Cooking Tips

How Do You Grill A Great Steak? Become A Confident Grill King.

The philosophy behind any great steak is based on these three basics:

1. MEAT

Quality dictates cooking style.

MAJOR CUTS (Strip Sirloin, Ribeye, Tenderloin) are the best; soft cuts of beef requiring little more than fast grilling to desired temperature.

UNDER UTILIZED CUTS (Round, Top Sirloin, Chuck Roasts) require marinating and longer, slower cooking times.

2. HEAT

FAST CHARBROILING, over direct heat, is used for cooking most steaks.

LOW & SLOW (BBQ), over in-direct heat, is used for tougher cuts of meat.

SMOKING, over no heat, Is used for extended long term cooking of the toughest cuts of meat.

FIRE TEMPERATURE:

HIGH, 450° AND HIGHER (bright orange coals) is used for fast charbroiling of steaks to sear in the juices and create a nice outer crust.

MEDIUM-HIGH, 450° (hot orange coals just starting to show ash) is used for searing larger cuts of meat than an individual steak.

MEDIUM, 325° -375° (orange coals covered with ash) is used for longer cooking time, and more well cooked meat.

MEDIUM-LOW, 300° (ashed coals with a slight sight of orange) is used for low & slow cooking, warming, baking.

SLOW, 200° -250° (no sight of color) is used for slow roasting of large cuts of meat, bbq, and smoking.

INTERNAL MEAT TEMPERATURE: (The Degree of Doneness)

RARE (120°-130°) seared on outside, cool red center.

MEDIUM RARE (135°-145°) seared on outside, cool reddish pink center.

MEDIUM (150°-160°) seared and browner on outside, warm pink center.

MEDIUM WELL (165°-170°) seared and darker brown on outside, warm brown center.

WELL DONE (TOO-MUCH) charred, dry, flavorless. Use a cheap cut of meat for well done!

3. FLAVOR

WOOD vs GAS;

Live fire is the age old technique for most backyard grill kings. Whether it is wood or charcoal, this technique produces the best grilled steak flavor. If you have a good supply of firewood, this is our recommended cooking style. If not, use charcoal as your heat base and supply the wood flavor with wood chips. There are several types of wood chips available today with mesquite and hickory being the favorites. Mesquite is an oily wood that produces a tart heavy smoke flavor. Hickory is a dryer wood that produces a milder sweet smoke flavor. Our favorite flavor profile comes from a live fire using oak as the base heat as it burns very hot, and adding pieces of pecan just prior to cooking. The hardest technique to master with live wood is constant temperature control. Mastering a live wood grill can be done with practice, and will make you feel more like a true grill king!

Gas grilling has become very popular because it has less variables than live fire. Constant temperature is easily maintained with gas, and most gas grills have a thermometer on the lid. The heat can be regulated with the turn of a knob.

Beginner grill kings, or faux grill kings can cheat by cooking on gas with the addition of a wood chip pack to produce smoke and flavor.

To be a serious grill king, get a nice set of tools. A nice long pair of tongs, a long handled spatula, a good thermometer for testing internal temperature, and a fine brush to keep the grates of your grill clean and free of cooked food.