Grilling Steaks

Like many, I make steaks on the grill once or twice a month.

You can make a good steak in the broiler and it is
pretty easy, but there is something about the ritual nature
of cooking on a fire that may take us back to the days
of our tribal ancestors.

It is especially nice if you have a friend to hang out
with you and maybe share a beverage while you execute your
grill plan.

I make no claim to being a grilling expert, but I have
made many a steak that was well received.

For every tip that I offer, there is probably someone
smarter than me who will tell you to do it a different
way, but that is fine and I hope you use the "comment"
feature to add your suggestions.

1. The best way to achieve success is to pick good meat.
Strip, porterhouse, filet, t-bone, and sirloin all work
well. I have tried ribeyes lately and they are good too
with lots of flavor.

2. Let the steaks come to room temperature. There is not a
hard and fast rule. I have cooked frozen steaks and they
came out fine too.

3. Cut off extra fat. Notch the fat you leave every couple
of inches. This will keep the steak from curling up.

4. Seasoning options are many. Sometimes we marinate. Sometimes
we don't. If you do marinate, don't poke holes in the steak
with a fork. Also, don't put salt on the steak til right before
you cook or wait til it goes to the table. We often just brush
a little olive oil on and add cracked pepper and garlic. Some
of our friends say no to that and just want the meat pure.

5. I use charcoal, and am partial to Kingsford rather than
store brands. My nephew, Paul, uses wood and many friends
use gas grills.

6. If you use charcoal, create a single layer of ashy white coals
and position the grate three to four inches from the grate. When
you place you hand close to the grate and cannot hold it there
for more than a second or two, the fire is about right.

7. Let the grate get hot before you put the meat on. You also might
want to rub it with some of the fat you trimmed off the steak.

8. We have satellite radio out at our grilling place. This is nice in
that there are no commercials. I find that putting the steak on
and letting it cook for two songs and them turning the steaks
and cooking for two more songs works most times. Of course, there are
a lot of variables to be considered. If one of the songs is
"Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie then it is best to turn to
your watch, clock, or timer. Also, an extra thick steak could
not respond well to my song timing technique.

9. The 'pressure' method of testing for checking steak: Use your finger
or something flat (not a fork) to press on the steak. A rare steak
will be soft. A medium steak will be firm but yielding. A well steak
will be firm.

10. Let the steak rest for one or two minutes. During this time,
the steak will continue to cook and the tasty juice in the center
will flow to the rest of the steak.

Be sure to leave comments if you have them.