Charcoal Grilled Steak

Who doesn't love a grilled steak...albeit a medium rare piece of prime USDA choice beef flame kissed by the heat of a charcoal brickette? In case you haven't guessed, I'm a fan of the steak. I'm also a fan of charcoal and anything prepared correctly on the grill. I live my steak-based grilling-life based on several rules. See them below.

My Picky Griller's Guide

1. Be picky! Don't just go to Wal-Mart and grab the nearest thing within reach. Know your cuts and know what to look for. If you don't know, pay a visit to your local meat market and ask for some recommendations to get you started.

2.Don't forget about your steaks cooking away on the grill. I usually have a rule concerning a 1-1.5" thick cut and 4 minutes per side. It usually gives me somewhere between medium and medium rare.

3. If you're going to prepare a steak over medium...DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME! It always amazes me when I see people (many friends and family included) that are so afraid of the slightest sight of pink, or the smallest drip of juice (apparently) that they will waste their time and money on a prime cut of beef (ex. the Porterhouse at a restaurant) by ordering it medium-well! This is in my top 5 culinary disasters of all time. If you want beef jerky, take a fifty dollar bill, go to the closest 7-11 and get a bag. Give me the change and we'll call it a day. To each his own I suppose. It just drives me nuts. :)

4. Don't forget to let your steak rest on a plate covered in tin foil for about 5 minutes right after removing it from the heat of the grill. It will taste better.

I also don't believe that any steak prepared properly needs BBQ Sauce (unless of course it's the consistancy of jerky). I recommend topping a piece of beef hot off the grill with about 0.25 Tbs of butter. Simply place it in the middle of the steak after plating, before covering with foil to rest. Beware of salted butter here if you like to season your steaks with salt at all. You don't want to overdo it! Try unsalted butter instead.

It's summer time, the season for grilling. Get out your grill, charcoal, lighter fluid, favorite grilling tools, recipes, beer, etc and GO!