Grilling Steaks 101: Lesson 1

The Beginning

Cooking a steak comes in a variety of ways, from oven-roasted, grilled, smoked, skillet, or even deep-fried. It’s up to you to decide what suits you best. Oven-roasted steaks will have more juices which in return allows for more flavor in the meat. However, oven-roasted does not give you the char that a grill, smoker, or skillet would give. For me, I grill my steaks. It has become a habit for me to use one of three grills I own. 

In my opinion, the grill matters just as much as knowing how to cook. Owning a grill is one thing, but knowing how to use the grill separates the boys from the men. The three grills I own each make the steak cook differently and taste differently. Throughout the semester I will be going through the grilling process on each grill with a variety of different steaks. But first thing is first, I need to tell the story of how we prepare for steaks. 

1. Finding the right grill

For me, finding the right grill is easy. If the grill works, I will still be able to cook perfect steaks regardless of age or use. For others, the right grill can make you turn into a grillmaster. The easier way for new grillers to get accused of grilling is through a gas grill. The gas grill I currently own and bought two years ago is the Weber Genesis II series. I know the price might night be ideal for everyone on this grill, but what I love about Weber is their quality of the grills, easy to set up/use and it as always a consistent cook. Weber additionally has other models of gas grills that are just as good and more affordable than the Genesis series. 

Charcoal grills are by bar the best grills to use. Something about the charcoal grills gives steaks a crisp grill mark on each side but still gives it a smokiness without it being smoked. I prefer this type of grilling than others, but the gas grill is more convenient to use since you don’t have to wait for charcoal to heat up. Once again, Weber is my preferred brand to use for charcoal grills. Right now I have 4 of these charcoal grills from Weber and each one works like its brand new. 

This last grill truly is not for everyone. This grill is a straight badass! I call it my baby. The Green Egg grill is more than a grill. It has layers of cooking, almost like a smoker, but it is still used as a grill. This grill is by far the best money can by I believe. A smoked steak is melting in your mouth and can easily be cut with a butter knife. Not many other charcoal grills can do both smoke and charcoal cook a steak. Although quite expensive, this is the most versatile grill on the market, however, this grill is not easy to use or get the hang of. It took me nearly 3 years to get the hang of it. 

2. Knowing your steaks 

Most people understand why steak is so good and how different steaks taste and cook differently. The big three of steaks are Ribeye, Filet, and New York strip/Kansas City cut. All these steaks are getting me hungry as I write this around lunchtime. I will start by introducing the steaks that will be shown in the blog for the next several weeks. 

Filet Mignon 

 This steak is often known as the most expensive and tender steak. Filet mignon comes from a piece of meat known as the beef tenderloin, which on average weighs between 2.5lbs to 4lbs. A filet mignon is a smaller piece of this meat often cut at 8oz or 10oz depending on the individual. These steaks have no to little fat, straight lean meat, and often has some of the best marbling of any steak due to it being so tender.   

Ribeye

This is the steak your dad, husband, or boyfriend will want nearly every time. This is steak meant for the big eaters and fat lovers of steaks. Fat is imbedded throughout this steak, which for me is not ideal. I prefer leaner steaks. However, the Ribeye steak has by far the most flavor of any steak, except Waygu or Kobe. The ribeye is very tender as the fat allows the lean meat to soften up with juices, but still not as tender as a filet. 

New York Strip/ Kansas City steak 

My personal favorite steak by far, as I believe that it is the perfect in-between of ribeye and filet. The New York strip steak is often smaller than a Ribeye, but with a much more prominent marbling compared to the other steaks. Marbling is referred to as the inter fat that is located in the meat. More marbling tends to lead to more tenderness. New York strips slice up and with a fat capsule on the outside, the juices stay inside the steak better. 

Steaks can be overrated in my opinion. I do not like to get steaks at other places, because I know mine is better. Most of the time salt and pepper is all that is needed for a good steak, but with what you gather from my recipes on preparing a steak, you should be able to make a good steak, great. Stay tuned for next week, as the first cooking part will appear. If there is a type of steak you want me to cook, please leave a comment.