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Choosing
the Steak
Strip steaks should be a bit wider on one end. Make sure they are uniform
in thickness so they cook evenly. Look for steaks with a nice, lively
red color and fat that is marbled through the meat.
Seasoning
Rinse the steak and pat dry with a paper towel. If the steaks
are damp they will steam, not brown, when thrown on the grill. Rub the
seasoning of your choice into the meat, 1/2 - 1 tsp. per steak. We used
our new NORTHWOODS FIRE SEASONING, but some other great steak blends are
CHICAGO STEAK SEASONING, MIGNONETTE PEPPER, and BBQ of the AMERICAS. If
you like things simple, our SPECIAL EXTRA BOLD PEPPERCORNS are outstanding
on steak. If you like your steak rare or medium-rare, use your fingers
to spread a bit of vegetable oil on the steaks before rubbing the spices
in, as this will help give the steaks nice grill marks and a crispy exterior
in the shorter cooking time.
The coals
To cook steaks, the grill should be nice and hot. A good way
to determine if the grill is hot is to hold your hand 4" over the coals.
If you have to pull your hand away in 2 seconds, the coals are hot and
high; in 4 seconds, the coals are medium; in 5 seconds, the coals are
low. To get nice grill marks on the steak, place the grill top over the
burning coals at least 5 minutes before the steaks go on. When the grill
is good and hot, scrape it off well, then start the steaks.
The medium rare secret
Have a hot grill (see above tip). Cook the steaks directly
over the coals 4-5 minutes on the first side. Flip the steaks, then grill
until a little bit of juice comes to the surface of the steak-approximately
4-6 minutes. As soon as this happens, pull the steak off the grill. Make
sure to let the steak rest for at least 8 minutes before cutting. With
the aroma and all, this will be hard to do, but the steak needs this time
for the juices to settle in the meat. If cut sooner, the juices will just
pool on the plate.
Extra tip for all grilled meat
Don't EVER, EVER squash the meat down with your spatula-it
doesn't get the meat done faster, it just squeeze the juices out over
the coals, resulting in dry meat at best, coal flare-ups and incinerated
meat at the worst-people seem especially prone to doing this with poor,
unsuspecting hamburgers, so please don't.
Serves: 4.
Prep. time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 10 minutes or so.
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