Grilled steak is delicious and easy to make. It’s also a great option for summer dinners!

A perfect steak requires a few steps that ensure the meat is cooked evenly.

Start with a good cut of meat, season well, and sear the steak over a hot grill. This will seal in the juices and leave a nice char on the outside.

Preparation

When grilling steak, you want to start with a high-quality cut. Look for meat with a fair amount of fat marbling throughout, as this gives it great flavor and moisture.

The thickness of the steak can also make a difference in how well it cooks. Thin steaks are prone to overcooking, while thicker cuts will be more tender.

A good rule of thumb is to let steaks rest at least 10 minutes after coming off the grill before slicing. This helps the juices redistribute, as we learned in Meat Cooking Basics.

This is especially important for larger cuts, like the tenderloin or flank steaks, as they are prone to flare-ups on the grill. To avoid these flare-ups, try trimming excess fat before grilling and transferring the steak to a different part of the grill when flipping it over. This will spread out the fat drips and prevent flare-ups.

Sear

Searing is the process of cooking meat over high heat to produce a crusty, brown exterior. The searing process, also known as the Maillard reaction, seals in natural flavors and improves the flavor of meat.

During the searing process, sugars and proteins heat up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows them to move to the surface of the meat and create new flavor compounds. The Maillard reaction also caramelizes the proteins and sugars, creating a brown or black crust.

A good sear is crucial to making a great steak on the grill. It seals in juiciness and helps even the internal temperature of the steak, which reduces the risk of overcooking.

To sear your steak, get your grill grate as close to the coals as possible. If you have a separate sear burner, place it on the side of your grill above the coals.

Indirect Heat

Indirect heat cooking is an excellent way to create a tender, juicy steak. This method allows the meat to cook more slowly and evenly, resulting in a perfectly cooked meal every time.

Whether you’re grilling hamburgers or smoking ribs, using indirect heat will ensure that your food is cooked to perfection and keeps the juices in the meat. This will also prevent the food from drying out too quickly and becoming dry and tough.

To use indirect heat, start by placing the steak on a hot grill and let it cook over indirect heat until the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness. For 1-inch thick steaks, this process should take 7-10 minutes per side.

Resting

Resting meat is one of the most important parts of the grilling process. It helps you make sure that your steak is cooked to perfection and will be delicious when it’s served.

As you cook, the protein fibers in your steak constrict and harden as a reaction to heat, forcing the juices toward the center of the meat cut. If you don’t let the meat rest, the liquids will pool and flow away from the center and onto your plate, taking all of the flavor with them.

However, if you allow your steak to rest before cutting it, it’ll be much more tender and juicy than if you cut it immediately after cooking.

The amount of time that you should rest your steak depends on its size and thickness, but as a general rule, thicker cuts should be rested for 20 minutes or more. It’s best to tent your meat with foil so that it can trap some of the remaining heat before resting.

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