Best steak grilling tips from the pros

Every meat lover dreams of cutting into a perfectly grilled steak and sharing the experience with friends and family, but they probably don't dream of paying restaurant prices. Instead, save some dough and make your own perfectly grilled steaks at home. With a few tips from the pros, you'll be able to achieve restaurant-quality results without breaking the bank.

We consulted a couple of experts for their advice on how to achieve consistent, flavorful results every time you hit the grill with some steaks. John Schenk is the corporate executive chef at Strip House Steakhouse, with locations in Houston, New York City, and Las Vegas. Prior to his role at Strip House, he served as executive chef at Monkey Bar and Mad.61 at Barney's New York. His simple, memorable advice will ensure juicy, tender, flavorful steaks each time.

Jan Birnbaum is the executive chef and co-owner of the critically acclaimed EPIC Roasthouse located in San Francisco. Birnbaum has more than 30 years of experience and currently emphasizes a "no-nonsense approach to food" — making him the perfect man to ask for some "no-nonsense advice." He has helped open a number of well-reviewed restaurants, including Sazerac in Seattle and his own Catahoula in Napa Valley, Calif.

Armed with the right tips and tricks, you can achieve meat nirvana every time, just like these seasoned pros.

1. Make It Marbled
John Schenk, corporate executive chef at Strip House Steakhouse, says that the best steaks for home grilling are nature's perfectly marbled beef rib-eye steaks or bone-in rib-eye steaks, often called cowboy steaks. The marbling enhances the flavor of these cuts while basting the meat in the cooking process to ensure a juicy steak.

2. Consider a Marinade
But, if you don't want to spend a ton of money on a pricey cut, consider using a marinade. Marinades work great on cuts like skirt or flank steak since the acid helps break down tough connective tissue.

3. Take Off the Chill
Jan Birnbaum of EPIC Roasthouse says: Always allow meats to rest at room temperature for up to two hours, depending on the size of the meat. Meat, directly out of a refrigerator is typically about 38 degrees. For best results, starting meats on the grill at an internal temperature of 50 to 55 degrees is great. Any internal warmth is better than 38-degree meat. Tempered meat produces a more desirable, even-cooked color and texture. Even a rare steak is better if it is cooked when the meat is not too cold.

4. Oil It
Schenk recommends using a canola and olive blended oil to coat the steak before seasoning it. Either an 80/20 or 90/10 blended oil will get the job done. Be sure to lightly coat the steak. The oil will allow the surface to get seared fast, ensuring a juicier final product as well as greatly aiding the charring of the meat’s surfaces. Save your expensive olive oils for salads where their subtle flavors will shine brightest.

And here's a neat trick: When oiling the grill, we like to dip a tightly rolled kitchen towel in a shallow container of oil using some long-handled tongs and use it as a swab to quickly and evenly coat the grill. Give it a shot!

5. Season Simply
Schenk says a well-marbled steak needs only coarsely ground black pepper and kosher salt to achieve flavor perfection. It really is a case of the sum being greater than the parts. Be sure to season a bit more than you might regularly season a sautéed item, as some of the steak’s seasoning will be lost in the grilling process. You want to be sure to have enough on the steak to get the job done.

6. Don’t Spare the BTUs
Schenk says it is all about heat. High heat sears the cooking surface of the meat, ensuring a juicier steak and allows the charring to happen. With high heat, one can get a nicely charred rare steak. A little flame is your friend; a lot of flame is a definite concern. Keep two sides of the grill hot and move the steak to the second hot spot if the first grilling area is aggressively flaming up. Dousing with water is a last resort; you want to keep the grill as hot as possible. But if it’s between the house going up and a well charred steak, I’d give a nod to keeping the house intact.

7. Don’t Flip Out
Schenk also says that flipping the steak too often can sabotage the charring of the meat and eliminate most of the seasoning on the steak. Don’t drag the steak over the grill when turning. Pick it up in one motion and place it back with the same motion.

8. Rest and Relax
Birnbaum says that once meat is removed from the heat, its temperature may continue to increase by as much as 10 percent. And Schenk reminds cooks: Once you have achieved the desired temperature, remove the steak from the heat and allow it to rest for at least five minutes on a grate over a pan before cutting it. You want to make sure there is air all around the steak to stop the cooking process. The internal juices will redistribute throughout the steak and the steak will relax and become tender. Cutting too soon will allow the juices to spill out.

9. Finishing Touches
Schenk recommends returning the steak to the grill after it has rested for about 30 seconds on each side just before serving to get a surface sizzle going. A little sprinkle of a gray sea salt on the steak allows for a gentle and focused reseasoning of the steak.

The bad news: People will make you do all the grilling from now on.

10. Cleanup
Lastly, we recommend cleaning the grill while it's still hot. If you wait until the grill cools, it'll be harder to get all the sticky residue off the grates. Use a grill or wire brush, or try these alternatives. This way, the grill will be ready to go the next time you want to use it as well.

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