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Cook your steak well according to its thickness

Bien cuire son steak selon son épaisseur

From time to time, the size of the steaks you put on your grill will differ. Sometimes they will be thinner, and other times they will be MEGA big (for example, there are what I like to call "'ti-bones", which are the T-bones you will commonly find at the grocery store or a butcher shop, and "big bones", T-bones that are about 3 inches thick — you know, the big fat steaks!).

Obviously, all steaks are good, BUT! Did you know that the cooking technique to follow is not the same depending on their thickness?

Here's what I'm going to tell you about, so you can always enjoy the best steaks in town and not end up with half-burnt steaks.

Here we go!

FOR SMALL STEAKS

If your cut of meat is about 2 inches thick or less , then it falls into the "small cut" category. If that's what you have (tenderloins, ribeyes, and strip loins often fall into this category), then you'll want to sear it before cooking.

What you should do with this type of steak:

  1. Temper the meat in the refrigerator between 0 and 4 °C, or, wrapped or unwrapped, in cold drinking water at 21 °C or less. (This step is optional, but I consider it important and highly recommend doing it, because it makes cooking easier and gives the meat a nice crust.)
  2. Preheat the BBQ to the highest possible temperature (aim for maximum!) with a direct and indirect cooking zone.
  3. Season the steak (I'll give you my recommendations below).
  4. Sear the steak on both sides (until it releases easily from the grill), then transfer to the indirect cooking zone. Cook until the meat reaches the desired internal temperature.
  5. Remove the meat from the BBQ and let it rest for ⅓ of the cooking time (time including searing AND cooking).
  6. Serve and enjoy.

FOR LARGE STEAKS

If, on the other hand, your piece of meat is more than 2 inches thick , then it falls into the category of "large meats." In this case, I recommend using the "reverse sear" cooking technique, which means searing it before cooking it.

Why? Because if this meat is cooked like a "regular" steak, it may sear too much during cooking, which will cause it to continue to caramelize and, potentially, char and burn. And that, obviously, is not what you want, so we go with the opposite method.

What you need to do:

  1. Temper the meat in the refrigerator between 0 and 4 °C, or, wrapped or unwrapped, in cold drinking water at 21 °C or less. (This step is optional, but I consider it important and highly recommend doing it, because it makes cooking easier and gives the meat a nice crust.)
  2. Preheat the BBQ with a direct and indirect cooking zone, ideally, by smoking a type of wood to give a good taste to your meat. (Those who have a gas BBQ, know that it is also possible for you to do it thanks to theCopeaunateur BBQ Québec or the Boite à fumée BBQ Québec .)
  3. Season the steak (I'll give you my recommendations below).
  4. Place the meat in an indirect cooking zone and cook for about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on its thickness, until it is about 5°F less than the desired internal temperature.
  5. Open the grill lid and increase the burners to maximum power. When the BBQ is extremely hot, send the steak to the direct cooking zone and sear it on both sides (turn it over when it comes off the grill easily) so that it has a superb crust, is well caramelized, and reaches the true desired internal temperature.
  6. Remove the meat from the BBQ and let it rest for ⅓ of the cooking time (time including cooking AND searing).
  7. Serve and enjoy.

INFRARED BURNERS

I've given you both ways, but I have to make a point for anyone who has a grill with an infrared burner. If your grill has one, USE IT! Your steak will easily become a cut above any steak you've ever had before using it, I guarantee it!

Basically, when you need to cook your steak, you cook it normally, on the main grills of your appliance, but when you get to the point of searing... it's on the infrared burner that it happens !

It's not complicated, an infrared burner can go up to 1800 °F, which is quite a bit higher than the temperature that the main area of ​​a BBQ can give you, so... use it, it's going to be really hot!!!

INTERNAL TEMPERATURES

I'll take this opportunity to make another small digression: what I mean when I talk about cooking/searing your steak until it has the right internal temperature is that there are several levels of acceptable doneness for a steak. You must therefore cook it until it is perfect for you; the important thing is that it reaches at least 120 °F.

As a reminder, the cooking temperatures are:

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

And here, I specify, these temperatures only apply to mammals, not to poultry .

SEASONINGS

The last thing I want to talk to you about is seasoning. Before you sear/cook your steak, you will, naturally, season it so that it tastes like heaven once it is on your plate and what I love about BBQ Québec is that there is no shortage of choices in this area! Yes, no matter your preferences, we have fiery products to make your steak the bomb.

Here are some of my recommendations:

There you have it. With that, you are well equipped to bite into a god-like steak!

Happy BBQ and… enjoy your meal!

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