Lots of us associate breaking out the grill with making the perfect steak. While there are all kinds of foods that grill up well, from steak and shrimp to fruits and veggies, steak is still an all around favorite. However, it can take a while to learn how to make your steak come out its best. Lots of people will tell you they know how to do it right, making it even harder to choose. Here is a look at some of the best ways to cook your steaks.
Step one is remembering that you do not start with cooking. You start by selecting the best possible steak, and some people even purchase a whole tenderloin and butcher it themselves to make sure they’re getting great meat.
You will need to look for steaks that are three to five ounces each, whether you cut them yourself or buy them. Consistency is important, since consistent thickness and size mean your steaks will be a lot more reliable when you cook them.
The next step you will need to deal with is making sure you have got a good grasp of how to cook beef on your grill. Do not believe people who claim that grilling is something you need no skill to do! If you do not know what you are doing, the meat you will get will be safe to eat, but the taste will leave something to be desired. Grilling as a cooking method is fast and intense, and it makes it that much more difficult to deal with errors.
Be sure that your grill is as hot as it can get, and make sure you lightly season your steak before you begin. You do not want to season too much, since it will overpower the taste of the meat, but you do not want a bland steak, either. The side of the steak you want to show off on the plate should be the one that hits the grill first. Cook that side until the steak is seventy-five percent done, then flip and finish cooking.
So, how long to cook a steak, and how hot should it be? Unfortunately, the answers start getting complicated pretty quickly. Usually, all we can say is that you should cook a steak till it is done. However, the process of cooking a steak is something that happens the same way every time, as long as you know what you are looking for. Keep an eye on the changes that happen in the meat to know when your steak is ready for eating.
At 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the meat proteins will start to coagulate. That shrinks the steak down and makes it stiffer. The sides of your steak will become brownish gray at this point. Later on, at 320 degrees, the sugars in the meat begin to caramelize, which is when we begin to see grill marks.
The steak will then begin to bubble, as the juices come up from the bottom. At this point, the steak is half to three quarters done, and it is time to flip it.
Food safety is an important issue that must be addressed whenever you are handling raw meats. There are additional concerns with marinades. Both are completely safe when handled properly. This is not hard to do. Read the safety guidelines at EasySteakMarinades.net and familiarize yourself with common safety procedures.
