How Do You Like Your Steaks?
I just love me a good steak! 🙂 It has finally warmed up a bit here in Wisconsin, so it is time to bring out the grill!
Today I am going to dive into cooking a perfect steak! I understand that everyone has a different preference when it comes to how they like their steaks done, but today I will show you how to cook a steak for every desired temperature.
Here is a chart to help you with this process.
As you can see from my top picture, I like my steak medium rare. The picture above almost looks rare, but it really was closer to medium rare…this steak sat a few minutes for the photo shoot and as a steak sits and is exposed to air, it may become redder in color. Let’s dive into how to cook this steak!
4 Easy Steps To Cooking A Perfect Steak!
Step 1 ~ Leaving The Steaks Out At Room Temperature.
The first thing you want to do is trim any excess fat that you don’t want on a steak and then allow the steak to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. This is a very important step when grilling a steak!
Putting a cold steak onto a hot grill top will not create the desired sear that you are looking for when searing the flavors into your steak.
After the steaks have sat out at room temperature, season the steaks with some salt, pepper and garlic powder or garlic salt. As you can see, we generously season ours.
Note in this picture below that our steaks are about 1 1/4″ – 1 1/2″ thick. We decided to cook a filet mignon for its flavor and tender cut. You can go thicker or thinner, but note that your times will change with the thickness of the steaks. Looks like someone is looking forward to these steaks! 🙂
Step 2 ~ Getting A Sear On Your Steak
Preheat your grill on high for about 10 minutes. It is important to have a hot grill for this step!
Now place the steaks on the grill and close the lid and allow the steak to sear for exactly 2 minutes. Take a timer out. We use our iPhone stopwatch to measure the exact time.
After two minutes flip the steaks over. This is what your steak should look like with a nice sear. Sear the other side on high with the lid closed for exactly 2 minutes again!
Step 3 ~ Cooking The Steak To Your Desired Temperature
After your two minutes is up for the second side, turn the grill temperature down to medium low or low. Remember, all grills are different and this might take some practice to find your grills right temperature.
If you are using a charcoal grill and not a gas grill, move your steaks out of the center and closer to the edge of the grill where the temperature of the grill is cooler.
Flip the steak over one more time. Put the lid on and cook for 4 minutes undisturbed for a medium rare steak.
Here are the times to create your desired temperature after you have seared both sides for 2 minutes per side:
- Rare ~ cook approximately 3 minutes on medium low to low with the lid closed
- Medium Rare ~ cook approximately 4 minutes on medium low to low with the lid closed
- Medium ~ cook approximately 5 minutes on medium low to low with the lid closed
- Medium Well ~ cook approximately 6 minutes on medium low to low with the lid closed
- Well ~ Cook approximately 7 minutes on medium low to low with the lid closed
You could also use a meat thermometer to reach your desired doneness. Refer to the second picture above for the temperature guide.
Keep in mind, if you are using a thermometer, pull your meat off the grill 10ºF under the desired temperature because the steak will continue to cook and rise 10ºF in the final phase in step 4.
Another way to test your steak is doing the finger test. Here is a link showing you how to tell your steak is done by using your fingers to test for doneness. Note that when you press on the flesh below your thumb, this is what your steak should feel like when reaching your desired temperature.
Note: All grills are different. It is important to get to know your grill. With some practice, you will discover how your grill distributes heat and how to properly cook on your grill.
Step 4 ~ Allowing Your Steaks To Rest
Once your steak is cooked, here is a VERY important step! Do not take your steak from the grill to the plate and eat right away, all your juices will run out of the steak and will create a dry and almost tough steak.
Instead, allow your steak to rest for ten minutes. Simply tent your steak with some foil and allow it to rest undisturbed and uncut for 10 minutes. This allows for the muscle fibers to resorb the juices creating a delicious and juicy steak.
That’s it! Not hard at all! Once you try this method, you will never want to cook your steak any other way!
Share Your Thoughts
How do you like your steaks? Do you consistently cook them every time?
I am so grateful for this article. My husband and I have a little hobby farm and raise our grass fed beef. We’ve had success in the past cooking steaks however this year is very different. We butchered a 12 year old cow and everyone said she was only good for hamburger. We decided to be brave and order steaks and roasts. The first steaks we tried were not edible. They were worse than leather. We were going to give everything to our neighbor to grind up for sausage, but I wanted to give it one more try. I found your recipe and followed it carefully and we just ate the best steaks we have ever gotten from one of our cows! Tender and flavorful. Thank you so much. We are looking forward to sharing these with company too.
Followed this to a T and it was PERFECT! THANK U!! This will be my method from here on out. I didn’t even use the thermometer! My steaks were about the same size, so I trusted the time. I ALWAYS over cook my steaks!