Grilled Steak
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I rarely order steak in restaurants anymore, as it's hard to beat a steak grilled over a charcoal fire. Here's my method.
Contents |
The Grill and Fuel
Get a Weber Kettle. This grill is nearly the perfect design for charcoal grilling. They're not that expensive.
Empty ashes first. If you find out that the ashes are blocking the bottom vent after you've started grilling, using the ash scraper will kick a bunch of ash up onto your food.
Use regular briquette charcoal. I don't use "match light" or any other charcoal with built-in starter fluid; I think they impart a taste. I sometimes use hardwood lump charcoal, but it burns much hotter and faster.
Start the fire with a chimney starter and a wad of newspaper. I don't use starter fluid, as it may impart a taste. A "standard" size starter will cover a standard Weber one layer deep. Unless I'm grilling a bunch of stuff, I usually only fill it 2/3rds full so I can set up a "cool" area.
Accelerate the start with twigs and/or a blowtorch. Gas grillers complain about the lack of "instant on" for charcoal. If you put a few small twigs or kindling in the chimney bottom, you can get started very quickly (15 min). I use a propane blowtorch as a convenient lighter, and sometimes use it to prestart the bottom layer when I'm really in a hurry.
Dump the lit charcoal, arrange for side "cool" section. Arrange the charcoal evenly over the section you're working (for me, typically one half or 2/3rds of the grilling area). I like to have a cooler area to park items that are done or near done, so they stay warm but don't get overcooked.
Make sure the vents are open. On the Weber grill, there are bottom vents and a vent on the lid.
The Meat
I like to grill sirloin strips, which I find have more taste than tenderloin steaks. I usually get steaks from CostCo.
Rinse the steaks under warm water. I find this removes any lingering "meat locker" taste. Pat dry with paper towels.
Cut off any large fat sections. Some fat is good for flavor, but large sections create a flareup risk.
Make a garlic paste: I use a LOT of garlic. For 5-10 steaks: take a head of garlic, peel the cloves, mash (with a garlic press) into a bowl, put in a tsp or two of salt, and mash up to a paste using the back of a spoon.
Arrange steaks on a platter. Divide garlic paste in half (for the topside), and divide into even blobs dropped on the top of each steak. Using the back of the spoon, spread the garlic paste/juice around the top and sides of each steak.
Sprinkle liberally with salt (I like kosher salt or sea salt) and fresh ground pepper. Use a LOT (most of it will fall off anyway on the grill). For comparison: for a typical strip steak, I'll use 1/2 to 1 tsp of ground pepper for each side.
Mash the salt, garlic, and pepper into the side of each steak and gently turn over. Repeat on the back side with salt, pepper and remaining garlic.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit out for ~1 hour to come up closer to room temp. (This makes it easier to get it cooked right without burning). You can also prepare ahead (even better; the seasonings will infuse the meat), and take it out of the fridge an hour or so before you need to grill.
Grilling
Clean the grilling grid and spray with spray oil. (It is dramatic but dangerous to do this while the grid is over the fire).
Carefully use your bare hand to figure out where your hot and cool spots are. Adjust the charcoal layer as necessary to even things out.
Place each steak on the grid, being careful to set it down directly and not pull it across (scraping off the seasoning layer). If your steaks vary in thickness, place the thicker ones over the hotter fire sections.
Place the kettle lid on with vents open. On the Weber grill, the lid helps prevent flareups.
Grill 5-10 minutes per side. Time will vary depending on how hot your fire is, how thick the steaks are, and their starting temperature (e.g. straight from the fridge, or room temp).
When flipping over, try to avoid losing seasonings. I try to "rotate" the steaks through warmer and cooler sections to get even cooking, instead of just flipping in place. Pay attention to the shape of steaks; when you flip them, arrange them to so that you even out cooking of thin and thick sections.
Master the art of poking at a steak to estimate doneness. Overcooking is the way most grilled steak gets ruined (in my opinion). You can start by poking at a steak (more well done is stiffer) and then cutting the steak open to see how done it is. Once you do this a few times, you can estimate doneness without having to cut.
"Park" thin steaks that get done first in a cooler area with no coals.
Use a flashlight if you're grilling at night.
Remove steaks when done to a clean serving platter, cover with aluminum foil if not being served immediately. Steaks will "coast" for 10 minutes or so to the next level: if you remove them medium, they'll end up at medium-well.
Clean up
Scrape the cooking grid clean when hot (much easier to do now, before it cools). On the Weber, close both vents (lid and bottom vent). Replace he lid tightly, and the charcoal will burn out quickly.
You can use the briquettes next time you grill!