Five Things to Know in Order to Properly Grill Your Steak

Grilling steaks is a subject where everyone has their own opinion. Different methods have been tried and tested to ensure an excellent tasting steak. We have listed the five essential elements to making sure your steak comes out as tasty and juicy as possible. Remember, these are the basics and are intended to ensure your steak comes off the grill with the best possible flavor and tenderness while keeping the process simple.

1. Salt Your Steak: Many people have the idea that you should not salt meat too early prior to cooking it. The reason behind this thinking is that the salt will pull the moisture out of the steak. This is true, however, salting your meat 20 to 30 minutes prior to cooking it allows for the salt to dissolve into the moisture within the meat. This is a great thing because as soon as the steak hits the hot grill grate, all the sugars and proteins in the moisture will combine with the salt and any other seasonings you applied to the steak to create a delicious outside crust. The little bit of moisture you may have lost is well worth it in our opinion.
2. Letting the Steak Sit at Room Temperature Makes for a Better Outcome: If your intentions when grilling a steak are to have it perfectly charred with a tender, juicy center then you may want to allow your steak to “warmup” before placing it on the grill. If your steaks are too cold then the interior may require the steak to be cooked for a longer duration; this can result in overcooking which leads to a dry and darker colored steak. We recommend letting your steaks sit at room temperature for approximately 20-30 minutes prior to grilling them. They will have a more even cooking throughout and will maintain their juicy center.
3. Sear Your Meat: If you ever wondered how your steak at fancy restaurants comes out to you with an absolute beautiful coloring, it’s simply due to searing. Searing is used by professional chefs because they know that by searing the meat they are developing hundreds of flavors and wonderful aromas on the steak’s surface. We recommend searing your steak until it is dark brown. There’s a myth that searing a steak will lock its juices within, this is 100% not true. By searing your meat you will have a more tasty steak than you would had you not seared your meat. Sear it!
4. Thick Cut Steaks Need Indirect Heat: After you’ve seared a thick cut steak, move it to the side of the grill with less heat. By cooking a thick cut steak the same as you would a thin cut steak you risk burning their exterior before they are even cooked all the way through. Again, you want to get a good sear on the steak before moving it to a less hot area of the grill.
5. Moisture Lost Cannot be Regained: While your steaks are grilling they are losing moisture. The fats and moisture are literally pushed out of the meat by the heat. This is why quite possibly the most important part of grilling your steaks is the simple act of taking off the heat before it has lost too much of its moisture. The difference between medium rare to medium well can often be only a matter of two minutes. For this reason, never walk away from the grill while cooking your steaks. It is always possible to return a still raw/undercooked steak to the grill, but once overcooked, your steak is quite frankly ruined.

These are simply the basics of steak grilling. In our next article we will cover the more advanced techniques related to grilling the best steak possible. After we have covered the many aspects of properly grilling your steak, we will begin releasing articles with  recipes we have found to be absolutely exquisite; so stay tuned and keep an eye out in our Knowledge Center. If you ever have questions about grilling techniques or equipment, feel free to call us at +966 13 845 6798.