cooking steak on the grill question....

[backwoods]

My wife went out and bought a few newyork strip steaks today and she knows I can't cook a steak on the grill to safe my life . Can someone give me some good ideas on how to cook them without drying them out too badly?

The steaks are about an inch thick, I'm cooking on a gas grill, and we like them medium well . So what does anyone recommend for times and grill settings?



Thanks for any replies

[cb25]

IMO - medium well usually dries out the steak. At least for me. I aim for medium-ish and that helps.

Honestly, it takes practice...and i'd take them off the fire just before you think they're done, as they tend to cook just a tad more after taking them off the grill.

[King James]

just make 'em medium rare and I'll come over and have 'em

[cquon]

Medium heat, no more than 15 minutes total.

But I use charcoal, so it may be less time for you.

[Warhorse545]

Ok couple things there that might help. At least it works for me.


Bring the steaks up to room temp before cooking. Hot grill and cold meat is not a good mix. I do not cook with gas so well this may or may not work for you. I get the heat to a point that I can hold my hand over the grill for a count of 5 before it gets hot enough for me to yank my hand away. To hot is not so good on a grill.

I do not go so much with time as I do with feel. Each stage of done-ness of a steak will have a certain springy feel to it. The less spring the more cooked it is. And depending on the fat content of the meat the times to reach each stage can vary a lot. Your looking for firm but with some give for med-well.

cb25 makes a great point. When you almost done pull them off the grill.


Always let the meat rest for about 5 mins before cutting into them. This allows them to cool down a bit so that they do not lose all the juice when ya cut then. Keeps then from being dry.



Hopes this helps some.


Stacey

[TU09]

One method many people use to find the "feeling" of medium-well is to place the tip of your ring finger and the tip of your thumb together and then poke the flesh at the base of the thumb (keep your hand relaxed or it won't work). Personally, I would not try to grill a one inch thick steak, it is simply too thin to work with and I am not familiar with cooking steakes to medium rare so these are simply general suggestions.

If your grill has two burners, I would suggest setting one side to med-high and the other to a med-low (on my gas grill, all cook at different heats so just fairly hot on one side and significantly cooler but not quite low on the other). Sear the steakes on the hotter side and cook on the cooler side (this does not actually seal in juices as many claim but carmalizes sugars on the outside of the meat adding a nice flavor and the lower heat leaves the meat more tender because the heat is less direct). As Stacey said, do not puncture the steak until it has rested for about five minutes. The more you grill the less you will have to think about it. Good luck.

[Foz]

To take this in a different direction, the best steaks I've cooked have been indoors. I rub down a steak with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, heat a skillet to medium-high and sear for 1 1/2 - 2 min per side, put the skillet in an oven (preheated to 350) for about 8 minutes and it comes out awesome. Just my

Chris

[Warhorse545]

Originally Posted by Foz

To take this in a different direction, the best steaks I've cooked have been indoors. I rub down a steak with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, heat a skillet to medium-high and sear for 1 1/2 - 2 min per side, put the skillet in an oven (preheated to 350) for about 8 minutes and it comes out awesome. Just my

Chris

Someone watching Elton Brown



Tis a good way to make a tender steak. But ya do not get the flavor ya get from cooking outside


Stacey

[ghostrider]

Do you have any plans on seasoning them? Not that it will affect how you grill, but inquiring minds want to know.

Best advice I can give you is to make sure your grill is not too hot. I have a gas grill, and let it heat up a couple minutes before I throw anything on it, then reduce the heat to at least halway or more. The thicker the steak, the lower I set it in order to cook more thoroughly. Wife likes them medium, I like them cooked just long enough to get the "mooo" out of them.

[Lumpold]

There is a chefs cheat to see how well done your steak is.... hold you hand palm up in front of you. Count the fingers away from your thumb. place the tip of your thumb on the various fingers, and feel the the palm of your hand at the base of your thumb.
Finger 1 (index finger) = rare
Finger 2 = med-rare
Finger 3 = medium
Finger 4 (pinky finger) = well done

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by Lumpold

There is a chefs cheat to see how well done your steak is.... hold you hand palm up in front of you. Count the fingers away from your thumb. place the tip of your thumb on the various fingers, and feel the the palm of your hand at the base of your thumb.
Finger 1 (index finger) = rare
Finger 2 = med-rare
Finger 3 = medium
Finger 4 (pinky finger) = well done

That's a great guide, but I'm not gonna stick my fingers on a hot steak on the grill to feel how firm it's getting.

[Lumpold]

fingers? Don't be a fool, use your tongs on the steak! Tsk... I dunno....

[qwerty1500]

A grilling question ... just can't resist.

The best advice has already been given ... it takes practice. Every grill and cut of meat is different. I also agree with the advice about taking it off just shortly before you think it's ready ... steak does tend to cook a bit after it's off the grill.

The only advice I don't follow is to cook a steak slowly. That's fine with pork and chicken. I've found that steak does better over a hot fire. You just have to be careful not to over cook it ... that's where the practice comes in.

For medium-well 1 inch strips on a hot fire, I'd probably give them no more than 7 minutes a side. Since I know my grills, I only turn them once. If you are unsure of the situation and you turn them more frequently or use a lower heat, you might bump up the cooking time by a minute or two per side.

I probably cook supper 4-5 nights a week year-round on our Weber charcoal grill. We also have a gas grill on the deck of our condo at the Lake of the Ozarks. They both have their advantages but I prefer charcoal. Cooked and smoked everything you can imagine including the Thanksgiving turkey ... took all afternoon but was awsome.

One of the joys of my life is grilling supper with a martini and a good cigar.

[whodat1]

I'll go along with HOT crowd. One of the best steak houses in the country, Ruth's Chris, uses an 1800 deg oven.

I like to sear a steak to keep the juices in. I get my grill as hot as I can and go 4-5 minutes on the first side, turn it over (you only turn a steak once!) and cook it anywhere from 7-12 minutes depending how you want it done.

[Da Klugs]

Originally Posted by Foz

To take this in a different direction, the best steaks I've cooked have been indoors. I rub down a steak with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, heat a skillet to medium-high and sear for 1 1/2 - 2 min per side, put the skillet in an oven (preheated to 350) for about 8 minutes and it comes out awesome. Just my

Chris

I do something similar for the grill, use Italian dressing and a little fresh ground pepper and salt just before grilling them. Seems to help prevent charring the meat. Use a 3 flip method turning 90 degrees so you get the nice crosshatched pattern of the grill grates on the steak.