Those steaks you’ve enjoyed at fine-dining establishments can’t hold a candle to this recipe. You’ll never consume steak again without comparing it to this.
If you are a nube on the grill, don’t be intimidated.
I get it. Your life has turned out like the movie, Knocked Up. You impregnated a fine young woman that you now refer to your wife and the ethos that surrounds fatherhood demands you grill tasty food. I can see why your upbringing may not have exposed you to bbqing. I am a medium that can read the fortunes of past and future lives…
…You come from a small Korean family that never owned a grill and…
Scratch that. I’ll try again.
…You come from the remote plains of Siberia where there is no charcoal, wood or fuel to burn and your family boiled everything to death, including the meat.
Am I Right? No? Oh well, F*ck it and never mind. Here’s how to cook the ultimate steak.
Procurement
Put down that plastic-ensconced slab of whatever at the grocery store! Seriously, you’ve got to find a butcher, someone who makes a living selling dead animals. A smart alternative is Whole Foods. I’ve never bought a bad slab of meat from this chain. Of course, they ensure the beef is not injected with hormones or locked in a cage for the duration a cow’s life. That’s worthy of merit, but what is more worthy is Whole Foods serves respectable steaks.
I’d start with New York strips until you become better acquainted with the grill, then upgrade to t-bone cuts (sans the bone itself) or ribeye. Here’s a solid review of the options available to you:
Prep
My experience dates back to a cooking class I took with clients, orchestrated by the head chef at Strip House in New York City. He was extremely cool. His message was clear – keep it simple.
He instructed us to make a paste from the following ingredients:
- Cracked peppercorn
- Kosher salt
- Granulated garlic
- Olive oil
That’s it. The thickness of the cut dictates the amount of spice you use. Start with a tablespoon of salt and pepper, add a solid dash (teaspoon) of garlic, and ensure not to use too much olive oil. You want it to appear like wet sand with a decent head of olive oil at the top when it settles. If you don’t have enough to cover the entire steak, make more. Prep it so there’s a decent amount of spice on the surface of the meat, but not an overwhelming amount. Otherwise, all you’ll taste is spice.
Apply it with a brush to the meat an hour after you take out of the fridge, then let it sink in for another hour or two. The key – cook the steak at room temperature.
Grilling
Get the grill flaming hot, place them on dead center and close the grill. Let the meat sizzle, baby! Depending on thickness, cook at a high temperature for 3-5 minutes.
Open the grill, turn down the heat to low and flip them. You can flip them a few times to get that cross-check look on your meat but in all honesty, no one gives a sh*t. Cover and cook at a low temp for 7 minutes per inch of cut. This will result in a medium cook, so more or less time depending on how you like it.
You should see the meat’s juices run at this time – a telltale sign you’re ready for the final sizzle. Crank that grill up again for 3-5 minutes! Watch as plumes of smoke billow out into the neighbor’s yard. Hopefully, they are tree-hugging vegans and run for their lives.
Not the precious cow! They are sacred in India!
Remove them from the grill but keep the heat on high – then scrub the grill plates. They clean up easily at high temperatures.
Resting
Let the meat sit for five minutes. When you do so, juices stop running out and the meat continues to cook. It retains more liquids when you do so and thus, more flavor.
Serving
Serve whole or in chunks, depending on the size, or you can slice it if you so choose. I kind of like the sliced option, it results in a better presentation. Plus, the scorched sides and tender red meat gets people excited. You went through the trouble of making it and paid a premium, why not provide a premium experience to your guests? Show off your meat slab!
Sides
One starch andone veggie: it’s your call. Baked potatoes are simple and they help to balance out the flavor of the steak. Don’t go with something too flavorful like potatoes au gratin or serve a veggie drizzled with some fancy-pants marinade. Let the steak itself take center stage and your palette will thank you.
The Rookie Father 