Grilling – Tips for Grilling Steak
Tours TravelIt took me many trips to different butcher shops and several iterations in the kitchen, until I reached a level of satisfaction with my grilled steak; a level that would be compared to when visiting famous steakhouses.
The formula for grilling the perfect steak involves three parameters: steak cut, seasoning, and cooking process.
Knowing your steak cut
There are many criteria to consider when choosing the cut of steak; one of them is the origin of the steak (for example, Brazilian beef, Australian beef, or the so-called “local” beef here in the United Arab Emirates). Once again, choosing a steak from a certain origin is down to personal taste.
The type of steak cut is the main contributor to a satisfying experience when grilling steaks at home. Depending on the amount of fat and the way it is distributed, the cut of steak will have a variable tenderness and a special flavor. There are four common types of steak cuts on any steakhouse menu
tenderloin
Often called “Filet mignon”, it is the most expansive cut of steak, due to its mild flavor and the least amount of fat included. It is my favorite choice.
new york strip
Often referred to as “top sirloin”. This cut is less tender compared to the loin, with some fat marbling throughout, giving it a nice meaty flavor.
T-bone
I consider it as the best option for the hardcore “Carnivore”. It is sold bone-in in a T-shape, with meat on both sides. This cut has plenty of marbled fat throughout, making it super tender and juicy, with a meaty flavor.
ribeye
Often referred to as “Entrecôte”. This cut is basically a prime rib cut into individual steaks. It has a lot of marbling fat in the meat and large pockets of fat interspersed, making it extra juicy with a savory meaty flavor.
Seasoning
As for seasoning, a true meat aficionado would prefer their steak to taste exceptional, so I recommend using just a pinch of pepper and sea salt to season a piece of meat, leaving it for fifteen minutes before grilling. Once your steak is ready to eat, you can enjoy the variety of sauces and dressings available on the market and at any steakhouse, but for grilling use only pepper and sea salt.
cooking process
When it comes to the cooking process, there are two main styles: charcoal grilling and grilling. Grilling requires fewer parameters to control and is therefore easier to master. In this article I will focus on what I have real experience with, which is grilling.
Tools needed
Grilling mainly requires three items (besides a nice piece of steak): a skillet, greasing material, and steak tongs.
I recommend using a nonstick skillet, sized appropriately to allow enough space around the steak piece. To grease, you can use normal frying oil, or better use grill spray, which is easier to spread throughout the pan. When it comes to steak tongs, it is recommended to choose one that is large enough to hold the piece of steak steadily, but not so large that it makes it difficult to turn the piece of steak while grilling.
kitchen style
One important thing to learn is steak cooking styles. The style of cooking, known as steak “Doneness,” affects the color and tenderness of the steak piece, as well as its flavor. As a general rule, leaving a piece of steak longer on the heat makes it darker in color and harder to the touch. There are five common styles of steak cooking
Weird
I consider this to be the style of cooking for a true “carnivore”. The piece of steak is almost raw. A rare steak is golden brown on the sides and bright red in the middle.
moderately rare
Most of the center of the steak piece should be pink with a hint of red. Sides should be nicely browned, top and bottom caramelized to a dark brown color with good grill marks.
Medium
This is the common level of doneness often acceptable to everyone. I recommend grilling this style when cooking for a party or family gathering. The piece of steak will have a thick light pink band down the middle, but more golden than pink. The sides should be a deep brown color and the top and bottom darkly charred, but not black.
Half well
This is my preferred level of doneness, with just a hint of pink in the center of the steak. The surface should be dark brown with good charring on top and bottom. This steak will be very stiff but still have a slight spongy feel in the center.
Well done
For true meat fans, this is the least popular level of doneness. On the other hand, this is the most popular option for people who eat steak occasionally and are more comfortable with the “Safe” option. This level of doneness is achieved only by slowly cooking the piece of steak at a relatively low temperature until no trace of redness or tinge remains, while the exterior is golden brown with no trace of burning (Easy to mention, hard to achieve)
Finger test to determine doneness of steak
To keep things simple, I won’t give any hints as to how long to grill each side of the steak piece, at what temperature for a given thickness, or a specific cut of steak. I’ll walk you through a simpler method called the “Finger Test” that is used while a piece of steak is cooking to tell if it has reached a certain level of doneness.
With your hand open, press the meat in your hand (under the thumb) with your finger, use the feel of the meat under your finger as a comparison when you touch the piece of steak while grilling:
- Press with your index finger, the sensation is compared to the rare steak cooking style.
- Press with your middle finger, the feeling compares to the steak’s medium-rare cooking style.
- Press with your ring finger, the feel compares to medium rare steak style.
- Press with your little finger, the sensation is compared to the well-done cooking style of a steak.