How To: Grill a Steak

There are several tricks to ensuring a perfectly grilled steak.  First, for me at least, is to have a instant read thermometer to take out the guess work.  Second, is to have a quality cut of beef.  Fat is an essential aspect of a delicious steak, and of all grilled food, really.  When cooking at a very high temperature, you don't want the meat to be too lean or it seizes up and becomes tough.  Lean meats are better for slow, slow cooking -- braising specifically.

I grew up tasting Top Sirloin as that was my dad's preferred cut.  But I find it to be boring as an adult.  It has fat, but not marbled.  Nowadays, I think the best option is a Ribeye.  I buy boneless cuts for home cooking, but if given the chance at your favorite steakhouse, I recommend a bone-in ribeye.

I use a gas grill, because it's fast to heat.  A charcoal grill, if you have one, adds a deliciousness to food that you can't simulate anywhere else, though.

Some people will use dry seasonings, others wet.  I've tried pre-made rubs, homemade rubs, but I have a fallback recipe that has never let me down.  Some purists will use just salt and pepper.  This can be good, too, but you'd better have excellent quality meat if you want to cook so simply.

The grill should be VERY hot.  This ensures a good sear and that makes your steak look delicious.  It also helps keep some juices in the meat.  If you're not using oil in your wet seasoning, rub the grill with vegetable oil just before adding the meat.  Use the grill's lid to get the temperature back up.

You shouldn't keep moving the steak.  As you get more familiar with how much time your desired doneness takes, you'll move it less.  But generally, don't touch the steak for at least 4 minutes after you've  put it on the grill.

Never press any meat on the grill down onto the grates.

Always rest a steak before cutting into it.  You can cover it with aluminum foil to help keep it hot, but cutting too soon will send your side dishes into a pool and your meat will be drier than if you had waited.

When you find something you like -- write down the cut, thickness and how long you grilled it.  This way you can replicate it again next time.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

This was a cooking experiment that turned out better than expected.  Since sweet potatoes are very dense, they take a while to cook, so make sure you start these before any protein you might be grilling.

Ingredients
Sweet potatoes
Dried rosemary, broken into smaller pieces
olive oil
Kosher salt
black pepper

Non-standard supplies

Grill

Instructions

1. Peel and slice potatoes into 1/2 inch thick medallions
2. Poke slices with fork 3-4 times each so oil can get inside
3. Rub with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Place potato disks on grill then top with rosemary
5. Flip potatoes occasionally
6. Grill until exterior is black and interior is soft

Marinated Pot Roast

My mom really isn't as good of a cook as I thought when I was a kid.  (My dad isn't as tall either).  But this simple recipe was one I liked.  We used to broil it in the oven, then Dad tried it on the grill once. The grill is the only way to go.


Ingredients
3-4 lb chuck roast
2 pkgs McCormick Meat Marinade  (brand is critical here)

Non-standard supplies
Grill.  Don't ruin this by cooking it in an oven/broiler.

Instructions

1. Make 1 package of marinade as pkg instructs  (you'll need vegetable oil, white vinegar).
2. Add second package of marinade mix to solution without adding more liquid.  This makes the marinade stronger.
3. Slice the roast into thin strips against the grain, discarding large fat pieces.  The thinner the better - think fajita meat.
4. Cover meat with marinade and refrigerate for 2-3 hours
5. Occasionally, stab meat with a fork to tenderize
6. Grill meat until desired internal temp reached, I recommend medium since it's a tough piece of meat.  Because it's so thin, it will not retain heat for long, so cook in batches if needed.