How to Grill a Steak

For many people the sound and smell of steaks cooking on the grill is one of life's sublime joys. Getting great results is fairly straightforward: Choose top-quality meat, season it boldly, and use a carefully tended red-hot fire.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• top-quality steaks trimmed for the grill, between 1 and 1 1/2 inches thick
• kosher salt
• fresh cracked black pepper
• Barbecue Grills
• Grill Utensils
• Wire Grill Brushes
• Groceries
• Meat Thermometers

1. Start with the highest-quality steaks you can find. See "Pick a Steak," under Related eHows.

2. 

   For best results, make sure the steaks are no thicker than 1 1/2 inches. Steaks that are best for grilling have thin streaks of fat running through them. This soft internal fat partially melts during cooking and keeps the steak from drying out.

3. Start a hot grill fire. If using a gas grill, turn the gas as hot as it will go. If using charcoal, let the charcoal heat up until it is coated with ash, then spread it out so you have an evenly hot bed of coals.

4. Season the steaks on both sides with kosher (uniodized) salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Let the seasoned raw steaks rest for a few minutes.

5. Place the steaks on the hot grill. The grill should be hot enough for you to hear a sizzle when the steaks touch the grill grate.

6. 

   Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side. To create attractive cross-hatched grill marks, give the steaks a quarter-turn halfway through cooking on each side.

7. For best results, move the steaks to other parts of the grill if flame-ups occur.

8. 

   See Tips for testing for doneness. When done, allow the steaks to rest for a few minutes before cutting them. This helps them retain those great juices.

Tips & Warnings

• Testing for doneness will take some practice. For beginners, there's nothing wrong with using a small knife to make a little cut in the steak to peek inside. You can also use an instant-read food thermometer. Insert the thermometer sideways into the deepest part of the steak. Rare beef is about 115 to 120 degrees F, medium rare is 125 degrees F, and medium is 135 to 140 degrees F. These temperatures are lower than they would be for larger roasts because the effect of residual heat is greater.

• Accomplished cooks test for doneness using a simple finger test. They press down on the meat during cooking to gauge how deeply the heat has penetrated. This is less complicated than it sounds. The meat will feel more firm as it cooks. You can begin to learn this by squeezing the meat when raw, and pressing it often during cooking.