“Grain-fed or grain-finished beef will have more marbling than grass-fed beef.”
When it comes to thickness, most chefs will recommend steak cuts that are between an inch to an inch and a half thick. It’s deemed as the right amount of thickness that could work well under high temperatures, which you’ll need if you’re grilling steak over fire.
When Seasoning The Steak
Seasoning is another aspect of cooking steak that people usually get wrong. First off, a general rule of thumb is to be generous with your salt and pepper. As explained by Chicago-based chef Christian Ragano:
“Always overseason your steaks a bit. When you think it’s enough, always add a little more. A lot of salt and pepper falls off during the cooking process and doesn’t always penetrate the meat.”
That then begs another important question: when should you season the steak? For Ryan Prentiss, thicker slabs of meat are better off seasoned with finishing salts upon slicing. But on most occasions, he recommends doing so within the 40-minute window before throwing it in the grill. This allows full absorption.
When Grilling Steak Over Fire
Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter (pun slightly intended). This is the part where things could either be magical or disastrous.
Step number one, according to chefs, is to make sure that the steak is dry before it hits the fire. The drier the meat, the more chances for it to develop that beautiful crust on the surface. So before you start the grilling, pat it down dry with a paper towel.
The next thing to look out for is heat distribution. When cooking over fire, make sure your wood or charcoal are evenly spread out through the grill. Chef Prentiss recommends allowing 20 to 30 minutes for the heat to build up before starting the cooking process.
“A hot cooking surface is extremely important to caramelize the outside of the steak and secure the flavor,” says Dinesh Jayawardena, an executive chef at Radisson Hotel Group Americas. “This method will give you a crispy-on-the-outside, yet moist-and-tender-on-the-inside steak.”
When cooking steak over fire, some chefs would likewise advise having a “cool zone” in your grill. It’s basically a spot that’s not exposed to direct heat and a spot where to place the meat for indirect cooking before taking it out and letting it rest.
Now, if your first introduction to cooking steak was from Gordon Ramsay, you likely learned about his hand method to identify doneness. That could work if you’re a seasoned griller, but if you’re just starting out, that may not be a good gauge to go with.
Do yourself a favor and buy a meat thermometer. At least until you’ve become adept at the eyeball method, this device will give you a more accurate number. Remember that for medium rare, you want it to be at 135°F, tops.
When Serving The Steak
This section isn’t about the serving, per se, but that essential step to do right before. And this is a step that a lot of people either forget to do or purposely skip altogether.
Allowing the steak to rest after cooking is a crucial step in the entire process. That’s because the meat continues to cook even after you’ve taken it off the flame. Chef Prentiss explained the importance of resting the steak after cooking.
“Cooking the steak to 10 degrees below your desired temp and then resting it allows for the collagen in the meat to thicken the juices as it cools slightly. This creates a way juicier steak than just cooking straight to temp.”
Go Out And Cook a Juicy Steak
Now that you know the proper methods as advised by experts, go ahead and get cooking. Grills work well, but fire pits are likewise a useful medium to cook steak. Some use a grill plate, while others go old school and cook directly on the heat.
Whichever method you use, make sure to exercise caution. Now go ahead and enjoy a fine cut of excellently-cooked meat over fire. You deserve it.
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** To learn more about how to grill the perfect steak, click here.
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