10 Grilling Tips from Master Chef Bobby Flay
Fire up your grill with these ten grilling tips from the grill guru, Chef Bobby Flay. You’ll learn how to sear the perfect steak with great marbling and check for doneness with the touch test. Touch test? Marbling? If you’re a grilling beginner these grilling tips will turn you into a pro in no time.
You’ve probably grilled a steak before but have you learned to grill the PERFECT steak? Read on for all of Bobby Flay’s grilling tips and his simple recipe for the perfectly grilled steak. It only uses three ingredients!
1. Befriend Your Butcher
Wall Street Journal
One of Bobby Flay’s most important grilling tips is to buy from a good butcher shop or from the butcher at your supermarket’s meat counter. Why? Your local butcher usually has better quality meats and a larger selection than your average grocery store. You’ll also get expert advice on what cuts are best for certain recipes and always know where your meat was sourced.
If you can’t make it to a butcher make sure to at least avoid prepackaged steaks. Plastic wrap traps in moisture which doesn’t make for the best flavor.
2. Get Good Grades
South Florida Business School
The USDA grades red meat in three categories. Prime Beef, Choice Beef and Select Beef. Grades are given based on tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Prime beef is produced from young, well fed cattle and has a lot of marbling. Choice beef is high quality but with less marbling than prime beef. Select beef is leaner than the other grades. While it’s pretty tender, select beef is less juicy and flavorful than other grades usually making it the cheapest.
Bobby Flay recommends buying Prime or Certified Black Angus steaks for grilling. As a second option he recommends Choice-grade steak for a good, less-expensive alternative.
3. Look for Marbling
What’s marbling you ask? Thin white streaks of fat throughout a steak that keep the meat nice and juicy. A well marbled steak is truly a beautiful thing.
A high quality steak will have a lot of marbling, while a lean cut will have little to none. As the meat cooks the fat melts. The fat adds almost all of the flavor and gives the meat a more tender texture.Choosing a steak with good marbling is one of the grilling tips you’ll want to stick for juicy flavor meat.
4. Do a Warm-Up
Splendid Table
You’ll want to take your steak out of the fridge for at least 20 minutes before grilling to bring it to room temperature. If you’re meat is frozen, make sure you allow enough time to for it to thaw naturally and come to room temperature. A freezing-cold steak won’t cook evenly and you’ll be left with a tougher texture.
5. Pare Down The Tools
The Lighted Grilling Tools
Grill master Bobby Flay says, you don’t need elaborate equipment to make the perfect steak. He recommends all you really need is a solid pair of tongs, a brush and a grill. Save on the elaborate grilling tools and spend on quality cuts of meat instead.
6. Feel The Heat
Time Magazine
Don’t throw your steak on the grill before it’s the perfect temperature! Giving your grill plenty of time to preheat, means you’ll have more evenly cooked steak. How do you know when the grill is the right temp? (mombrite.com) You shouldn’t be able to hold your hand over the grates for more than 2 seconds without getting too hot.
7. Don’t Move
Weber
Letting your steak develop a seared crust on the grill before moving or flipping it is one of the grilling tips you want to master for perfectly cooked steak. If you try to lift the meat before it’s ready, it can stick to the grates and ruin the crust.
Bobby Flay recommends cooking the steaks until golden brown and slightly charred on each side. That’s about 4-5 minutes on the first side and 3-5 minutes on the second side for medium-rare. Add 3-5 more minutes on the second side for medium to well done steak.
8. Use the Touch Test
Quora
How do you know if a steak is cooked rare, medium or well done? You can check for doneness without cutting the steak with a simple touch test using your finger. A rare steak feels soft and spongy, medium springs back a bit when pressed and well-done feels firm.
To gauge the right firmness check out the guide in the photo above. It’ll help you learn to gage when your steak is cooked exactly to your liking.
9. Don’t Overdo It
Life Hacker
Bobby Flay recommends erring on the side of undercooking a steak rather than overcooking it. Why? Because you can always pop the meat back on the grill if its too rare. A rare steak takes about 3-4 minutes per side. Medium takes about 4-5 minutes per side. And well done takes about 5-7 minutes per side.
10. Let It Rest
Lifestyle Food
When you’re steak is ready, take it off the grill and set it to the side to rest. Bobby Flay says to make sure to wait at least 5 minutes before slicing. A more general rule is to let the meat rest half the amount of time it was cooking. Allowing meat to rest before slicing and serving gives the juices a chance to settle back into the meat. More juice, more flavor!
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The Perfectly Grilled Steak Recipe
Steve Giralt/Food Network
Recipe by Bobby Flay for The Food Network
Serves: 4 people Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch-thick boneless rib-eye or New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces each) or filets mignons (8 to 10 ounces each), trimmed
- 2 tbsp. canola or extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
- About 20 minutes before grilling, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let sit, covered, at room temperature.
- Heat your grill to high. Brush the steaks on both sides with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the steaks over and continue to grill 3 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (an internal temperature of 135 degrees F), 5 to 7 minutes for medium (140 degrees F) or 8 to 10 minutes for medium-well (150 degrees F).
- Transfer the steaks to a cutting board or platter, tent loosely with foil and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
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