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BBQ Tips
Grilling The Perfect Steak
BEST CUT OF STEAK TO GRILL
The perfect steak is often seen as an elusive achievement, something best left to highly-trained professionals. Fortunately, the reality is much simpler. With a little know-how and the right equipment, barbecuing the perfect steak is a surprisingly easy task.
Follow our simple guidelines, and a meal worthy of a five-star restaurant will be yours, no reservations needed.
Before you even light up the barbecue, the best place to start when it comes to creating the perfect steak - is choosing the steak itself and knowing what the best cuts of meat are.
Firstly, when selecting a cut of meat, pay attention to the appearance of the meat - you want to choose a cut that is showing signs of coarse marbling, which refers to the white veins of fat running through the meat. This fat will then gradually melt into the meat during the cooking process and ensure a juicy and soft end result.
Take note of the colour of your steak, which should be a rich pink or light cherry colour, and ensure the meat is relatively moist, but not too wet or sticky and you’re good to go.
In terms of the best cut of steak to grill, we’re especially fond of the T-bone, a tasty combination of tenderloin and strip steak. Other choice cuts include ribeye, filet mignon and hanger steak. If you’re in doubt about what to buy, your local butcher will be happy to help.
TOP TIP: Thinner slices of steak will cook more quickly, leaving little wiggle room between raw and overdone. Look for pieces of meat at least 2.5 cm thick.
BEST WAY TO SEASON STEAK
There are any number of easy-to-prepare spice blends that will add extra flavour to your steak.
Dry rubs
A dry rub is a mix of spices that should be rubbed on your raw meat before it is cooked - perfect for taking your steak seasoning to the next level. Creating your own dry rubs is a simple way to add a tasty dimension to your steak, using up herbs and spices from your cupboard.
One of our favourite steak dry rubs is a blend of; kosher salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, brown sugar, cumin and black pepper for a taste sensation that will wow you and your guests.
Steak Marinades
A marinade is a mixture of oil, acid (like citrus or vinegar), herbs, spices and sugar which will create a sauce that you can then soak your raw steak in before cooking. Steak marinades are great for tenderising but they require the meat to soak for at least an hour.
Simply put together your marinade of choice, pour over the meat, cover and put in the fridge for up to 8 hours and enjoy - we promise it is worth the wait!
If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to make a dry rub or to let your meat marinate, just sprinkle both sides of the steak with a generous amount of salt and pepper and voilà!
How to best barbecue a steak
Now the meat is prepared, it’s time to fire up the barbecue. Wood-fired grills are an excellent choice for grilling steaks because of the additional flavor and charring they provide. If you own a charcoal grill, you could also use different kinds of wood in the fire to add smokiness and enhance the overall flavour of the meat.
Regardless of the type of barbecue you are using, having a sear grate to hand such as the cast iron Weber Gourmet BBQ System Sear Grate can really make a huge difference and act as your secret weapon. A sear grate will help to retain heat, ensuring that the steak cooks evenly and giving you those sought-after char-marks.
Step 1: First, place the steak directly on high heat, which will sear the outside while locking in moisture.
Step 2: Cook for 1–2 minutes or until the steak is no longer sticking to the grate, turning once,
Step 3: Move the meat to indirect heat. This allows the meat to continue to cook and reach the desired internal temperature without charring the outside.
Step 4: Once the meat is fully cooked, take it off the barbecue and let it rest for several minutes before serving.
For perfectly grilled food every time, we’ve got you covered. Browse our range of recipes, barbecues and accessories to get you inspired. With a little help from us, you can make quality, crowd pleasing food for you and your guests that will go down a storm.
