What temp do you generally grill your steaks at?


 
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I actually DO grill my steaks on the WSM (charcoal ring on the lower food grate, steaks on the top grate.) The Taylor magnetic grilltop thermometer I use says that the grill temp is about 750 when I do it that way.

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time
 
I haven't used my WMS to grill steaks ... yet.

I usually do filet mignon and porterhouse at 500~550*F on my gas grill.

For 2" steaks, 3 minutes a side, turned three times for cross-hatch, for a total of 12 minutes, give me perfect Medium/Medium-Rare.

A little dusting with kosher salt and Obie-Cue's SteakMaker about 30 minutes before grill-time is all the prep-work involved.
 
As far as marinade I use.

Broiled Steak Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
a tad of Soy Sauce
Garlic Salt.

I put everything but the salt on 3 hours before and salt goes on 30 min before.

Excellent flavor.
 
The upper end steak houses use a cooking oven called a Salamander. This thing has ceramic heating elements that allow it to get to temps in excess of 1000?.

You can achieve 1000? by using lump charcoal and a ceramic cooker....this according to many on the EGG board.

You do need a temp in excess of 500? to properly sear meat. Remember, searing is NOT for sealing in juices...that is impossible. Yet another myth that was debunked by Harold McGee in his 1984 book "On Food and Cooking".

Searing is for flavoring and that is accomplished by starting the Maillard Reaction. This is the process whereby the natural sugars of the meat react with proteins and release hundreds of flavor compounds.

I personally crank the gasser or use lump in the charcoal pit and get it as high as I can. Then sear for about 2-3 minutes per side and move to lower heat and finish. I also flip the meat several times during this process.
 
I use my Summit gas grill and cook at 550 or so. I did learn something from Stogie, et. al. about fliping and moving the steak to another part of the grill for searing. Apparently you should also clean that part of the grill where the steak was previously seared, and let it get hot again before using it again to sear ? Otherwise, you'd need a rather large grill to cook 6 or 8 steaks ?

I take the easy way and marinade in Moore's for about and hour and then use Tone's steak seasoning.

PRG
 
Maybe I'll take some suggestions and give it a whirl later this week. Would a full chimney of Charcoal be enough?
 
i buy a new weber go anywhere grill every 3 to 4 years, just to grill steaks at high heat. after 3 to 4 years, they burn out. what i used to do was fill them with lump right up to the grate. never measured the temp, but it's way up there. in nyc, smith&wollensky does their steaks at 1800 degrees - that's why i started doing this method. i know it's not 1800 but i'd bet it's probably around 1000.

recently i started putting steaks right on the lump. yes, no grate. phenominal if you don't mind slicing your steak. (i think an unsliced one might be too much.) anyway, just rub down an 1 1/2 inch ribeye for example, throw it on white ash lump, 3 minutes one side - 4 minutes the other. let sit for 10 -15 minutes in
loose foil, slice - unreal taste.

t
 
I also do my steaks right on top of white hot lump, no grill grate.....works good for me....Ed
 
What prevents the ash from getting on the meat when you cook right on the lump?

Also I like my meat medium-well to well done so wouldn't a very high temp technically burn my steaks since I'm not cooking a few minutes on each side?
 
I'll chime in here, too.....

I realize that this answer is somewhat unscientific, but I usually sear my steaks (rib-eyes being my favorite) over FREAKIN' hot lump for a couple minutes a side. Then indirect for however many minutes it takes for med rare (thickness of steak being the variable here.)

I have used this method on the WSM. Full load of lump (required for FREAKIN' hot temps) in ring, mid-section on, lower grate (no water pan) for the sear. Add empty water pan (careful of the FREAKIN' hot temps), add top grate, steak on top grate, lid....usually about 6-8 more minutes for a 1.5" rib-eye.
RibEyeDone071203.jpg


Cheers,
R
 
Wesley S, not to be a "red meat snob" or anything, but if you are cooking your steaks to medium-well to well done, you are literally cooking all of the flavor out of it. Get over the fear of the pink flesh and learn what a steak is meant to taste like.

About lump charcoal... is that the same or similar to "hardwood charcoal?" The company I work for has this charcoal that is made from salvaged pieces of wood from the hardwood floor and furnature industry. It is very light and airy. The bag is the same size of a 20 lb kingsford, but weighs only 8.8 lbs. I used it a long time ago, and I think I remember it burning really hot.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jason M. Park:
[qb] Wesley S, not to be a "red meat snob" or anything, but if you are cooking your steaks to medium-well to well done, you are literally cooking all of the flavor out of it. Get over the fear of the pink flesh and learn what a steak is meant to taste like.

[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Since I normally marinate the meat I don't really get that "meat" flavor anyway. I don't have a fear of pink flesh, I just don't want it red. I can handle a little pink but not much.
 
Jason-

I'm not an expert, but lump charcoal is generally wood (or wood products) that is carbonized somehow (somebody help me out here!) It is a "cleaner" product than briquettes in that it doesn't have any binders or other additives (requirement for briquettes to hold their shape -- won't start the argument about whose binders are better/worse.) It also burns (in general) much hotter than briquettes for a shorter amount of time. There is also more variance in temp due to the difference in sizes.

When I want searing heat, I use lump. When I want low/slow consistency, it's Kingsford briqs for me.

Confused enough, now?? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Rich
 
Rich G: I found the description of the "hardwood" charcoal on part of our website, it sure sounds a lot like lump, or close enough. Next time I'm grilling, I'll have to pick up a bag and try it.

Our Hardwood Charcoal is the real thing, made from 100% hardwoods like oak, maple and hickory. No trees are cut for our charcoal; it's made from small pieces of wood recovered from hardwood floor and furniture industries. Because this fuel is pure, with none of the additives used in charcoal "briquettes," it lights more easily; it's more responsive to changes in oxygen level so you can regulate it more easily; and it burns cleaner and hotter. Since it contains no impurities, you can add hardwood charcoal to the fire while you're cooking, without having to worry about waiting for the chemicals to burn off, as you would with briquettes.

Our manufacturer's process is the "greenest" of any of the charcoal vendors we found and very quality oriented. Their quality control process tests the wood before it is made into charcoal as well as the finished product. The wood is "roasted" not burned, in closed containers that allow complete control over the combustion process and create the absolute minimum of air pollution as a result.

Key Points:

1. 100% charcoal, no fillers, no coal, no nitrate, no chemicals
2. Easy lighting, starts in about half the time of briquettes or other leading charcoals
3. Great Taste for your food. Real charcoal flavor?not petroleum or chemical off-taste.
4. Quicker, hotter fire. Seals in flavor and retains food moisture.

Wesley, it's all good. Some people have an irrational fear of the pink meat. I have done a few dinner parties with a nice medium rare prime rib. It was pretty funny because at one of them, 5 out of 8 guests wanted an end piece because they were more well done. I had to cut the thing in half and cook it longer to make them happy. Ugh!
 
I have a few ceramic cookers and 650 to 700? does a great job. Kevin is right about Maillard Reaction, it does everything he said plus one more thing, it causes you to produce saliva. This leads to a juicier steak or so you would believe.
Jim
PS Jason you need to stop feeding the Great Unwashed.
/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif
 
My brother and sister in law like em well done too /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif With thick steaks I've found that the only way to get em well done without burning up the outside is to butterfly the steaks.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Wesley, it's all good. Some people have an irrational fear of the pink meat. I have done a few dinner parties with a nice medium rare prime rib. It was pretty funny because at one of them, 5 out of 8 guests wanted an end piece because they were more well done. I had to cut the thing in half and cook it longer to make them happy. Ugh! [/QB] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I normally ask my guests how they like their steak instead of feeding them what I think they should have. But like you said, It's all good. I guess everyone has their own personal preference for cooking beef. I do however cook my hamburgers well done for everyone, no exceptions. If they want a burger bloody then they cook it. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Maybe one day I'll change my preferences. Once I met my fiancee my taste in food has greatly changed or should I say broadened. I now enjoy Thai, Greek, some Indian, and since she's Italian I like that even more /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
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