How to Grill a Good Steak
Imparting optimum flavor into steaks on a grill demands proper tenderizing, flavorful dry rubs or marinades, and direct grilling over natural lump charcoal blended with hardwood chips. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Four steaks
- Chopping block or other hard surface
- Hammer-style meat tenderizer
- Vegetable oil spray designed for grilling
- Charcoal grill
- Large bag natural lump charcoal
- 1 cup hickory smoking chips
- 1 cup mesquite smoking chips
- For dry-rub method:
- Montreal-style steak seasoning
- Clean plate or platter
- Plastic wrap
- For marinade method:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 6 tablespoons Montreal-style steak seasoning
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Wire whisk or large fork or spoon
- Large mixing bowl
- Large zip-seal food storage bag
Instructions
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Prep for Dry-Rub Method
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1
Place one steak on a wood chopping block, slab or other hard surface and pound four or five times on each side with the bumpy side of the meat tenderizer. Repeat for all steaks.
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2
Rub Montreal seasoning into the meat to form a light crusting on each side of the steak.
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3
Place steaks on a clean plate or platter; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight prior to grilling. The longer the seasoning sits on the meat, the more it will soak in.
Prep for Marinade Method
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4
Place one steak on wood chopping block, slab or other hard surface and pound four or five times on each side with the bumpy side of the meat tenderizer. Repeat for all steaks.
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5
Use a wire whisk, large fork or spoon to thoroughly mix all marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
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6
Place steaks and desired marinade in a 1- or 2-gallon zip-seal storage bag or large plastic bowl with lid, ensuring meat is completely covered in liquid before sealing the container.
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7
Refrigerate the mixture for at least three hours, allowing the marinade to soak into the meat.
Preparing the Fire and Grilling
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8
Remove the cooking grate and pour enough charcoal in the grill to completely cover the cooking grate with a layer of coals. Huddle the coal in a mound and bury the electric starter iron in the mound's center before plugging in the device.
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9
With all grill vents open wide for maximum airflow, keep the starter in the coals for at least eight minutes (until charcoal begins to smoke and crackle).
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10
Unplug and removed the starter and use the starter iron to spread lit coals evenly across the coal grate. Sprinkle dry hardwood chip blend over coals.
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11
Coat the cooking grate with vegetable oil spray and place it back on the grill. Close the lid and allow the grill to preheat for another 10 minutes to allow coals to thoroughly catch. Coals are ready when they're mostly gray in color.
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12
Place marinated or seasoned steak on the cooking grate directly above the lit coals and grill to taste (about six minutes per side for a medium-rare steak).
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1
Tips & Warnings
Dry-rub seasonings and marinades for steaks are a matter of taste, so if the Montreal methods aren't appealing to you, try different commercially available varieties or consult grilling cookbooks or websites for homemade blends.
Gas grills work reasonably well for grilling steaks but don't impart the rich, smoky flavor of charcoal.
Always use fire-resistant cooking mitts when opening or closing hot grill lids and when feeding coals or chips into the fire.
Handle steaks with long, grilling-style cooking tongs to avoid burns.
