Tip of the Day: How to grill the perfect steak

A recent survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that 68 percent of U.S. consumers live in a household that grills outdoors. With the Independence Day holiday upon us, many of you will undoubtedly fire up your gas or charcoal grill to prepare a holiday meal for family and friends.

If steak is on your menu, follow these expert grilling tips from John Macchia, a senior laboratory technician in the Technical Division of Consumer Reports who studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and watch the video (right). And try our other delicious, easy-to-prepare grilling recipes.

If you’re in the market for a new grill, read our latest report to find the best gas grill for your home. Based on the recent ads we’ve seen, you might be able to get a good deal on a grill at the major home-improvement centers.

6 Steps to a Great Steak
• Use fresh beef that you've just bought or have refrigerated for up to three days. Do not use meat that has been frozen.

• Preheat your gas grill on high for at least 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grates. Remember to keep the lid closed during preheating and as you cook.

• Trim excess fat from the steak. Then season the meat with freshly ground pepper and kosher or coarse salt, using a little more salt than usual since some will drip off during cooking.

• To get steakhouse-quality grill marks, place one end of the steak diagonal to the grates facing left (pointing to 10 o'clock). Then, without flipping the steak, move the end so that it now faces right (pointing to 2 o'clock). Flip the steak and repeat the previous two steps.

• Grill a boneless steak, such as rib-eye or sirloin, 1 to 11/2 inches thick, for 90 seconds for each step if you prefer rare meat. Grill a bone-in steak, like a porterhouse, for 2 minutes per step for rare. Add 30 seconds per step for medium-rare. Cook for 3 minutes per step for medium-well. Remove the steak from the grill.

• A meat thermometer should register 145º F for medium-rare, 160º F for medium, and 165º F for medium-well, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

You might have heard that charring your food can lead to the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. It’s not yet known how much HCAs might increase cancer risk in people, but there are ways to limit your exposure. Read "Don't Char the Meat" for more details.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: Use our Home Improvement Guide interactive to take a room-by-room tour of the top-rated appliances and most cost-effective improvements you can make to your home.

Comments

[Paul]

For the most part he has it correct. What about aged beef? Much more tender. Most "hi-end" steak houses age their beef. I have found a couple drops of lemon juice also tenderizes tougher meats.

[Timothy Verret]

Medical studies have shown that regular consumption of meat, grilled or not, increases one's chances of developing cancer and other heart-related conditions. And if health reasons aren't on the top of your list, have a "healthy" heart for the billions of animals who are slaughtered every year to satisfy one's taste buds. Animals raised for meat consumption are kept in windowless warehouses, packed like sardines, some in crates so small they can not even get up and turn around. Baby chicks have their beaks cut off without any anesthesia. Why? Because they would peck each other to death because they are kept in unnatural, stressful surroundings. Piglets are castrated and have their teeth pulled, all done without anesthesia. Calves are torn from their mothers and chained in small, dark crates to keep their meat tender for veal. Avoiding meat will ensure a heart free of not only malignancy but also cruelty.

[kevin]

tips on cooking steak.....come on he's forgot important tip

time depends on grill temp whats he thinking

steak must be room temp...

[Tom]

Enjoy your meat, carnivores! Just eat sensibly, rarely eating red meats, and including lots of vegetables and fruit.

[Another Paul]

One funny thing about the video: his recommended cooking time comes up with a rare steak. He then turns around and says that you should cook it to 145, which is not rare. Can't we all just admit that we like our steaks rare?

[joe steak]

Love the peta whine. It's great with my red meat.

[Eric]

My word. Tim V. has a very twisted and sheltered view of the livestock industry. What fairy tale did you think we are living in Sir? Further, do your homework before you spill incorrect facts out like marbles out of a jar.

What windowless warehouse do you refer to? Have you seen a hog building personally? One that represents the norm for the industry? Don't answer, I will. No you haven't. Livestock requires good ventilation to prevent sickness and poor weight gain. Cheap form of ventilation? Windows...

Pigs teeth are not pulled, they are cut at a very young age, to protect the mother's from being cut while nursing. Yes they are also generally castrated to improve the quality of the meat. Typically they fully heal from this in a couple days at the age it is done (couple weeks old).

Baby chickens have the pointy end of the beaks removed because it helps them pick up their feed, not because these chickens are somehow self aware of their surroundings and they are miserable and depressed. What a ridiculous claim you make! In fact, if you had any animal science experience at all, you would know that the part of the beak removed does not contain any nerve endings, it is similar to you clipping your fingernail.

I would suggest if you don't know the facts, you keep your mouth shut and eat your carrots.

To the rest of us, cook steak the right way. I will submit to one thing to Tim though. If you are going to eat a steak... show some respect to the animal that gave it to you and cook it correctly! Cheers...