The best way to charcoal grill steak and the classic method of cooking steaks is grilling over a flame. It gives you the purest-tasting steaks by using its natural fats and juices for flavor. Let us embark on a culinary adventure to find the best way to charcoal grill steak.
A delightful summer day spent outdoors with the family can be made more special by serving perfectly tender and juicy steaks. Piping hot and fresh steaks cooked to perfection and bursting with flavor is a sure-fire way of satisfying even the most finicky of eaters.
Pan-frying, Sear-roasting and Sous vide all are excellent ways to cook steak if you are in a kitchen or restaurant chef but there is something about cooking steak on a charcoal grill that appeals to more than just our tastebuds.
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Best Way To Cook Steak on a Charcoal Grill
The best way to cook steak on a charcoal grill, however, requires more than just throwing hunks of meat on the grill and waiting for them to cook. It involves a little bit of selection and preparation.
All cuts of steak work well with charcoal grilling. You just have to look for beef that is plump, bright red, and has the most marbling as fat is equal to flavor.
Once you have chosen your steak cuts, preparing them before cooking is equally essential. Take them out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature.
Seasoning your steaks with salt and pepper is a very basic step, especially for higher quality meat cuts. Sea salt or kosher salt works best. Avoid using fine-grain or iodized salt as you can easily oversalt your steaks.
You can use a favorite sauce or rub for lesser quality cuts to add extra flavor. There are several outstanding spice rub mixes you can use on your steaks to make them go from straightforward to spectacular.
An herbes de provence steak rub is a mix of dried thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, sage, and allspice. You can play around with whatever proportions you want according to your preferences.
A cumin steak rub adds an excellent crust to your steak along with the spicy flavor. You may have seen plenty of cooking shows that use cumin in their steak dishes.
A spicy tomahawk steak rub I like is Killer Hogs Hot BBQ rub. It’s a mix of earthy spices that brings out the steak’s natural flavors with a zing, while providing a nice crusty surface.
A dry chimichurri steak rub uses the basic chimichurri recipe of fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, oil, and vinegar with a small amount of chili pepper. It gives steaks a sweet, tangy flavor with a hint of chili spiciness.
A very simple steak seasoning is a combination of sea salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. This is a very versatile rub as you can use this on other grilling meats and even fish.
There are a lot more steak spice rubs that you may use but these are the most popular ones and produce the most flavor and awesome steak experience that you can find.
Best Charcoal Grilling Method
Once you have prepared them, you are halfway into achieving the best way to charcoal grill steak, and you can now focus your attention on your charcoal grill.
You can start your grill using a charcoal chimney. Let the charcoal burn for around 5 to 10 minutes to get the high heat that is perfect for steaks.
It is best to create a two-fire zone. Place more coals on one side of the grill for high heat cooking, and less on the other side for low heat grilling. That way, you can sear your steaks on the high heat zone, then easily move them to the low heat zone to finish cooking.
The best way to charcoal grill a steak is…
- for a rare steak 3-4 minutes on one side and then finish it with 2 minutes on the other side.
- a medium steak takes about 5-6 minutes on one side and then flip the steak and finish it for 2 minutes on the other.
- well done is about 7-8 minutes then flip for another 2-3 minutes
When grilling is done, let the steaks rest on a cutting board before you slice them, or else all the juices will run out. You don’t want your steaks to dry out before you can even enjoy them.
You may be wondering how much charcoal to use for steak grilling. This can be a bit tricky, but you only need to keep in mind a few factors. The amount of charcoal you will need will depend on the size of your steak and the amount of heat it requires, and your desired texture and doneness. High heat grilling such as for steaks that need searing, a full chimney may be needed.
For tender meats such as fish and chicken, or burgers and sausages, half to three-quarters of a chimney will suffice.
These are, of course, general guidelines only. You will eventually find the right amount to use as you go along your grilling adventures.
Best Charcoal for Grilling Steaks
The best charcoal for grilling steaks can give you a consistent grilling experience, will produce great tasting food and leave you with less clean up.
There are many charcoal brands available and sifting out the best ones can be confusing, at the very least.
To give you an idea, Fogo Super Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal, Fogo All-Natural Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal, Char-Broil Center Cut Lump Charcoal, Kamado Joe KJ-Char Big Block XL Lump Charcoal, and Primo 608 Natural Lump Charcoal are names that have gained a reputation of giving the best results with each and every use.
To learn more about these products, click here.
The best way to charcoal grill steak can be summed up in just 5 words: selection, preparation, equipment, method, and commitment. Juicy, succulent steak…yum!