Temper Steaks Before Grilling
Steaks for dinner? Be sure to temper those steaks before hitting the grill. What does that mean? Well, the best way to ruin a good steak, or any steak for that matter, is to grill a cold steak. Don’t take your steak from the refrigerator straight to the grill. I can almost assure you that you’ll be disappointed after the first bite. Steaks need to temper or sit out for about 30 minutes at room temperature before they touch the grill. The biggest advantage to tihs is for even cooking. Grilling a cold steak results in either an overcooked steak or most certainly an unevenly cooked steak. At some point all of us in our rush to fix dinner have thrown a cold steak on the grill only to discover the middle cooked perfectly (maybe) and other areas of the steak overcooked.
So, STOP, take out those steaks and let them temper while you make the salad, enjoy an appetizer or a glass of wine. A good steak was meant to be enjoyed and savored. Wait that extra few minutes so you’ll enjoy that first bite and every bite.
Grilling Tips for Steaks
GrillingTips for Steaks
PREP STEAKS
- Allow steaks to come to room temperature prior to grilling. This allows for even cooking.
- Season meat is you wish. We suggest keeping it simple with light distribution of salt, pepper and garlic.
PREP GRILL
- Pre-Heat Grill.
Gas Grill- set on high to allow grill to reach high temperature. Wait approximately 10- 15 minutes after lighting.
Charcoal Grill- Grill is ready once coals are red hot with presence of white ash.
GRILL STEAKS
- Sear steaks on grill for 2 minutes. This helps seal in the steaks juices. After searing, turn down grill ( gas grill) or move to indirect heat (charcoal grill).
- Continue to cook steaks. Once droplets of blood or juices form on top of steak it is time to turn steaks (approximately 6- 9 minutes for 2” steak). Do not pierce meat with fork or knife. This will cause flavorful juices to purge. Use a spatula or tongs to turn steaks.
- Cook meat until desired doneness.
Medium Rare- Cool, reddish pink center (or 145° F)
Medium- Warm pink center (or 160°F).
- Remove steaks from the grill and place a pat of butter on each steak. Allow them to rest for 3- 5 minutes before serving. This allows juices to return to center of meat as meat tightens while cooking.
** Bone-In steaks (ie: Cowboy Cut or Porterhouse) will take longer to cook than boneless steaks.
Why USDA Prime
Have ever wondered what quality of steaks you were really buying? There are so many names out there….Premium, Prime, Choice, Private Reserve, Select. What do they mean? Well, many names are not actual “grades” given by the USDA, but merely marketing names. Many times these names attached to steaks are geared to give the appearance of a high quality steak, when in fact, they are merely fancy descriptions. The USDA (United States Dept of Agriculture) sets the standards for inspectors on how to “grade” beef. When talking in terms of grading steaks, there are 3 basic quality levels of Graded beef.
The HIGHEST quality Grade issued by the USDA is “USDA Prime“. USDA Prime makes up less than 2% of all graded beef. USDA Prime has abundant marbling and is generally only sold to high end hotels and restaurants. There are also some high end mail order steak companies who also offer USDA Prime. More tha likely, you won’t find USDA Prime in your local grocery store.
The next quality grade given is USDA Choice. This grade of beef is a nice quality, but has less marbling than USDA Prime. Marbling is what give your steaks succulent flavor and tenderness.
USDA Select is the final and lowest quality grade given by the USDA. This grade is described as fairly tender with less marbling than the higher grades. It may also lack flavor and juiciness than higher grades.
So, as you can see, it really matters what’s in a name!! Don’t be fooled if you see a steak marketed as ”prime”. If you are looking for the best and highest quaity graded steak, make sure it says “USDA Prime“. Then you can be assured that you will be dining on the finest graded steak available.
