How To Grill the Perfect Steak - 6 Tips and Tricks

Photo by Paul Hermann on Unsplash

There’s nothing quite like grilling a really good, tender, scrumptious steak. Steak is one of the most delicious indulgences on the planet and you can learn how to be grill a steak like a pro with these special tips and tricks. 

Before we get to the grilling tips, though, you need to know how to pick the right steak. 

If you’re at a total loss on what kind of steak to grill, it’s probably a good idea to visit your local butcher and get a sense of what options are available. If you’re grilling a steak for the very first time, it’s good to get something thick-cut — maybe a rib eye steak or something like that. These steaks are usually easier to grill and more beginner-friendly. Grass-fed options are also great, as are center cuts. Steaks come in a wide variety of sizes and cuts and picking the one that’s perfect for you is key.

Ready to get grilling? Here are our official steak-grilling tips and tricks:

 

1. To Salt Or Not To Salt Early? That Is The Question

There is much debate about whether or not salting your steak early is a good idea. Many cooks will tell you that salting your food too early drains the juices from the meat. While this may be true, what if I told you that salting your meat early has greater benefits than it does drawbacks?

Yes — salt does draw out moisture. But that may not be such a bad thing. The salt will pull out a bit of moisture at first. Then, when the steak is actually placed on the hot grill, the salt combines with the steak’s natural sugars and forms a delicious crust. If you salt early, you’re losing moisture but you’re doing so with full knowledge of the delicious crust you’re creating in the process. Most people feel it’s well worth the sacrifice.

 

2. Grilling Your Steak At Room Temperature

Here’s a tip rookie grillers often miss — when you take your steak out of the fridge and directly throw it onto the grill at a cool temperature, you’re actually affecting the quality of the meat. When the steak hasn’t had time to settle and reach room temperature, it cooks much faster on the outside than it does on the inside. This means that the outside of the steak is likely to overcook whereas the inside is likely to be a little rawer. 

When you let your steak adjust to room temperature for about thirty minutes before grilling time, you preventing this temperature fluctuation, ensuring more even grilling.

 

3. Consider “Searing and Sliding” For Thicker Steaks

What exactly does it mean to “sear and slide” a steak? Well, when you’re looking at thicker cuts of quality steak, leaving them in place on the grill may cause flare-ups or cause the steak to burn on the outside before it’s properly cooked on the inside. 

This is why. If you have a steak thicker than one inch, you should sear it over high heat for a bit before sliding it to a cooler part of the grill to finish grilling. This helps preserve the flavor and texture of the meat.

 

4. Take The Steak Off The Heat Before It’s Lost All Its Moisture

Here’s a really important tip for grilling the perfect steak: don’t cook it to the point where it loses all of its moisture. The grilling process naturally pushes fat and moisture out of the meat so you have to pay attention. 

The windows of time between grilling steak as rare, medium, and well done are quite short. By always monitoring your steak and being time-conscious, you can train yourself to take your steak off of the grill at just the right time. 

Also, remember that the steak is still grilling even after you take it off the heat, so taking it off the grill about a minute before you need to may help retain its moisture.

 

5. Always Clean And Oil Your Grill

Taking care of your grill (ie. oiling and cleaning it properly) is the best way to preserve its life and to intensify the flavors in your cut of meat. You don’t want old flavors lingering around from the last time you cooked, you want the grill to be fresh every time it’s used. Do this by taking proper oiling and cleaning precautions. It’ll also make it much easier to move the meat around once it’s on the grill and prevent sticking. Use extra virgin olive oil when the grill is no longer hot.

The less you clean your grill, the stickier and less effective it becomes. The more you clean it, the longer it’ll last.

 

6. Don’t Serve The Meat Right Away

Last but not least, perhaps the most important tip of all... and the most neglected. After removing your meat from the grill, no matter what cut of steak, allow it to sit for about five to ten minutes before serving it to your guests. This way, the moisture and flavors have time to redistribute, making the meat more flavorful. 

As your steak is grilling, there’s no harm in adding the odd slice of butter to intensify the flavor even more! Whether you use a gas grill or charcoal grill, these tips will help you deliver a delicious steak.