Steak on a plain ol' grill

[smcswain]

Wanted to do something quick this afternoon for dinner and my wife requested steak. After all the info I've got on this forum to help with my smoking efforts, I figured some of you probably had some tips on grilling, too.

My steaks come out pretty good, I think, but I think I can make them better. I want to cook 1 1/2 inch bone-in ribeyes or porterhouse to about medium (shaded to the medium rare side), but what I really want tips on is how to get a really strong sear on the meat... like even with a bit of crust.

I have a Weber gas grill. I'm going to get the steaks to room temp, tenderize with fork, season with a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic salt, and onion salt, and brush on some canola oil. Then I'm going to put them on direct heat with the burners turned all the way up so the grill is as hot as I can get it.

Here's where I'm not sure how to proceed. Previously, I would sear the meat on each side for about 1.5 minutes with the top open, then turn down the heat and close the lid for 4-5 minutes to finish it off. But I'm wondering if I should just leave the steak on the high direct heat a little longer on each side, and skip the lower-heat finishing time. I'm also wondering if I should put the top down during the sear. I worry that leaving the top down will overcook the meat.

Thoughts? Tips? Tricks? (Strongly worded rebukes about posting non-smoking topics?)

[Mr Tony's BBQ]

Marinade in balsamic vinegar for an hour or so - I get a pomegranate flavored from a fru-fru wine shop - but even a cheaper balsamic can / will add incredible flavor while still letting the beef flavor come through
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[pafisher]

have you ever tried doing them in a very hot cast-iron skillet? turn the grill on high , put the skillet on the grill for about 15 or 20 min. season the steaks , forget the oil . put them in the hot skillet a couple min. on each side . it will be beautiful dark on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside.
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ole hickory SSE

[Basset Hound]

You could reverse sear (finney) the steak. It helps to have a probe to tell the internal temp. It's pretty easy and leaves a great crust with a nice interior. You bring the steak up to 110 or 115 over lower indirect heat. Then, pull the steak and crank the heat as high as it goes. Then return the steak and cook over direct heat to within 5 degrees of finished temp. You should have a nice crust and a evenly done interior.

B.H.
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[smcswain]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll have to get a cast iron skillet and try that on the grill. I once destroyed a beautiful All-Clad pan trying to cook a steak "vegas steak house style". Got the oil so hot it actually warped the pan. Wife was not happy.

[flyin-lowe]

Just be careful because you can warp a cast iron skillet as well. You need to heat it slowly, and make sure you allow it to cool slowly as well. You also don't want a real small heat source on a large skillet (it would not be a good idea to put a large skillet on the small burner of an oven and crank it straight to high).

[coho55]

1lb bonless sirlon marinade of choice preheat gril to 400 grill steak 4 minutes per side or to desired degree of doneness remove from grill let stand 10 minutes and enjoy

[smcswain]

So the steaks were a little thinner than I wanted, closer to an inch than 1 1/2.

I ended up just going with the high heat with the lid closed. I planned on 1:30 per side x 2 (6 minutes total), but things seemed to be moving along quicker than anticipated, so I ended up closer to 1:15 first side, 1:15 flip side, 45 seconds back on the first side, and only about 30 seconds on last flip. Actually had flare-ups going almost the hole time, which turned out pretty good. I got the steaks right at medium in under 4 minutes on the grill.

Here they are resting...



Here's mine plated...



... pretty close to what I was looking for.

I do like the cast iron skillet idea for a more even sear, though. I think I'll try that next time.

[pafisher]

looks great , nice job
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ole hickory SSE

[corndog]

can't complain about them vittles!!! If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
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Kevin "Corndog" Cameron

Dang it boy, that's some mighty fine eatin'!!!!