Cooking Basics — Steak

Cooking steaks is super simple, but you have to do it the right way.

There are some cuts, for example, that deserve a little more love than others, others that need to be grilled very quickly, and others that need to cook slowly.

But, don't worry about that, I'm going to give you all my tips and secrets so that you can make your steaks a success and they'll be incredible. 👌

Here we go!

ASPECT #1 — TEMPERING

Before cooking your steak, it is always good to let it cool down a little. The length of time you let it rest in the refrigerator or in cold water will depend on its thickness and mass.

I invite you to consult the MAPAQ website to ensure that you temper your meats safely. (If you are curious, my brother also wrote an article on the importance of tempering and resting meat here .)

ASPECT #2 — PREHEATING THE BBQ / USING THE BURNERS

Just from the title, you might be wondering why I'm telling you this, because clearly, it should be an obvious step. In fact, I'm taking the trouble to add a section on this because not all BBQs have the same burners, let alone the same amount of burners.

So, let's start with the basics. When cooking a steak, you have to (in most cases) transfer it from the direct cooking zone to the indirect cooking zone or vice versa, depending on its cut and thickness. To do this, I recommend turning on all the burners on your BBQ to maximum (yes, whether it's 2, 3, 4, 8 or 12, it's all the same!). Once your BBQ is extremely hot (you might even feel like it's "shaking" because it's so hot! 😬), you turn off the center burner(s) to create your indirect cooking zone. Why the center one(s)? The reason is simple: the thermometer is in the center of your BBQ lid, so it's much easier to read the temperature of the indirect cooking zone (the one under the thermometer) that way. (And, for those who have a charcoal BBQ, for the same reason, I advise you to position the side of the lid with the thermometer above the indirect cooking zone when you close your appliance.)

Does your grill only have 2 burners? Do the same thing, but turn off only the left or right burner after heating the unit up to create your indirect heat zone.

Does your grill have an infrared burner? USE IT! Oh yeah, if your grill has an infrared sear, please don't sear your steaks on the "normal" grill grates of your grill! An infrared burner can go up to 1800°F so there's really nothing better for grilling anything. Turn it up to the max and get ready to see and hear magic when you put your steak on it! (Warning! Make sure you have an indirect cooking zone on your grill to use while cooking.)

By the way, I'm talking about turning the burners on high, but once your piece of meat is on the grill, you can reduce the heat if you find it too hot. In the end, the important thing is that it reaches the right internal temperature at the end of cooking.

ASPECT #3 — SEASONING

While your BBQ is heating up, take the opportunity to season your steak with good spices. At BBQ Québec, what's good is that dry marinades made for steaks, there's no shortage of them! 😎

Among those that are sold, there are, among others (in no particular order):

• The Steakenator BBQ Quebec ;
• Texas BBQ Quebec ;
• Ready for the BBQ Quebec Rodeo X Ready for the Road ;
• Steven Raichlen’s Project Smoke Malabar Steak ; And
• The SJB Steak & Burger .

You sprinkle these little wonders on both sides of your piece of meat (and even on the edges if you want to give it an even more pronounced taste!), then you are "in business", ready to move on to searing/cooking. (And, by the way, spice mixes trap juices, juices and flavors, so don't hesitate to put a good layer on your meat. 😉)

Small downside! Before putting dry marinade on your steak, you can add Le Booster BBQ Québec flavor enhancer or Poudre à canon BBQ Québec flavor enhancer (our spicy version; for discerning palates 😜) if you want. What is a flavor enhancer for? To make you salivate more, taste more and make the flavors explode in your mouth. To feel the taste of your steak even more, it's ideal. When should you use it? There are 2 times when you can add flavor enhancer: before sprinkling your dry marinade on your meat or after it is cooked, before taking a bite. In both cases, you will have a phenomenal result!

ASPECT #4 — COOKING

I mentioned above that the order of the cooking zone varies depending on the cut of meat and its thickness. Well, generally speaking, I would tell you that when it comes to a:

• Cut from the loin (a filet mignon, a sirloin, a rib eye, a rib steak, etc.); and/or
• Meat 2 inches or more thick

It is best to sear meat before cooking it in an indirect cooking zone. If your meat is not on this list, then you are better off doing the opposite, that is, cooking it before grilling it. This is what I do, in particular, with flank steak, rump steak, hanger steak and skirt steak.

Concretely, as I said, the ideal is usually to always sear and cook the meat (in one order or the other). On the other hand, it is very rare, but it is possible that a steak only needs to be sear; if it is very thin, for example. But, again, if you let it rest before, it is as if you were "cooking it indirectly" at the base, beforehand, so it comes down to a bit of the same thing.

Also, be careful! The fattier the piece of meat you're searing, the more likely it is that your BBQ will flare up (or flare up, really). This is normal; it's what happens when fat drips. Just be careful while cooking.

One thing is for sure: searing will give your steak a nice caramelized crust on the outside and, most likely, some sexy sear lines too. 😏

If we now get more concrete, steak can be eaten rare, just as it can be eaten well done. It all depends on your preferences. What is important to remember is the cooking temperature chart. And, it's fun, because the numbers I'm going to give you here are valid for ALL MAMMALS: beef, pork, lamb, veal, even whale! 😮 (Be careful, chicken is not a mammal, so this data does not apply to this type of meat.)

Here are the internal cooking degrees to aim for to have a good steak:

• 120°F = blue
• 130°F = rare
• 140°F = medium rare
• 150°F = medium well done
• 160°F = well done

I'm telling you this, but I remind you, you have to rely on the internal temperature of the meat and not on the time to know when it is ready (I explain this in detail here ). Having a good thermometer is therefore essential when cooking on the BBQ (or when cooking at all, in fact 🤪).

What I recommend you do for your cooking is then to sear/cook both sides (or all sides, if you want to take care of the edge too) of your steak, taking care to turn it only when it comes off the grill easily. If it remains stuck on it, there are 4 possible options:

• Your grid is not clean;
• Your steak is not cooked enough;
• Your steak is overcooked;
• You put too much sauce on your steak (which normally shouldn't be the case here).

Once that's done, you transfer your steak to the other cooking zone (direct or indirect, depending on where it was before) and let it reach the right internal temperature. Make sure to flip it "halfway through cooking," which is when it comes off the grill without any problems, when it's in the sear zone.

A super important tip to apply during cooking too… (those who have followed the BBQ 101 Course know this): DO NOT OPEN THE LID!!! 😝 A steak is like a human, it needs heat, moisture and love, so we give it all that, without disturbing it all the time. 😜

ASPECT #5 — REST

That's it, your steak is ready! It's finally the moment you've been waiting for... TIME TO BITE INTO IT! 🤩 ... Well, almost! 😅

Before enjoying your delicious steak, I advise you to wait a little, because, like that, you make sure that the fibers retain all the cooking juices. The good news is that since cooking a steak is quite short, the resting time will be too. You just have to leave your meat aside, off the BBQ, for the equivalent of about ⅓ of the cooking time, or about 5 minutes, and that's it. 😊

After that, you can move on to the attack and enjoy one of the best steaks of your life! 🥰

Happy BBQ!