and my steaks always come out perfect everytime

also give about 2-3 mins cool time if you are having a party for the steak to cool, if its just for your and another, serve piping hot form the grill


too make the grill parks you place the steak pointing at 2 o'clock first and sear it, then rotate to 10 o'clock and sear it again, push a little with tongs to increase searing of the steak to get grill marks like the resturaunt

NEVER USE A FORK TO TURN, ALWAYS USE TONGS

this is to keep the juices inside