Mastering the Art of Cooking Steaks on the Grill

The best chefs can turn grill work into performance art by meticulously preparing every piece of meat and flipping at the just right time to create truly exceptional barbecue. But for those who struggle to grill well, this can be a frustrating experience. To improve your cooking skills and grilling technique, consider these simple tips to help make the meat as good as it can possibly be.

Searing Heat

Good steaks are generally first seared in a kitchen setting to create the crust of flavor that makes a genuinely great steak. This provides a kind of crust that showcases the flavors of the steak. On a grill, this is easily possible but requires more fine-tuned control of the flame or gas beneath the meat. For charcoal grilling, this skill that can be learned and mastered by learning a summary of the grilling rule of threes. In general, unlike the heat control of a stove, a grill has two modes: direct heat and indirect heat. Positioning a steak directly over the fire is an example of direct heat, whereas moving meat off to the side will allow it to receive indirect heat. Direct heat is necessary in order to sear a steak, but it is best to place the meat in indirect heat for cooking the interior to the desired doneness. This is similar to letting a steak simmer on the stove or baking it for maximum tenderness.

Temperature Check

For many people, it seems odd to leave the meat setting out before and after cooking; but if you do it enough times, you will begin to realize the difference. Before cooking, consider bringing the steak to room temperature in order to have the internal temperature reach a more even level. By doing so, the meat becomes much easier to 'read' regarding the desired doneness. After cooking steaks through, you should always leave the meat out for 3-5 minutes to settle and lock in the flavors.

Flavor Rubs

Just like mastering the difference between beef jerky and biltong, learning to apply rubs can take some time and experience with all sorts of spices; but done right, they can be a delicious addition to the steak. Common steak rubs can be purchased in-store or online, they often keep well over many weeks, and you can reuse them again after a little mixing. An underrated spice for steak rubs is brown sugar, which creates a caramelized coating around the steak. It does not end up being too sweet either, instead just contributing to the kind of soft and tender texture that practically all meat lovers crave. If you're using a gas grill, you can use extra spices since the taste infused by charcoal grills won't be as evident in the meat. Charcoal grills add a distinctive flavor to all foods, so make sure that all of your guests enjoy that flavor before you begin cooking. Other possibilities for flavor marinades which can imbue the meat itself with a different flavor entirely.

If you are consistently great at what you do, you may consider starting asking your guests for their preference of doneness. Medium-rare is generally considerably more tender, while medium-well and well-done provide a distinct flavor and texture. Medium is generally the easiest to shoot for since it combines the best of both worlds and allows for a wide margin of error. It also is worth noting that those who ask for medium are generally okay with the other two levels of doneness around medium. Cooking steaks can be a rewarding entry into the possibilities of grilling, so stay safe, stay hungry, and have fun grilling.