What would grillin’ season be without a big old hunk of meat?! I am a huge red meat lover!! Give me a juicy, tender, medium NY Strip steak and I’m in heaven! I don’t need fancy toppings, elaborate seasonings or over the top sauces… Just good old fashioned s&p. Salt & pepper just seems to preserve the integrity of a really good cut of beef!

By all means, I’m not suggesting that you go all Plain Jane at your next cookout, s&p just happens to taste best on the steaks I prepare for me and my family. When I cook steaks indoors, I season it with a generous sprinkling of copycat Outback Steakhouse seasoning and sear it in the cast iron with butter and it is divine! I’m more of a purest with the grilled steak!

A few tips and tricks I stick to when preparing my steaks for the grill is to 1) I take my meat out of the fridge about a half hour before I want to get it on the grill. This way it cooks more evenly since it won’t be stone cold when it’s time to grill. 2) I don’t salt it until I turn the burners on the grill. The salt draws out the juices and you don’t want to lose any of the flavorful juices! 3) I clean off my grill with a wired grill brush before I turn on the grill. 4) I make sure the grill is on & hot and heated up to about 450 before I throw my steaks on the barbie!

I only turn my steaks once per side but I rotate each side twice. I do this after 2 minutes per side and rotation. Remember, I like my steaks medium. If you like it more well done, your turning and rotation time will be a minute or two longer.

I found this handy information on the Weber website regarding the USDA recommended internal cooking temperatures….   

Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb – steaks, chops and roasts – 145° F

Ground Meats – 160°F

Ham – fresh or smoked (uncooked) Reheat cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants to 140 °F and all others to 165 °F 

All Poultry –  breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, and wings, ground poultry, and stuffing – 165°F

Fish & Shellfish – 145°F

I cook our steaks to an internal temperature of 145, for medium. I remove it from the grill and let it rest on a platter for about 5-10 minutes. I don’t “rest” my meat on the cutting board because I want to collect all of the natural juices on the serving platter to enjoy when I eat it! Nothing beats the natural juices to dip your steak in!

Occasionally, I cut my steaks on a biased and serve it that way. It makes it easier for my son that doesn’t like his meat as pink as we do to grab those more well done slices. And I think it’s visually more appealing to see the meat displayed this way.

Cheers to an awesome grillin’ season ahead!

Rachel