Cooking perfect steak might mean different things to different people, but by using the same - very simple procedure, everyone can achieve their own personal definition of perfection right on their own BBQ grill. The process begins with choosing and preparing your own beef tenderloin and ends with knowing exactly when that steak has finished cooking to the exact done-ness that you want it to be.And all of this happens without disrupting the steak's beauty with knife gashing and checking that center for "pinkness." Intrigued? Give me 10 minutes and I'll give you my formula for cooking perfect steak on your outdoor grill tonight!
It All Starts BEFORE Cooking Tenderloin!
In cooking tenderloin, there is an important first step before the actual cooking and that is prepping! I recommend you start with a whole tenderloin (chain and all). This will save you some significant money, justifying the choice of tenderloin over a lesser cut of meat. And there it is - Step One: choose a nice steak to begin with. To get that nice steak from a whole tenderloin, you will need to do just a little bit of work. Trust me - it's worth it. First, you will need to remove the chain, which is the long muscle along the side. Next, remove the thick "head" from the top of the tenderloin. What you're looking at now is a long (tenderloin) cut of beef from which to cut your steaks. Steaks should generally be portioned somewhere between 3 and 5 oz, the recommended portion size for an average adult. The size you choose is not important, but keeping all of the steaks approximately the same size IS important. You'll want to use a scale and try to get the steaks as consistently sized (by weight) as posible to ensure the most consistent and reliable cooking results.
Do you Really Know How to Grill Beef?
If you believe most people, grilling takes no skill at all. It's so much easier than cooking and anyone can do this with little advance planning or common knowledge. Right? This is actually one of my favorite cooking myths! Knowing correctly how to grill beef (or anything else) is essential to outdoor cooking success. Grilling is direct source conductive heat. Cooking is to grilling as driving is to flying a rocket ship. Everything happens quickly and intensely with grilling and that includes mistakes. So, let's begin with the simple process:
First, get the grill as hot as possible. Keep the lid down while heating the grill, but open when cooking. This is another common grilling mistake. If you close the lid while cooking, the method you are applying is similar to that of oven cooking. Why bother doing it outside on the grill?
Brush the steak with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. You can use any other kind of seasoning or rub here, but I find that the true steak flavor comes from a good cut of meat and you don't need anything else. You might have a different opinion so season as you see fit.
Place the steak on the hot grill "show side" down - meaning the side you'd want to display on the plate goes down on the grill first.
Now observe for signs of done-ness. When the steak is 75% done on one side, flip it over and cook the rest of the way.
Knowing how to grill beef is a simple process, but most people still go into it blindly. By following the steps, you will always be working towards cooking the perfect steak, rather than just cooking a steak until it has reached a safe to eat temperature and texture. The fine line of difference between acceptable and perfection make all of the difference, and with perfection so reliably reachable, why not aim high?
How Long Should the Meat Cook? Until It's Done!
So, here we are. We always arrive at the same question. In travel, it's: are we there yet?; and in cooking, it's: how long should the meat cook?. Well, I have one answer to all of the how long questions: until it's done. Yes, it really is that simple. Let the meat cook until it's done. And now we get into the more interesting question: how do I know when it's done? I often say that cooking is a journey - so you are a tourist, an observer on that journey. As you observe what happens to the steak during the cooking process, you will notice some predictable things happen. First, at 165 degrees, proteins coagulate. What you will see when this happens is that the steak will stiffen and shrink. You will see the sides of the tenderloin start to get brownish gray. At 320 degrees, the sugars caramelize. If you lift a side of the steak up slightly and look underneath, you will see the formation of grill marks to indicate this is happening. You will also begin to smell that nice, sweet, smell - telling you that you are cooking perfect steak and all is happening as it should. When the steak is 50-75% cooked on one side, it reaches what is termed in French culinary as "a point". You will observe the juices start to bubble up to the red top. This indicates it is time to flip the steak, allowing it to finish its cooking on the other side. The last observation you will make to determine done-ness is the most quantitative because you will use a thermometer. Don't cut open your steak to peer into the middle! Don't stab at it with a fork! Both of these activities will release all of the juiciness you just worked so hard to achieve! 125-135 degrees is rare; 145-150 is medium and 160-165 is well done. So pick your temperature and remove the steak from the grill. But before serving it, let it rest for 5-10 minutes so that the juices can redistribute and run off onto the non-serving plate.
Just by understanding these simple facts about grilling, cooking perfect steak is almost a guaranteed result. Go ahead and get your own whole tenderloin today and get ready for some great outdoor eating!
By: Chef Todd Mohr
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