Perfect Grilled Steak

The last two years (2020 and 21) came and went by quickly for us. We had a baby, bought a house and although we weren’t able to travel at all, we made the most of our time. We decided that although we weren’t able to dine-in at our favorite restaurants, we will continue having all our favorite dishes in the comfort of our home. 

To kick start this amazing journey, Debarshi bought a Weber Grill and Weber Kettle. Prisha was just about six months old at that time and we were still arranging the house, so dinner on most days was something quick. We used to grill everything! Some recipes turned out super good, some were not worth repeating. We kept on improvising the recipes, it was a learning curve loaded with deliciousness. I still remember the first time Debarshi grilled Steak. It was the juiciest, yummiest steak we have ever had. As an amateur pitmaster, he sure was giving the hottest restaurants a run for their money.

There are a lot of things to know before you even consider grilling the steak. What cut to buy, how long to cook, temperature etc. etc. I did extensive research so that I can have all the information for this article. A special ‘Thank You’ goes to Debarshi for sharing his expertise. I strongly urge you to read everything at least once so that you too can prepare the juiciest steaks at home yourself. Believe me for this recipe just reading the ingredients and directions won't be enough.

Perfecting the steak is a little tricky. Thankfully there are tools available in the market which can help you grill like pros. You will get a perfect sear and the inside will be nice and juicy.

Grades of Steak:

There are eight grades of Beef - 

Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Cutter & Canner.

These grades are based on two main criteria -

• The degree of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the beef and 
• The maturity (estimated age of the animal at slaughter).

Select, Choice and Prime are the three grades of steak that you will find in a US supermarket. Select grade is just above what the USDA deems edible. So don’t be surprised if you buy Select grade meat and it doesn’t turn out too good. It’s always worth it to pay the extra money per pound for the Choice grade. Now if you want to experience the best flavors, Prime grade is the way to go (this is also what we recommend). We think that when it comes to steak, quality matters because it also brings forth the best flavors. 

Remember, when it comes to steak there is no limit to how much you can spend on it. A good example of this is Wagyu Steak. More on that in my next article.

What is Steak:

The connoisseurs may find it easier to choose their favorite cuts of steak. But for novices like me, understanding what steak is, paves the way for the next step. Steak comes from beef and there are dozens of great cuts of beef. They each have a unique flavor profile, cooking style, tenderness and size. The more you research and cook and serve, the more you can get customized cuts of steak. Well we don’t really eat or cook steak everyday so as a beginner we simply choose the cuts of beef which we know is of the highest quality. 

Cut:

You can choose either of these: 

• Filet Mignon - This is the most tender steak with a very mild flavor. Barrel shaped, usually between 5 and 9 ounces.
• New York Strip - These are well-marbled steaks with a firmer texture. Bone-in or boneless, they are usually between 8 and 14 ounces.
• Rib Eye -  They have the most marbling, and the richest steak flavor. Usually between 8 and 14 ounces.
• T-Bone - You get 2 steaks in one, Filet Mignon and NY strip. It’s named because of the iconic “T” shaped bone in the middle. This is obviously a big steak, usually 18 ounces or larger.

Filet Mignon, New York Strip and Ribeye are all great cuts for the grill. If you choose Bone-in steaks, they will take longer to cook so keep that in mind. 

If you are feeling optimistic or just want to try some other cut, go for Flank, Skirt and Hanger steaks. These thinner cuts should be first marinated. They are grilled quickly over high heat. Always slice them against the grain to serve. 

What is Grain?

Grain, when used in the context of meat, refers to the direction that the muscle fibers are aligned. Try to find if the fibers run vertically from top to bottom or left to right. 

Why is this step important? 

Because it’s not just the cut of meat that determines how tender it is, it’s also how you cut the meat. First, find the direction of the grain (which way the muscle fibers are aligned), then slice across the grain (perpendicular) rather than parallel with it. By cutting against the grain, we want to cut through the fibers and shorten them. So basically, we are not cutting in the same direction that the fibers run. This makes it easier to chew through, since a lot of the hard work of breaking up the muscle fibers has already been done for you. Slicing meat with the grain (or in the same direction as the muscle fibers), however, leaves you with a chewier piece of meat, one that could have been more tender if it was just sliced differently.

Marbling:

Marbling is the white flecks of intramuscular fat in meat, most notably red meat. The fat in lean muscle creates a marble pattern—hence the name. Marbling affects meat's juiciness, tenderness, texture, and flavor—attributes that determine “Eating Experience.” A good marbling ensures a juicy and tender cut. Ideally, steaks should be at 1 ½ to 2 inches thick to form a nice charred crust without overcooking.

Freezing and Thawing Steaks:

Like many meat products, steaks freeze very well. Just put them in big zip lock bags and freeze. Don’t have to give another thought to it. Then whenever you want to have a special dinner, thaw, cook and enjoy. Now, Thawing, unlike freezing, is a topic worth paying attention to.

Best course of action is (if you can plan it), to thaw the frozen steaks in the refrigerator overnight. So just transfer the zip lock bag in a big bowl to your refrigerator and they’ll be ready the next day to unwrap and cook. However, if you’re like us (decide in the morning or noon that tonight we are going to have steak), you can use the quick-thaw method. Just transfer the zip lock bag of frozen steaks in a big bowl and fill it with tap water. They should thaw in about 5-6 hours. If not, change the water and repeat the step.

Steps before grilling:

Take out the steaks from your fridge and place them on the kitchen counter about 1 hour before you plan to grill them. This is a good time to season the steaks, too. Keep in mind that if the steaks are really cold when they hit the hot grill, they will take more time. So use room temperature steaks for that perfect cook.

Prepping the Steaks:

Make sure to remove all extra moisture from the steaks prior to seasoning them. Paper towels are your best friend. Pat dry both the sides and around the steaks. Extra moisture prevents that beautiful searing and causes flare-ups and smoke. 

Season:

• Next, generously season the steaks with olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. This will create a crust which when cooked creates that crispy exterior. 
• You can also use cumin powder, garlic powder and/ or chili powder as per your palate but we like to keep it simple and in its purest form. 
• Montreal Steak seasoning also works well.

Marination:

If you are marinating the steaks, make sure to drain away the marinade and pat them dry before transferring them to the grill. If the steaks feel cold to touch, allow them to come to room temperature. This helps them to cook more evenly.

How to Prevent Overcooking:

Leaving the steak out at room temperature before cooking also ensures that you don’t overcook your steak. If the steak is cold from the fridge, then the outer part will get cooked fast but raising the internal temperature will take longer. By the time the internal temperature will reach the desired doneness the steak will be overcooked.

Prepping the Grill:

This is actually very important. A clean grill means no residues from the previous food. This ensures a cleaner cook and fresh aroma. 

• Start by brushing away any food residue with a grill brush. 
• Then lightly coat a bunched-up paper towel with oil. 
• Wipe the oil on the grates using your tongs. Don't let the oil drip--you only need a little. 
• Next create two cooking zones - a hot one for charring and searing and a cooler one for gentle cooking. 
• For a gas grill, turn the burners of one side to high and the other side to low. 
• If you're using a charcoal grill, push the hot coals to cover half the grill and leave the other side empty.

What is Searing:

Searing is a technique in which the surface of the food is cooked at high temperature until a browned crust forms. Searing is used in grilling, baking, braising, roasting, sautéing, etc. and is done usually with meat like beef, poultry, pork and seafood. 

It creates:

• A delicious brown or black crust (thus improving the appearance of the dish).
• An enhanced flavor by providing a contrast in taste and texture through the Maillard reaction.
• Makes the dish look appealing due to the well-browned crust.

What is the Maillard Reaction?

It is a chemical reaction or what we call “browning” which occurs when the proteins in food are heated to very high temperatures. The sugars and amino acids in the meat start reacting and creating new, flavorful compounds (the same reaction occurs when you toast bread). 

Myths about Searing:

• Searing does not cause caramelization, which affects only sugars, or simple carbohydrates: the Maillard reaction involves reactions between amino acids and some sugars.
• Searing doesn't "lock in the moisture" or "seal in the juices". In fact, searing results in a greater loss of moisture than cooking to the same internal temperature without searing.

Reverse searing

In reverse searing, the order of cooking is inverted. First the item to be cooked, typically a steak, is cooked at low heat until the center reaches desired temperature; then the outside is cooked with high temperature to achieve the Maillard reaction. This technique is typically recommended for thicker pieces of meat, 1–1 ½ inches or thicker, allowing for consistent internal cooking temperature with only the outer portion becoming seared.

Sear before or after:

We personally like and recommend the Sear first method. There are two schools of thoughts as to whether one should sear before or after. Remember when you are searing you are cooking the meat at a very high temperature. The second step is to cook it at a low temperature till the internal temperature reaches the desired doneness. This step can be perfected by novices. There are thermometers to help you know when to stop cooking. If you are cooking first and searing later then it will be difficult to know when to exactly stop cooking as the high temperature cooks the meat very fast. A well done steak can easily turn into over cooked. That being said practice makes perfect and I am sure with enough practice the sear later step can be done with ease.

Sear then Cook?

We sear the steak mostly for flavor. The cooking is done to ensure that there is no raw meat at the thickest part of the steak. We test that by measuring the internal temperature. If you like rare steak and the cut is thin, then probably searing alone will be enough. However, for thicker cuts, the internal temperature won't reach the desired doneness with just the searing.

Ingredients:

• 2 steaks –  1 ¼ -to-1 ½ -inch-thick, trimmed
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons 
• Kosher Salt 
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Note: You can choose Boneless Ribeye or New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces each) or filets mignons (8 to 10 ounces each)

Directions:

• About 1 hour before grilling, remove the steaks from the refrigerator. 
• Brush the steaks on both sides with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Let them sit, at room temperature.
• Cover the grill and preheat for 15 minutes so that it gets very hot--about 500 degrees F. Keep the lid vents open if using charcoal. 
• Open the lid and place the steaks on the hot side of the grill. 
• Leave the lid open while grilling steaks. When a hard sear forms in about 3 minutes, rotate the steaks a quarter turn to create grill marks and cook for another 3 minutes. 
• Flip the steaks to cook the other side, rotating them a quarter turn halfway through.
• If the steaks are burning before cooking to your preferred doneness, move them to the cooler zone to finish up.
• Check the internal temperature of your steak with an instant read thermometer. Remove the steaks right before it reaches the desired doneness. Carryover cooking will take the steaks about 5 degrees higher off the grill.
• Transfer the steaks to a cutting board or platter, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute and the steaks to finish cooking. 
• Serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad and enjoy.

Is my Steak Done?

There are many factors which influence the time for a steak to cook. Factors like the cut, thickness, grill temperature and preferred doneness. The chef’s standard level of doneness is medium-rare. At this point the steak won’t be bleeding on your plate, but it will be tender and juicy. If you can cook it just right, the steak will melt in your mouth. With enough practice you will be able to tell how cooked a steak is just by feel alone. Every steak has a different cooking time due to the varying thicknesses of the cuts. Although all these tips sound really easy they do require a lot of practice. So unless you work in a restaurant or cook steak on a daily basis it will probably take you a long time to acquire these skills. Thankfully there are tools to help us (foodies) out. We highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer because we don’t want to eat raw meat right? Using it is easy as well, just make sure to measure the temperature in the thickest part of the center. Also take care not to touch any bones.

The best instant read thermometer is Meater, we use Webber Igrill (basically any meat thermometer will work).

Meat Doneness, Temperatures, Appearance and Texture:

• Rare: 120 degrees F, red shiny appearance, very soft to the touch
• Medium-rare: 130 degrees F, deep red to pink, soft to the touch with slight resistance
• Medium: 140 degrees F, light pink with graying on the edges, firm with some resistance
• Well-done: 160 degrees F, no pink, firm

Resting the Steak:

Once you remove the steak from the grill, it continues to cook with the carryover heat. If you leave it on the grill for a few extra minutes it will get dry. So to prevent that and ensure the perfect cook we tent/ cover the steak with foil and leave it alone. This ensures that it releases all the heat inside and doesn’t get dry. We cut the steak after about 10 minutes which gives it enough time to redistribute its juices. 

And there you are foodies. If you are feeling good after reading this article, then do give this a try. Fire up the grill and treat yourself and your loved ones with a steak dinner!

Try these sides with your own grilled Steak:

• Roasted Vegetables Recipe
• Corn on the Cob and Grilled Corn
• Homemade Herbed Skillet Potatoes