If the answer to the question, “What’s for dinner?” is steak, then it is time to fire up the grill. Nothing beats the flavor of a grilled steak. Of course, it begins with a choice cut of steak but it also helps to have a good grilling game. The best approach to grilling a perfect steak can be found by putting these grilling tips into action:
Salt Early
Does salt draw out the moisture in a piece of uncooked steak? Yes, it does, but that’s a good thing. Try salting your steak 30 minutes before it goes on the grill. As that salt pulls out the moisture, it is going to dissolve. When the steak hits the grill all those sugars and proteins found in the salty moisture is going to create an amazing crust. That is the bite you want.
Go Room
When you go to salt your steak 30 minutes before grilling, you should keep it out of the fridge. This will bring it to room temperature and that is exactly where you want it to be. If a steak is too cold, then the interior might need more time to cook through and that will throw off the balance of the overall cook. They’ll actually cook faster at room temperature.
Sear for Flavoring
You’ve probably heard that searing steaks locks in the flavor. That’s not entirely true. Yes, you will get terrific flavors from the searing but it isn’t from locking in the juices. Instead, it activates the flavor profiles of that outer layer. It is kind of like “introducing” your steak to the flames. Always make that searing introduction.
Slide the Thicker Steaks
A steak that is one inch will cook nicely over direct heat. Anything thicker than that should be seared over the direct side and then slide it over to the indirect heat that is not so hot. You can finish cooking there. Slow going with the thick steaks is the best approach.
Don’t Walk Away
There is a fine line of cooking that takes a steak from medium-rare (optimum) to medium or medium-well (overcooked). It might actually come down to a minute or two of extra cooking that can have you crossing over that line. That is why you should never walk away from your steak. It won’t be on the grill that long. You can wait it out.
Watch the Temperature
The best way to determine if your steak is ready to come off the grill is the temperature but you have to factor in five degrees. That is how much more it will cook after taking it off the grill. That means the perfect temp for medium-rare is around 145 degrees. Take it off when it hits 140 and it will get to 145 on the platter. That is a perfect steak.
