Can you believe that summer is coming to an end already?! Even more unbelievable, for me, is that I haven’t written a post about summer grilling…until now! Grilling is my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E method of cooking, hands down. The flavor that those hot smoky coals impart into the food is immeasurable. And besides that, it’s just plain old fun. Even though I do grill year round, Summer is the best time to take advantage of the warm breezes and longer days that allow for extended outdoor gatherings with friends and family. With an ice cold drink in my hand I can stay outside for hours turning and manipulating my food ever so slightly until cooked just so.
Grilling is part science and part art. Any novice griller will tell you that you must have a certain ratio of oxygen to heated coals in order to control the temperature of the grill. They will also tell you that fat+heated coals=flames, another very important component to the cooking process. And of course you would cook a piece of fish filet for far less time than you would cook a rack of ribs, but how long exactly is where the art comes in. You have to feel the food, both literally and figuratively. You must look for subtle signs like curled edges, bubbling liquid, color changes and meat pulling away from the bone to determine doneness. And even then, seemingly unimportant factors like humidity or outside temperature make it so that every grilling experience is different. For however many years I’ve been grilling I still burn the occasional piece of chicken. But that’s ok. For me, it’s the whole experience, the antiquity of the process that lures me to the grill.
What’s my favorite thing to grill up, you ask? MEAT! Meat, meat, meat! What’s more carnally primitive and appetizing than a nice thick cut of meat grilled over an open flame? Nothing. I’ve tried Peter Luger’s, Ruth’s Chris, a handful of Brazilian churrascarias, and a bunch of others’ but I must say that this porterhouse from this butcher (the one I mentioned a few posts back) grilled on my everyday Weber grill is by far the best steak I’ve ever eaten. I literally have wet dreams about this steak. It is so tender, so juicy, with the most unbelievable flavor that you just can’t get from mass-produced beef out of your local grocery store. If you want ground beef, they bring out whole strips of steak and grind it right in front of your eyes in the store window. And when you order a porterhouse, they bring out a nice long rack of meat and slice that thing right in front of you too. As Steve Gatward, the owner of Let’s Meat on the Avenue, explained to me the first time I entered this carnivorous oasis, their meat is never frozen and they only source from the best local pasture-fed, free range and hormone-free meat that there is. Does it make a difference? Absolutely! And the price is pretty comparable to those grocery store steaks too. What’s not to love?! As you can tell, I’m hooked! Here is how I grilled the best steak ever…Happy end of summer to you and HAPPY EATING!
This is my new favorite charcoal for quick grilling. The hardwood coals burn super hot, which is perfect for something like steak where you want a nice sear on the outside.
The coals vary greatly in size, allowing more individualized coal disbursement, depending on the type of food you’re cooking. With some small and some really large, you ensure that you always have something lit to continually add coals onto without having to start from scratch, lighting coals when they burn out. To light the coals you can use a charcoal chimney, wooden starter sticks or lighter fluid. However you do it, make sure that the coals all have at least a little grey ash on them before placing the grate on top.
(These obviously aren’t the hardwood coals in the next two pics but they show how uniform coals heat up in pyramid formation with the fire starting to really heat up from the bottom.)
I always keep a nice big stick handy. You don’t have to get close to the hot grill in order to manipulate the coals…and if a child needs to be pushed on his or her tricycle while the coals are heating up, it comes in handy for that too!
When the coals look like this, they are ready for cooking. Spread them out evenly over the surface area you need to cook your food. Place the grate over top and allow it to heat up before placing food on it. I personally like to cook directly over an open flame. Some people like to cover it in foil first. If your grate is hot enough and scraped clean of any caked-on debris, the food shouldn’t stick and you will get those nice pretty grill marks.
AHHHHHHH…THE PORTERHOUSE: The left side of the steak is filet mignon, the right side is a NY strip. I tell the butcher to leave a nice strip of fat on the side. This feeds the flame for a continuous sear. It’s also quite tasty when it’s nice and crispy around the edges…in moderation (don’t judge me!)
This steak has so much flavor on its own, it doesn’t need anything more than Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and granulated garlic. I rub it with olive oil first so that the seasoning sticks to the steak. Make sure that it is room temperature before placing it on the grill for even cooking. This steak was about 2.5″ thick, 2.75 lbs.
When you first place it on the grill allow for the flames to start to work their magic before putting the top on. Open all grill holes to allow maximum oxygen flow, while also allowing the steak to warm up internally. Once it has seared on one side, flip and repeat. I wish I could tell you how long to cook it. Less than 30 minutes and more than 10 is my best guess for a medium to medium rare temperature. (It’s always better to under cook it then return it to the grill once you have determined so rather than to overcook it.) Remove from the grill. LET. IT. REST. Five minutes of rest time per pound of meat.
Such a thing of beauty!
I wish I got a shot of it before we devoured this much but you get the point…pink center, seared outside.
Leftovers make an awesome steak and eggs breakfast or a very flavorful grilled steak salad!
Chrissy Cooks 