Guide to Grilling the Perfect Steak from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet

Step-by-step instructions to help anyone grill like a professional.

Although everyone's palate is different, we believe the following guide will help anyone grill a steak that family and friends will swear is the best steak they've ever had.

Step One: Steak Selection

Perhaps the single most important step to grilling the perfect steak is selecting the perfect steak. No matter how masterful your skills at the grill, you can't turn a bad cut of meat into a great steak (of course, you can ruin a great cut of meat, but we'll try to share some tips on how to avoid that).

Steak preferences are a matter of individual taste, but…we at Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet prefer bone-in cuts, and believe the most flavorful and tender steak you can grill is a well-marbled bone-in rib eye. However, some people prefer a strip steak or a filet. In those instances we recommend a porterhouse steak, which includes both a strip and a filet, divided by the bone. Select a steaks cut at least 1 1/4 inch thick.

USDA PRIME, dry-aged steaks are available through good butchers and through high-end grocery stores. Allen Brothers, the source trusted by some of the top Chicago steak houses, also sells directly to consumers (www.allenbrothers.com).

USDA Choice, the grade just below USDA Prime, is available at most fine grocery stores and can give you a more than acceptable steak.

Step Two: Preparation

To prepare, you will need to season the steaks and let them rise to room temperature. You will also want to get some wood chips ready. The smoke from the wood of orchard fruits adds fantastic flavor to steaks. Soak cherry or apple wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling.

If you have a Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet Dual-Fuel grill, we suggest you grill your steaks over chunked hardwood or branches from apple and/or cherry trees (Kalamazoo woods available online). Using natural wood as your grilling fuel, you can ignore the directions regarding wood chips.

About 20 minutes before the grill is ready, rinse the steaks briefly in cold water and dry them with paper towels. Brush the steaks lightly with olive oil and season with sea salt. Or, for a rich and unique flavor, use Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet's Big Shoulders Steak and Chop Rub. Use your hand to rub or press the seasoning into both sides of the steaks, and then let the steaks sit until they have reached room temperature. Steaks should always be at room temperature before grilling.

Preheat the grill to 600°F (or see Pittsburgh Style instructions below). About ten minutes before the grill is ready, remove all but a small handful of the wood chips from the water and put them in your grill's smoking tray. If you do not have a smoking tray in your grill, you can purchase one that sits on top of your grilling surface.

Step Three: Grilling the Steaks

Again, be sure your steaks are at room temperature and your grill is at 600°F. The chart below recommends some standard cooking times.

When you are about to put the first steaks on the grill, remove the remaining wood chips from the water and put them in a small pile at the center-back of the grill, directly on the grilling surface. This creates the need for a little extra cleanup, but the burning wood in close proximity to the steaks adds further to the flavor benefits of the wood chips in the smoking tray.

Add the steaks to the grill. When cooking steaks to different temperatures, start the steaks that should be more-done first. Add the steaks that are to be less done at the appropriate intervals so that all of the steaks are finished at the same time.

Turn the steaks only once at the appropriate interval, and keep the grill hood closed while cooking.

Steak Grilling Times
Thickness	Temperature	Time per Side
1"	Rare	3 1/2 minutes
	Medium	4 1/2 minutes
	Well	6 minutes
1 1/4"	Rare	4 minutes
	Medium	5 minutes
	Well	6-7 minutes
1 1/2"	Rare	4 1/2 minutes
	Medium	6 minutes
	Well	7-8 minutes
1 3/4"	Rare	5 minutes
	Medium	7 minutes
	Well	8-9 minutes

Step Four: Resting the Steaks

When done, remove the steaks from the grill directly to a platter. Do not cut into the steaks. Cover the platter loosely with a tinfoil "tent" and let the steaks "rest" for one and a half to two minutes before serving. Please note that the steaks will continue to "cook through" as you let them rest. The times on the chart above account for this factor.

Steak Temperature

The steaks should be nicely marked on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. While we have provided times for well-done steaks, we hate to see them cooked that way. It is more difficult to achieve a tender and juicy steak when it is grilled to well done. If you anticipate requests for well done steaks, select thinner cuts for those individuals and thicker cuts for those who like their steaks between medium and rare.

The times and thicknesses above are a guide, but you may find slight differences when working with your grill. The most experienced grill chefs use their sense of touch to determine the temperature or "doneness." In our September issue of the Hot Off the Grill! newsletter we describe how you can learn their technique…

Special Notes for Pittsburgh Style Preparation

The best steakhouses know exactly what you mean if you ask for your steak "Pittsburgh Style." If you try ordering your steak this way, and they don't know what you mean, you're probably better off changing your order than you are trying to explain it. For those who don't know, a Pittsburgh Style steak is charred on the outside and rare to medium-rare on the inside. This requires proper heat and good timing. Follow the cooking times in the table above but with the following variations…

You need two cooking zones on your grill: one at 800°F, and one at 500°F. Start your steak in the 800° zone for one minute, then move it to the 500° zone (without flipping it) for the remaining time of the first side. Do the same for the second side.

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