Cook a Steak
It's surprisingly easy to ruin a good steak. On the other hand, it's not that hard to cook a perfect steak. The choice is yours.
This article is part of a wiki anyone can edit. If you have advice to add about prepping the perfect slab of trim, log in and contribute.
Choose your meat
There are many different cuts of meat, but the best for grilling include: ribeye, New York strip, T-bone, porterhouse, and tenderloin (filet). Of these, porterhouse and ribeye are the most flavorful (read: fatty), while strips and tenderloins are generally the most tender.
Don't be afraid of some cheaper cuts such as the flank, tri-tip, or flat iron. Though generally tougher, if properly cooked and sliced, these can be some of the most flavorful. And you will have saved 50-75% off of the cost of more traditional cuts, making a delicious steak meal a much more common occurrence.
When you're choosing a steak, look for good marbling (the streaks of fat in the meat) and go for cuts that are at least one inch thick, and ideally closer to two inches. The thicker the steak, the less it will dry out during cooking. The USDA grades steak based on its quality, and the best cuts are designated "prime." The next-best is "choice," and after that is "select."
Tip: If you want to get the best of the best, dry aged steaks are extra tender and boast a more concentrated flavor. If you can't or don't want to buy dry aged, you can do a short dry-aging yourself in the refrigerator. Wrap the steak in one layer of paper towels, and suspend it over a tray in the refrigerator. Use a wire rack or something similar so that the paper on all sides can dry. Leaving it like this for a few days can intensify the flavor and let natural enzymes tenderize the meat. Change paper towels daily.
Gas v. charcoal
While gas grills are easier to prepare than a charcoal rig, the flavor you get from charcoal cooking is undoubtedly better.
Using lump charcoal is the best way to go to get a good sear and crust on the meat.
If you don't have a grill or can't cook outside, a heavy cast iron skillet on a hot stove is your next best option.
No matter what rig you've got, go to the cooking section further down for advice.
Let it rest
While your grill is heating up, prep your steak.
Season the steak liberally with coarse sea salt and pepper just before searing.
Do not be tempted to marinate your steak. This makes the meat tougher and generally obscures the natural flavors. Even "tough" cuts of beef like the flank or shoulder are best just salted and peppered. Liberal use of salt works as a natural tenderizer. If you are seeking a more complex flavor, look into any number of spice rubs, which will complement rather than replace the natural flavors.
Many cookbooks recommend letting the steak sit out until it reaches room temperature before searing, but other sources disagree. (This debate has been moved to the Discussion tab, so go there to read the pros and cons).
Hot grill = crust = flavor
The key to getting a flavorful steak is all about the first few minutes.
The hotter the surface, the better. You need enough heat to sear the exterior of the steak and create a crust. In addition to the textural contrast between the outer surface and the juicy meat inside, searing develops flavor via caramelization and the Maillard reaction.
Many of the high-end steakhouses use infrared broilers that heat up beyond 1,500 degrees F (815 degrees Celsius), and can sear steaks inside a minute. With your average outdoor grill, you're not going to compete with that, but if you're in the neighborhood of 400-500 degrees F (200-260 degrees Celsius), you can get fine results.
Tip: If you're using charcoal, have a spray bottle filled with water at the ready. Especially with fattier cuts, the charcoal will flame up and char the meat too heavily. If you see the charcoal flaming up, hit it with the spray bottle until the flames die down.
Brush some olive oil on the grill so the meat doesn't stick to it. Put your steak over the hottest section of the coals or burners.
If you're cooking inside on a skillet, add a few tablespoons olive oil to the pan and let it heat up for a few minutes. Instead of olive oil, you can also cut a piece of the fat off the steak, wait until the skillet is hot and brush the fat against the skillet.
When the steak contacts the pan, tamp it down against the surface to get a good contact and sear. After you sear both sides, stick it in the oven at about 450 degrees F (230 degrees Celsius). Alternatively, you can finish it on the skillet, in which case you should let each side cook for an equal amount of time until done. For one inch steaks, one trick is to turn it around when enough blood comes up in the upper surface of the skin.
You should only flip a steak once during the cooking process. Of course, the point at which you make the flip depends on the type of cut, how thick it is, and how rare you want it.
For a standard ribeye or strip, you should flip at 4-5 minutes for medium rare. Use your tongs to lift up the steak and have a peek at the crust -- it should be a crusty golden brown before you are ready to flip. Once you become more familiar with different cuts, you'll know when to flip to achieve your desired doneness.
Certain people like to flip their steaks with a cast iron pan or a simple flat griddle, however for best cooking results it would be smart to use a ridged surface and not a flat one that lacks the necessary ridges that are necessary for making a real grilled steak.
Tip: To achieve professional looking criss-cross grill marks, rotate the steak 45-90 degrees half-way through the grilling on each side (i.e., at 2 and 6 minutes for an 8 minute steak). Do not flip more than once. For a really good guide on achieving professional grill marks, this website is a great resource.
When is it done?
There are various ways to tell when a steak is done, and again, it depends on how rare you like your steak.
The only truly accurate way to ensure results is to use a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer in the meatiest part of the steak and take a reading. Don't believe the FDA cooking temp chart -- for medium rare, take the steak off when it hits about 125 degrees F (50 degrees Celsius). As it rests, it will climb up to 135 or so, which is ideal.
Another way to test doneness is to use the "touch test." Press gently on the meat and feel how firm it is and how quickly it bounces back. Rare meat maintains its "squishiness," while cooked meats (medium-rare and above) will bounce back to their original shape quickly. As they become more well done, they will become more and more firm to the touch. However, it is difficult to get consistent results with this method, because different cuts of beef have different degrees of firmness when pressed. Unless you cook steaks frequently, you are likely to get mixed results with this method. Again, a thermometer is your best bet for perfection.
It's important to let the steak rest after you pull it off the grill, so let it sit for at least 5 to 10 minutes. This will let the juices settle in and the flavors concentrate.
After it has rested, the steak is ready for its final seasoning. You can add more salt and pepper, and a slice of butter is always a nice touch. Either slice the steak into strips, cutting against the grain, or serve it whole.
Flank, tri-tip, flat iron, and other tougher cuts generally must be served sliced. For best results, cut approximately half-inch slices against the grain at around a 45-degree angle to the cutting board.