Grilling help, please

As I have always proclaimed, I am no cook.
But one does need to eat!
Here is my grill:



Never used - yet.

Got a Costco streak deal. Don't want to ruin any.

Tel me your grilling secrets for a juicy, barely pink center, grilled steak. Seasonings?

Thanks.

My "recipe":

High heat. As high as the grill will go. Preheat the grill.

Salt and pepper on both sides of the steak to taste.

Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, timed with a stopwatch. Better too little time than too much.

Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes to finish cooking before eating.

That's pretty much what I do, but I let the meat sit out for 20 minutes or so prior to cooking so it's not refrigerator cold when it hits the grill.

And I wrap it in foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before chomping down.

My new barbecue doesn't get as hot as my old one; it's about medium-high compared to the old one. This prevents me from overcooking meat, which was my biggest problem before. Clean and oil the grill before preheating to avoid sticking the meat to the grill. Sear the meat on both sides, then cook awhile and hope for the best.

Oh, the quality of the meat you start with greatly affects the result. When my son brings Ontario AAA steaks for us to barbecue, it's hard to go wrong.

Start with really good beef, no amount of seasoning will help crummy meat come out great on the grill.

Yep, hot, hot & quick with a short rest before devouring...over charcoal and wood smoke!
I seem to have/get the best results by pre-seasoning with barley & hops

Step 1: Have the butcher cut ribeyes to not less than 1" thick.

Step 2: Shake a small amount of homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides, wrap in plastic and chill for 2-6 hours (overnight is OK, too).

Step 3: Remove steaks from fridge before firing up the grill to let them warm a little.

Step 4: Heat grill to medium high (or high, if that's what your grill needs). It might be a horror to some, but I use a gas grill for hot and fast grilling. So, sue me! I also use a stainless steel chip box with mesquite in beer to add to the smoke.

Step 5: Shake additional MSS (or seasonings of your choice) on one side of steaks before placing them on the grill. Shake seasoning on the other side after steaks are on the grill. After 1.5-2 minutes, roll steaks onto opposite side (roll them side-to-side this time). After another 1.5-2 minutes, roll steaks back to first side, end to end. Then, after another 1.5-2 minutes, roll onto second side again, side to side. Using this method should give you good cross-hatched grill marks on both sides of the steaks.

Step 6: Remove steaks from grill onto a platter or cutting board and cover with foil, let rest for 10 minutes.

Step 7: Wash hands and dive in!

I am in the same camp as Vaughn. Salt pepper 3-4 each side then rest for 1-2 before cutting.

Similar to the others:

1. Buy the steaks 1 1/4"- 1 1/2" thick (this will allow enough thickness for a good char - blackened - while still having a rare or medium rare center)
2. Trim excess fat, etc, as desired.
3. Season both sides with:
   1. Adolph's Flavored Meat Tenderizer regardless of cut - moderate amount
   2. Garlic Powder - moderate/heavy amount
   3. Onion powder or minced onions - moderate amount
   4. Kosha salt - moderate/heavy amount
   5. Coarse black pepper - moderate/heavy amount
4. Wrap & store in fridge minimum 4 hrs, preferably overnight.
5. *Montreal Steak Seasoning - moderate/heavy amount can be used instead of above with additional garlic, but I prefer above (can mix up a batch & store it in a sprinkle jar for quick & easy use).
6. Remove from fridge & sprinkle some A-1 sauce on both sides.
7. Bring meat to room temperature.
8. Grab a beer (or two).
9. Load charcoal into grill.
10. Fire up the grill & bring grill to highest heat.
11. Don't forget to drink the beer!
12. Arrange coals for hot & warm areas if meat not all the same thickness.
13. Lay the steaks on the grill & listen for the sizzle.
14. Sear all edges of steaks with a propane torch with a large flame. (I use a Mapp gas torch on the propane bottle). This will prevent juice leakage from the edges.
15. Enjoy the beer!
16. Let lie for 2-3 minutes to get grill burn marks.
17. Rotate steaks 90° for new burn marks if preferred.
18. Turn steaks at 5-6 minute mark depending on thickness (5 min. @ 1 1/4" thk., 6 min. @ 1 1/2" thk.).
19. Apply more A-1 sauce on 2nd side if desired.
20. Repeat rotation for grill marks if preferred.
21. More beer please!
22. Wrap finished steal in foil & rest for 5 minutes.

Eat & be happy!

I've been waiting for Ryan to weigh in ....sous vide with garlic, rosemary and butter for 3hours @140, then pepper crust sear in a very hot pan over high heat for a minute on each side.

Al Launier said:

Similar to the others:

1. Buy the steaks 1 1/4"- 1 1/2" thick (this will allow enough thickness for a good char - blackened - while still having a rare or medium rare center)
2. Trim excess fat, etc, as desired.
3. Season both sides with:
   1. Adolph's Flavored Meat Tenderizer regardless of cut - moderate amount
   2. Garlic Powder - moderate/heavy amount
   3. Onion powder or minced onions - moderate amount
   4. Kosha salt - moderate/heavy amount
   5. Coarse black pepper - moderate/heavy amount
4. Wrap & store in fridge minimum 4 hrs, preferably overnight.
5. *Montreal Steak Seasoning - moderate/heavy amount can be used instead of above with additional garlic, but I prefer above (can mix up a batch & store it in a sprinkle jar for quick & easy use).
6. Remove from fridge & sprinkle some A-1 sauce on both sides.
7. Bring meat to room temperature.
8. Grab a beer (or two).
9. Load charcoal into grill.
10. Fire up the grill & bring grill to highest heat.
11. Don't forget to drink the beer!
12. Arrange coals for hot & warm areas if meat not all the same thickness.
13. Lay the steaks on the grill & listen for the sizzle.
14. Sear all edges of steaks with a propane torch with a large flame. (I use a Mapp gas torch on the propane bottle). This will prevent juice leakage from the edges.
15. Enjoy the beer!
16. Let lie for 2-3 minutes to get grill burn marks.
17. Rotate steaks 90° for new burn marks if preferred.
18. Turn steaks at 5-6 minute mark depending on thickness (5 min. @ 1 1/4" thk., 6 min. @ 1 1/2" thk.).
19. Apply more A-1 sauce on 2nd side if desired.
20. Repeat rotation for grill marks if preferred.
21. More beer please!
22. Wrap finished steal in foil & rest for 5 minutes.

Eat & be happy!

Click to expand...

You lost me with the A-1 sauce.

Ted Calver said:

I've been waiting for Ryan to weigh in ....sous vide with garlic, rosemary and butter for 3hours @140, then pepper crust sear in a very hot pan over high heat for a minute on each side.

Click to expand...

Now that you mention it, that is my favorite way to make a ribeye. The Psuedo SousVide in a cooler method. After a few hours in the cooler at temp, all it takes is a little time on a SUPER HEATED grill to brown it up. You get perfectly cooked meat all the way through, with a nice char. My grill has a little infrared burner that is perfect for that.

Here are my "secrets" such as they are.

1- Grilling: When I wanted to learn to do a steak I used google, and found this a couple years ago: http://www.howdini.com/video/6674743/how-to-cook-a-porterhouse-steak-on-a-gas-grill Which I summarize as : heat it to 500 degrees, slap on the steak, and grill for 5 minutes a side.
Then let it rest a bit on the cutting board. I like it with some pink in the middle, and that's what I get. I have stuck with this method. It's pretty simple.

2- Seasonings: My wife found this marinade on allrecipies.com which we like a lot: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/marinade-for-steak-i/
- we use regular black pepper, not fresh ground. And we also just use regular french's mustard, not dijon. Works.
- we cut the recipe in half and you can mix it right in a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Then pour it in a ziplock with the steak and let it soak for 8+hrs (or as long as you can.)

In order to speed things up for future meals, my wife sometimes makes a DOUBLE recipe of the marinade. Mixes it up all the liquids and divide into 4 ziploc bags, then then add the onions and garlics (it's hard to divide evenly otherwise). Then she puts a FROZEN steak into each ziploc and then pops them back into the freezer. Then when we are going to eat a steak, we pull it from the freezer and it defrosts and marinades all at the same time.

I'm in Vaughns camp as well. My gas grill gets up to 600 degrees. Kosher salt, pepper heavily applied and grill on each side with the top closed for maybe 3 minutes on each side.

Don Baer said:

You lost me with the A-1 sauce.

Click to expand...

Try it, you'll like it!

Knob on side means gas.
My 'secret'. Get rid of the gas thing, replace with a basic charcol grill.
With a good cut of steak I do not season. For others I'll use some salt before putting on grill. Judging by thickness and over hot coals, I give 5 min. m/l per side. I should let rest but usually am too anxious to eat steak.

ps to my post: Keep the lid closed to maintain the steady high heat.

Ted Calver said:

I've been waiting for Ryan to weigh in ....sous vide with garlic, rosemary and butter for 3hours @140, then pepper crust sear in a very hot pan over high heat for a minute on each side.

Click to expand...

Am I really that predictable? That's probably more complicated than Carol wants to deal with

You guys have covered it pretty well I would add a little detail on the salt, basically you have two options; either salt right as you put it on the grill (or after it comes off ends up about the same and is probably slightly safer) or rest at least 3 hours per inch and a minimum of 4 hours to let the moisture re equalize (and pat really dry before grilling maybe let set out to finish drying for 15-20). Anything in the middle and you end up with to much surface moisture which ruins the sear. Which salting regime to pick is controversial, most people feel that most steak is better with the long version but some types seem better with the short version and there is some personal preference as well.

I'm also a fan of the bring to room temp before grilling theory.

Lately I've been doing a quick sear on the grill and then doing the "rest" (more a finish in this case I guess) at lower heat on the top shelf of the grill with a few handfuls of wet pear wood on the coals to add a smidge of smoke flavour. Might be hard to do that slower cook on the mini grill but possible, just push the coals to the side.

Do make sure the coals are fully coaled and don't have any not glowy bits before you put the meat on. Chunk charcoal is safer in this regard than briquets (and the nerds will say better, but I've had a hard time noticing as long as you let the briquets get fully coaled up first).

OK, here is my take on what you all have shared.

It's a gas grill, so all talk about coals and such have been disregarded. We have what we have.

Cock Shack Procedure for juicy, slightly pink middle, grilled steak
1. Buy good meat.
2. Marinade with flavor of choice (mine would be mesquite) overnight in the fridge.
3. Let meat come to room temperature before slapping on the grill.
4. Heat grill as hot as it will go.
5. 4 timed minutes per side.
6. Wrap in aluminum foil and rest for 10-20 minutes.
7. Fix a salad and ice the bourbon.
8. Chow down.

Did I miss anything or get something wrong? I want to try it, maybe tomorrow for dinner.

We don't put any sauce for the cooking, but our favorite to put on the plate to dip pieces of meat into is Pickapeppa Sauce...soooo good