How to Grill Like a Pro: The Perfect Steak

It’s the easiest thing in the world. Slap a hunk of meat on a grill. Flip it. Serve it. Easy! Or is it? Grilling a steak is easy. Grilling a perfectly done, juicy steak… Not so much. Yesterday, I witnessed the utter destruction of several hundred dollars’ worth of prime rib steak.

Ouch. Maybe it's not that easy after all.

Choosing Your Steaks

Here’s a funny true story. Last summer, I was in a grocery store buying steaks for a backyard dinner party. The butcher had just re-loaded the counter with rib steaks. There was a woman ahead of me. 

I was slightly annoyed that she had first choice. My annoyance did not last long.

She picked up a perfect steak, eyed it critically, rejected it.

I took it.

She picked another. Rejected that one too.

I took it.

She then picked a third, smiled, and added it to her cart. I was glad I wasn’t having dinner at her place. Her selection had no marbling. It was a guarantee of a dry steak unless cooked blue. 

Marbling is that fine lacework of white fat running through a piece of meat.

Fat equals flavour. Fat equals tenderness. Yes, it adds to the calorie count. If that’s an issue, forget the steaks. Go with chicken breasts.

Back to the lady in the grocery store.

She noticed I was taking all her rejected steaks. She gave me a dirty look. After all, I took eight steaks that she rejected.

Obviously, I was demented.

I won’t argue the possibility, but not in this case.

For the grill, choose well-marbled steaks that are at least a half-inch, ~2cm, thick. Less than that and you’ll have a hard time. You will guarantee over-cooking them. You can go up to 4cm, 1.5 inches. More than that and you’ll also have a hard time.

A Cut above

As far as cuts go, that’s a matter of personal preference. Names for the various cuts vary by region. I’ll use my local names and provide images so you can translate.

My personal favourite is the rib steak (pictured above) and it’s cousin the faux-filet (a.k.a Rib-eye). To me, it provides the perfect balance of flavour and tenderness. FYI: I call the faux-filet a “cousin” because it’s the same cut of meat. The rib steak is bone-in. Remove the bone and it's a the faux-filet.

The T-Bone/Porterhouse is also popular. I’m not a huge fan. They are really the same cut. The porterhouse comes from the first section so it’s larger. 

If you choose T-bones, choose ones that have big filet portions. That’s what you’re paying for.

T-bones with small filet parts are just strip loins in drag.

The strip loin is known here as the contre-filet. It’s descriptive. “Contre” means “against” in French. This steak is against the filet, hence our name for it. It’s the tougher part of the T-bone. People who like their steaks

People who like their steaks rare, love this cut… and they love ‘em thick! Remember what I said about staying under 1.5 inches thick. For this cut, you can go to 2.5.

The filet mignon is another favourite. Frankly, I 

don’t know why. It’s very tender. It’s very expensive. It has very little flavour. Turn your back on these buggers and you get a hockey puck. 

I only use filet mignon in mixed skewers. If you choose this cut drop down the cooking. If they usually want medium-rare, go to rare. Well-done (blasphemy!) drops to medium, etc. Also, double up on the suggested thickness.

There are techniques for other cuts, but we don’t have the time to go into them now. Stick with these for now.

Grills and Grill marks

Grills need to be HOT. Sounds obvious, enough, right? I’ve seen people pop steaks on a cold grill. That doesn’t happen often, but often enough that I should mention it.

This happens much more often. People underestimate how much the grill cools when you overload it. Think about it. You nice, super-hot grill, gets hit with 11 pounds (5Kg) of steaks right out of the refrigerator. Do you think that might drop the temperature somewhat?

You don’t have a whole lot of choice if you are grilling burgers. They must stay refrigerated. Steaks are another matter. Let them come up to close to room temperature before grilling. Cover them with plastic wrap. Don’t worry about bacteria. Any bacteria that form on the surface will never survive the grill.

Look at each steak and decide which side is the prettier side. That’s your presentation side. That’s the side you grill first.

Grill marks

A perfect steak is a pretty steak. Grill marks on the presentation side are part of the deal. Lay your steaks on the grill at an angle like this / / / / /. Your hot grill will burn lines into them.

Two minutes or so later, re-position them like this \ \ \ \ \. DO NOT flip them, just shift the angle. Wait another two minutes or so.

Now it’s time to flip them once and only once! Notice the criss-cross pattern you made? NICE!

Testing for doneness

Now that your presentation side is set you can cook the steaks the rest of the way. 

PRO TIP: If you are cooking to medium doneness or more, move them all to one side of the grill. Cut the heat to that side and close the cover. You have just converted your grill to an oven. Residual heat will sear the bottoms.
Me

Some people cut into the steaks to gauge doneness. Don't. Cutting into a steak at this point is a horrible idea. The heat excites the juicy molecules inside the meat. Pressure  builds up. When you cut, the pressure releases and the juices pour out. You get a piece of shoe-leather.

You get a piece of shoe-leather.

For the same reason, don’t use a fork to work your grill. Use a spatula or tongs. You don’t want to pierce the steaks.

There’s a better way to check for doneness. I call it the poke test. I was going to make a video to demonstrate it, then I thought, “Why re-invent the wheel?” Here’s a good description in a YouTube video. One thing he does not mention is the pressure between your thumb and fingers. There isn’t any. Your thumb and fingers just touch. They barely make contact.

Here’s a good description in a YouTube video.

NOTE: One thing he does not mention is the pressure between your thumb and fingers. There isn’t any. Your thumb and fingers just touch. They barely make contact.

Resting

I mean letting the meat rest, not you. Don’t serve steaks piping hot. Let them sit to allow the juices to relax and redistribute themselves. Let them rest for at least five minutes, ten is better.

Happy grilling!

About Me

Most people know me as a ghostwriter. That’s accurate. I am also a graduate of Culinary School for both Professional Cooking and Pastry. It was a bucket list thing. I have owned and operated restaurants and a bakery. These posts are my attempt to introduce more people to the joy and simplicity of cooking well.All posts in this series are in the Cooking, For Men and Other Culinary-Challenged People Hive.

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