What’s for Dinner - Grilling The Perfect Steak and What Beverage To Pair It With

When cooking the perfect steak, one must start with a great piece of meat. Beef grades are broken down into three categories. USDA Prime, USDA Choice, and USDA Select.

USDA Prime Steaks

USDA Prime is the superior grade with amazing tenderness, juiciness, flavor and fine texture. It has the highest degree of fat marbling and is derived from the younger beef. That's why Prime is generally featured at the most exclusive upscale steakhouse restaurants and butcher shops.

USDA Choice Steaks

USDA Choice is the second highest graded beef. It has less fat marbling than Prime. Choice is a quality steak particularly if it is a cut that is derived from the loin and rib areas of the beef such as a tenderloin filet or rib steak. Generally USDA Choice will be less tender, juicy and flavorful with a slightly more coarse texture versus Prime.

USDA Select Steaks

USDA Select is generally the lowest grade of steak you will find at a supermarket or restaurant. You will find it tougher, less juicy and less flavorful since it is leaner that Prime and Choice with very little marbling. The texture of Select is generally much more coarse. Therefore, Select is not nearly as enjoyable or desirable.

Which cut is best? It can come down to personal preference. It breaks down like this; cuts of steak can be broken down into three sections. Starting on the upper back and moving down to the mid-back you have the rib, the short loin and the sirloin. The rib contains cuts such as the Rib Roast, the Rib-eye Steak and the back ribs. This is the least tender section of the three. The short loin produces the T-bone, Top Loin Steak, Tenderloin and the Porterhouse. The Sirloin gives the Sirloin Steak, and the Top Sirloin. Other steaks like the chuck, round, and flank steak come from those respective areas and tend to be tough cuts of meat. Strips steaks, like the New York Steak is cut from the T-bone portion.
The tenderest cut of beef is the tenderloin. From this area you will get cuts like Chateaubriand and Fillet Mignon. Though these cuts are tender they are less flavorful. The rib eye, or rib steak are less tender but far more flavorful. The same holds true about the sirloin cut.

While choice beef if good, we are looking for the best grade possible; Prime. Where do you find prime beef in DFW? If you’re in Dallas, one of the best is VonGeertsem Butcher Shop at 3527 Oak Lawn Ave. 214-741-1874. In Fort Worth, it’s hard to beat Roy Pope Gourmet Grocery Shop at 2300 Merrick
817-732-2863. While hard to find beef that has been aged is preferred. Don’t expect to find anything but prime that has been aged. One thing you can do yourself is take even a choice or select steak and lit it sit in the refrigerator uncovered for a couple of days. In essence you will be aging the meat. Naturally occurring enzymes will start to beak down the proteins, both tenderizing and adding great beefy flavor. The air around the exposed steak will also suck moisture from the meat. This is good, as it will greatly concentrate the flavors. Buy your Saturday BBQ steak on Wednesday, take it out of the plastic (you can cover it loosely in a clean dish towel) and you'll be amazed how much better it is by Saturday.
Next we start by seasoning it. You need a good steak rub. I make one up and keep it on hand. Here is a favorite of mine:

1 Tbs. Kosher Salt
1/2-CUP Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
1 TBS. Cornstarch
2 TBS. Dried Oregano
1/2-CUP Paprika
1 TBS. Thyme Leaves
1 TSP. Onion Powder
1 TSP. Ground Cinnamon
1 TSP. Garlic Powder
1 TBS Dry Minced Garlic
1 TBS Cajun Seasoning

Brush the meat with olive oil. Using your hands, completely cover and pat in the meat with the rub, place them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow them to return to room temperature while you prepare the grill.

Which grill? I had always used a charcoal/wood grill to get that smoky flavor. I recently moved to a good quality gas grill with a built-in smoke box. I can put wood chips in the box and still get that smoky flavor. What I don’t get is the 45 minutes of waiting for the coals to get ready. I also get a more consistent heat. Purest claim you just cant sear a steak with a gas grill. If your gas grill is a good quality grill, (which will cost a bit more) it can get it hot enough to sear the juices in.

Finally, how long do you cook a steak? That will depend on a few factors; cut, thickness, grill, and how you prefer to have your steak cooked. Degrees of doneness are as follows:

Rare
Internal Temperature 120 to 130 degrees F. (50 to 55 degrees C.)
A rare done steak should be warm through the middle, lightly charred on the outside, and browned around the sides and bright red in the middle. The meat should be soft to the touch, feeling like the raw meat but browned over the surface.
Cook this steak as hot as possible for a very short period of time, probably about one to two minutes per side for a one-inch thick steak (depending on your grill).

Medium Rare
Internal Temperature 130 to 135 degrees F. (55 to 57 degrees C.)
At medium rare your steak should be warm through the middle with a hint of red. Most of the center of the steak should be pink. The sides should be well browned, the top and bottom charred to a dark brown color. This steak should have a firm surface but be soft in the middle.
Grill this steak as hot as you can for about 2 to 3 minutes per side (depending on your grill).
This is the recommended level of doneness for a good steak. Ask any chef how they like their steak and they'll say medium rare.

Medium
Internal Temperature 140 to 150 degrees F. (60 to 65 degrees C.)
A medium steak should have a thick band of light pink through the middle but be more browned than pink. The sides should be a rich brown color and the top and bottom charred darkly (but no black). This steak should have some play through the middle but feel firm to the touch.
Grill this steak over a medium high heat for about 5 to 6 minutes per side (depending on your grill).
If you are grilling for a large group of people this is the best level of doneness to please most everyone.

Medium Well
Internal Temperature 155 to 165 degrees F. (68 to 74 degrees C.)
A medium well steak should have a hint of pink in the very middle of the steak. The surface should be a dark brown with good charring on the top and bottom. This steak will be very stiff but still have a little squish in the middle.
Grill this steak over a high heat for one minute per side then move to a medium heat for 5 to 6 additional minutes per side (depending on your grill).
This is the steak for the squeamish that don't want color in their meat. If you can sneak this one in for someone ordering Well you will be doing both of you a favor.

Well
Internal Temperature 170 or higher degrees F. (77 or higher degrees C.)
This steak should NOT be burnt on the outside. While there is not even the faintest hint of pink in the middle it should be browned through, not burnt through. This steak should feel solid all the way through.
A Well Done steak is the hardest to cook. The secret is to do it low and slow. It's the only way to prevent burning while getting it cooked through the middle. Grill this steak over a medium heat for between 10 and 12 minutes per side. Most people will tell you that this is the steak for people who don't like steak. Really what’s the point? You might as well make yourself a nice hamburger patty and smother it in ketchup. Yum. If you do have a guest that insists on their 1 ½ “ fillet cooked well done, you will have to make a butterfly cut before cooking. To Butterfly cut:

• Slice the steak down the middle. Lay the steak on a flat surface. Then, take your knife and slice the steak from top to bottom creating equal halves. However, only cut halfway through the thickness of the steak. Throughout this process, you never want to cut all the way through.
· Step 2
Place the flank steak in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will make the meat easier to work with as you make the next cuts.
· Step 3
Fold the steak in half, being careful not to tear completely through the cut you have made.
· Step 4
Slice the top half of the meat (above the fold) so you are making a flap in the meat. Again, do not cut all the way through.
· Step 5
Flip the meat over and repeat the slice (above the fold) on the other side. At this point, you have made three cuts and essentially "flattened" your steak. Then grill normally.
Here are some average grill times:

Thickness Rare Medium Well Heat
1" 8-10 12-14 16-20 High
1 1/2" 10-14 16-20 22-26 High
2 12-16 18-22 24-28 Medium

Finally while removing your perfect steak from the grill, lightly spread a pre-prepared mixture of 4 tbs. melted real salted butter, 1 tbs. lemon juice, and 1 tsp. garlic salt.
Serve right away.

A great steak like this can be paired with a number of beers and wines. A big red wine is always appropriate for a great steak. The juices of a medium-rare steak blend perfectly with a good Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannins found in a great wine like 1221 Cabernet Cuvee will mellow with a medium-rare steak.

I prefer a few different beers with steak. Murphy's Irish Stout or Left Hand Milk Stout pair well with steak. I also enjoy a good amber like Full Sail Amber or Flying Dog Old Scratch.

Finally depending on what side dishes I serve with a steak like long grain wild rice or sweet potatoes with salad or grilled asparagus, I like a good pale ale such as Sierra Nevada, Deschutes Mirror Pond, or Summit.

Enjoy…