Anyone can make a perfect steak. First, you need to know how to conquer the meat case at the grocery store. Then heat up the grill. Mouthwatering steaks can be yours by following a few simple steps.
Thaw slowly. When working with meat, you have to think ahead. Pull steaks out of the freezer 48 hours before cooking. Put meat on a plate or in a shallow pan in the refrigerator. The pan will contain juices while thawing.
Gather proper tools. You will need a meat thermometer, tongs, salt and pepper and oil (ideally a 50/50 olive/canola oil mixture.
Think ahead. Preheat oven to 450° F and turn grill on high. The grill should be sizzling hot before adding steak, to ensure a lovely sear.
Oil ’em up. Drizzle both sides of steaks with 5-6 drops of oil mix. This will keep steaks from sticking to the grill.
Season simply. Great steaks don’t need a lot of help. Season with only salt and pepper. Be sure to hold your hand high and away from the meat when sprinkling to evenly spread across the meat’s surface. Repeat on both sides.
Listen for sizzle. How do you know if the grill is hot enough? Feel the burn (almost!). Raise your hand about five inches over the heated grill. If you can keep your hand there for longer than 5 seconds, it’s not hot enough. You should hear sizzle when you place steaks on the grill.
Add an artistic touch. Diamond grill marks are a steak lover’s best friend — and they offer steakhouse elegance to your homemade meal. Here are a few tips for making grill marks.
A perfect steak takes patience, grill master.
Place steak on hot grill and wait two minutes before turning. This allows a good sear on the steak which means more flavor: as the steak browns on the outside, tasty juices are forced to the center. Remember:
- Place steak on grill for two minutes.
- Turn once for nice grill marks, wait two more minutes.
- Flip and sear side two for two minutes.
- Check temperature with a meat thermometer.
- Turn for diamond grill marks; check temperature and remove when beef reaches 5-10 degrees lower than desired doneness.
Let it rest! The heat inside the steak will continue cooking the meat after it’s removed from the grill. Let a steak rest for 4 to 5 minutes so carryover cooking can bring it to perfect temperature.
Want to raise the ‘steaks’ even higher? Check out these perfect steak recipes!