How to grill the perfect steak

With labor day fast approaching this weekend, many of us will be firing up the barbecue one last time and what better way to say goodbye to summer than with a perfect juicy steak.

Steaks can vary in price from a couple dollars to hundreds of dollars. We are here to help educate you on finding and preparing the perfect steak without breaking the bank. When selecting the perfect steak the two most important factors are the cut and grade. The most common cuts are:

Rib eye - Great tasting but not as tender as some of the other cuts of meat

New York strip - Very tasty and tender

Fillet mignon - Is the leanest and most tender cut but does not have as much flavor

The next thing to look for is grade. Grade is determined by the age of the cow and the marbling. The more marbling a steak has the juicer and more flavorful it will be. Be sure to select meats that are between 1″ to 1.5″ thick and that the meat is a bright red color while the fat is a creamy white. The USDA grades meat as prime, choice, and select with prime being at the top and choice at the bottom. Choice cuts are the most affordable steaks for grilling and can easily be found at grocery stores, while only 3% of all beef is graded as prime and can only be found in restaurants and select butchers.

Now that we have selected the perfect steak lets prepare the steak and hit the grill!

• Coat both sides of the steak with sea salt and coarse ground pepper.
• Heat up your gas barbecue grill on high for 10 minutes. We want to get the barbecue nice and hot so when the steaks hit the grill they will start forming a crispy layer to lock in all the juices.
• Move the heat down to a medium high and put your steaks on the grill. Close the lid and as tempting as it might be, don’t touch the steaks!
• After 5 to 6 minutes flip the steaks. Remember to use tongs to flip the steaks, forks will puncture the meat and let all the juices out.
• After another 5 to 6 minutes for a medium rare steak remove the steaks and place on a plate. Let the steaks sit for 5 minutes allowing all the juices to redistribute.

Photo: roland | Steak

I hope you are able to enjoy this labor day weekend with good friends and good food, but if you find that you want to expand your culinary repertoire I would recommend checking out some of these fine cooking classes that are offered through TeachStreet:

• Basic Grilling by Barry CB Martin
• Winter Grilling by Blue Ribbon Cooking Culinary
• Hands on: Grilling with Dad - A Father’s Day Special by In Good Taste