Why Can't I Grill A Decent Steak?

[vailpass]

Grilled steaks last night, they came out ok but not great. Good cuts of meat but they weren't juicy like a restaurant. I only turned them once, used high heat. I like them medium rate.
I have 2 grills, gas and infra red, just can't seem to get the perfect streak.
Anyone have any tips?

[mike_b_284]

Originally Posted by Bwana

The one thing you NEVER want to do with it is let the lid drop. Wind can take the lid off off easily if a decent storm rolls in. If the lid hits the cement, it's still useable, but it will never seal the same way. You will end up getting unwanted drafts in the thing, which can easily start fires inside and mess with what you're cooking. You can compensate to some degree for a bent lid by closing off the top vent, but it's a pain in the ass. I end up replacing them at least every two years because of a bent lid issue.

This is one of several reasons an Aussie Walkabout is better. I was all about the weber for years until I got the aussie as a gift. I'm sure many will vehemently disagree, but it is the best charcoal grill ever made.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Silock

I have a slight variation on most of the GOOD advice in the thread, but I always get compliments.

1) Set meat out to come to room temp. It's not strictly necessary, but I find it helps make an even cook. Salt at this time. And you want to use either sea salt or kosher salt. Both are fine. And you want to cover the meat in salt as much as possible. It doesn't dry out the meat and anyone that tells you it does has no idea what they're talking about. I've been known to leave it out as long as 4 hours at this point. The salt keeps bacteria from growing on the meat, and even if it did, the heat would kill it off. There is zero reason that this small amount of time outside of the refrigerator would grow bacteria that would be harmful. If you get sick from the meat, it was already contaminated.

Also, if you're not going to be able to salt ahead of time, don't grill the steaks. You need at least an hour of them salted for it to do what it's supposed to, which is to begin to break down the fibers of the meat and season it.

2) Preheat the grill. As hot as possible.

I also don't sear on the grill grates. I use a seasoned cast iron grill pan/plate. It's completely flat to maximize contact with the meat and get the best crust possible. I usually wait until the plate is about 900 degrees or so. Pretty easy to do with a standard grill and a nice, thick cast iron plate.

3) Right before they go on the grill, I rinse off the salt and dry the steaks with paper towels. It doesn't need the salt on there at this point. It's already in the meat. But you don't want the steaks to be wet, either. That only interferes with the meat getting a nice crust.

Then, I rub them with olive oil. A teaspoon or so per side, but that's not a strict rule. Just make sure it's covered.

4) Grill. Usually 3 minutes per side, and then off. That goes for about 1" thick steaks.

5) Rest the meat for at least 5 minutes. As soon as the steaks come off the grill, put a small pat of butter on top to melt off and become to sauce for the steak.

It always tastes amazing and only gets compliments. I get people asking if they can pay for my steaks because they taste so good.

[mike_b_284]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

OK, vail... here's the skinny. I'm not going back through 270 posts to point out which posters clearly don't know WTF they're talking about, but there are some.

You must season the meat. Salt makes things taste more like themselves. It also stimulates your salivary glands, which tricks your mind into thinking it has more moisture.

Do not salt right before you put it on the grill. Salt will draw out moisture. Over time, that moisture will draw back into the protein, but if you do it right before you grill, that moisture is going right into the fire. If possible, salt your steaks a day in advance. At a minimum, salt it an hour in advance.

Do let it sit out for 30-60 minutes before you grill. This is not harmful because any bacteria that might contaminate the food isn't going to have time to get on the inside of the protein... and anything on the outside will die over the fire.

Sear over a high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, then move it to a cooler zone on your grill. Despite what many on here say, searing does NOT "seal in the juices." As a matter of face, you lose more juice by searing than you do over a low heat. However, what searing does do is create the Maillard reaction (creates the brown crust, and brown food = good food), which creates hundreds of flavor compounds you wouldn't otherwise get. And the moisture loss is fairly minimal.

SOP is flip it once, but there's a lot of recent literature indicating you get a more even cook and juicier steak by flipping regularly - as often as once a minute. I've had no problems doing the one flip.

Marinades... if it's a cheap steak, by all means, marinade. If it's a ribeye or strip, keep that shit away from it. Salt, pepper, and a little granulated garlic are all you need.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm in a hurry. Will try to post more later.

EXACTLY. Garlic is optional, and do let it rest at least 5 min afterword.

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by Tytanium

Kosher salt flakes tend to stick better in my experience, but I usually use Kirkland sea salt grinders. If you use table salt on steak, you ought to be shot.

if you use table salt at all, you need to be weeded from general pop.

[mike_b_284]

Originally Posted by Ace Gunner

if you use table salt at all, you need to be weeded from general pop.

seriously? genocide over salt???

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by mike_b_284

seriously? genocide over salt???

It seems....extreme.

Originally Posted by mike_b_284

seriously? genocide over salt???

I recommend broken shins personally.

[Shaid]

Originally Posted by Dayze

I'm sure there are a thousand ways to do so.
but I get the grill piping hot (I usually put the grate on as soon as the flames from the first light go out). before a toss them on , I clean the shit out of the grill (clean grills are happy grills). Then immediately before they go on, I slather a bunch of veggie oil on the grate via tongs and paper towels soaked in it in a bowl.

Toss the steaks on. depending on thickness, I'll sear for about a 1:30 - 2:00 minutes. . Then I do the other side.

then flip back, lid on, keeping the top vent slightly open (bottom vent full open). flip once more until just about where I want t them.

Rest the meat for 5-10 minutes. I also keep the oven on at about 250 just in case they steaks are tool cool after resting, I'll put them back in there for a few while I prepare the rest of my plate, or salad etc.

I know there is some unwritten rule out there about flipping once, but I've done it this way for years and have never had a dry steak - unless it's my own fault for overcooking etc. It's almost like clock work for me. Only time they don't come out the way I want is either a mistake on my end/not monitoring cooking time (ie...too much of a buzz), or if I'm cooking an unfamiliar cut of meat, or a thickness I'm not quite used to (NTTAWWT).

The reason I sear and flip, is to get both sides seared very well while the grill is white hot. My $.02.

Yep, I like to sear both sides as well. Keeps the juices inside.

[J Diddy]

I just hope vp got himself a decent steak.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

I just hope vp got himself a decent steak.

We got busy and didn't cook them tonight. Did have the bacon shrimp though.
F-ing delicious.

[|Zach|]

Good thread I have had similar issues though never really gone out of my way to figure out the error of my ways. My steaks are always just ok.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Good thread I have had similar issues though never really gone out of my way to figure out the error of my ways. My steaks are always just ok.

Same boat. There are some very promising tips here though.

[BWillie]

I dunno I just go to Longhorn. They make a pretty good steak for a chain. $13 where its still $6.99 in the store not including sides is a deal IMO

I stopped cooking and spent more money on eating out, been happiness ever since

Cue the....ZOMG you like a restaurant chains steak! I can eat food better than you poast

[ghak99]

You've been given some really good tips and some straight up horrible info.

You'll figure out the grilling, but somewhere in this thread you mentioned you're trying to find a better source of meat. I believe I read "organic" in there somewhere. This term's definition is all over the place, but I'd urge you to figure out what it actually is and if it's really giving you the product you desire. In the high end meat market "organic" and "high quality" are generally not correlated with one another when it comes to putting 100 dollar steaks on the plate.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by ghak99

You've been given some really good tips and some straight up horrible info.

You'll figure out the grilling, but somewhere in this thread you mentioned you're trying to find a better source of meat. I believe I read "organic" in there somewhere. This term's definition is all over the place, but I'd urge you to figure out what it actually is and if it's really giving you the product you desire. In the high end meat market "organic" and "high quality" are generally not correlated with one another when it comes to putting 100 dollar steaks on the plate.

Yeah I'm sorting through it all. In this case "organic" just means buying from a rancher who doesn't inject his cattle with growth hormones and feeds them natural ingredients.
Agree with you that the organic food market in general is misleading.