With that out of the way, we’ll offer this corollary: There are
multiple best ways to grill a steak, and all work because all you
have to please is you, your family and friends (meaning: the people
who are going to eat it). Choose one that works for you.
Here’s ours: We have a gas grill, so after marinating the ribeye
or New York strip in our signature liquid smoke/yellow mustard
mixture, we let that sit for 30 minutes to an hour. A few minutes
before starting to cook, we heat the grill to medium high.
Top quality steak grilling results from having the right heat. If you use
coals, you need to get them red hot, then let them simmer down just a bit to
take the edge off. Regardless of whether it’s gas or bricks, you have to watch
the meat. You can’t spend too much time draining your cocktail (though having
one is certainly a good part of the experience) or going in and out of the house
to check on the hash browns or sautéed asparagus.
Keep your eye on the meat, turn it before any flames start rising. If you
get flames, move the meat elsewhere on the grill so you can maintain the
evenness of the sizzling. This is my biggest failure – not getting to the meat
when the drippings start to cause a blaze, and then part of the meat it charred
and some of it too rare.
If you pay close attention, monitor the flame/setting, use your signature marinade
and rotate the meat regularly to ensure evenness, you should come out with a winner.
You can cut a small insertion into the New York strip to check and see if
it is ready the way everyone wants. That’s the safe way to go, but once you’ve practiced enough, you shouldn’t need that amateur tactic.
Grab those sharp knives and begin cutting. Chew slowly.