There's no need to fear cooking or grilling steak at home
Like most things in life, the more you practice something, the better you get at it. That's how I can describe my journey with grilling.
I can't tell you how many times I brought undercooked or overcooked meat to my family's table. More than I can count on both hands. But it wasn't until I understood that grilling depended mostly on cooking your meat to the right temperature, not the amount of time a specific recipe called for, that I started to be proud of the food I was serving my family.
Here is my method for perfectly cooked steak, whether on a grill or in a skillet on your stove. First up - seasoning! I truly believe good steak (i.e., filet mignon, New York strip) needs nothing more than salt and pepper. But WHEN you salt makes all the difference, I think. Have you ever salted meat while the grill or stove was getting hot, and you notice that liquid formed on top of your meat? Salt pulls moisture out of the beef after just a couple minutes. If you were to fry after salting for just a few minutes, you'd end up steaming your meat instead of getting a great sear.
However, after 40 minutes, the liquid will have reabsorbed into the meat, which will result in a perfectly seasoned steak.
The cast-iron pan should be heated on medium high heat and a gas grill turned to high heat.
My rule of thumb for cooking medium-rare steak that is an inch thick - 8 minutes tops! I know you'll think that isn't enough time, but if you have a hot grill or cast-iron skillet, trust me, it will be perfect. If you are unsure if your beef is cooked after that time, use a meat thermometer - every cook should have this in their kitchen. I like my beef medium-rare, so I pull my beef off the heat at 120 degrees. Once the meat rests, the residual heat will bring the steak up to medium-rare.
For medium, pull your beef off the heat when it reaches 125 degrees, for medium-well remove from the heat at 130 degrees, and for well done, make some chicken. Kidding!, I'd pull the beef at 135 degrees for well done.
For grilling, I grill two minutes a side in each direction to get grill marks. If I am using my cast-iron skillet, I cook four minutes per side. With good cuts of beef, 10 minutes of resting is fine. If I have a big beef roast, I will let it rest for at least an hour.
For this dinner, I served with twice baked potatoes and sautéed carrots. If you've ever been afraid to cook steak at home, I urge you to try this method. Let me know if how it worked out.
Happy Cooking!
• My Bizzy Kitchen runs once a month in Food. Follow Biz Velatini on her blog at mybizzykitchen.com/, on Instagram at instagram.com/mybizzykitchen/?hl=en and Facebook at facebook.com/mybizzykitchen.