It’s summer, and there’s nothing like the smell of a good piece of steak on the grill. Is there a different technique, though, if you’re making aged steaks? And what about temperature and cooking time? Well, to all these questions on how to grill steak, we have answers, from the Grill Master herself, Robyn Lindars.  Robyn is the Founder of Grill Girl, and she’s a certified Grill Master. Yes, folks, we have one of the top grill experts in the world, who  breaks boundaries and stereotypes as a woman behind the grill.  Here are Robyn’s top how to grill steak tips, and our video interview that will change your grill game forever.

Top How to Grill Steak Tips by Robyn Lindars

1. A meat thermometer is a must.

Before you even fire up the charcoal, buy yourself a meat thermometer. Your meat thermometer is your best friend.  I like a Thermapen, or anything that has a three second read.  You don’t want to let the heat escape  from the grill when  you do your temperature check, so it should be a thermometer that reads quickly.

2.  Choose your cut of meat.  

This is all about personal preference, and what you want to spend.  There is a cut of meat for everyone.  On the premium side, you can do a beef tenderloin, and grill it up whole.  Alternatively you can cut it up into slices to cook to preference for your guests.

I personally like the Tri-Tip.  It’s a triangular cut, so the most narrow part of the tip cooks faster than the middle.  Essentially you create a situation where everyone gets the wellness of steak they want.  It’s great when you have a larger crowd with various preferences.  Leftovers are beautiful for a roast beef style sandwich with a horseradish sour cream.

3.  You don’t need to marinate. 

Let me caveat this; if you have a high quality steak, you don’t need to do much to it.  I love local farmers, and one of my favorite places to order from is Felton Angus Beef from Montana.  They ship nationally, and it’s a great gift for your hosts.  I also like Double 8 Ranch.

For lower quality meats, you can make sauces like a jalapeño lime sauce or chimichurri sauce.  However for a ribeye, New York steak or Tri-Tip, you just need high quality sea salt, pepper and olive oil.  If you don’t have a charcoal grill for that smoky taste, you can buy Maldon smoked sea salt to get charcoal smoke flavor. I also like Bourbon Barrel Foods for their smoked bourbon pepper.  It’s minimal marinade for steak as it’s all about the quality of the ingredients.

4.  Bring the meat to room temperature before you grill it.  

There’s debate about this, but the theory is that if you bring your meat to room temperature, you’ll have a juicier steak that cooks more evenly.

5.  Create your heat zones on the grill.

On your grill, whether you use charcoal or gas, you have zones that have direct fire and no fire.  This is your direct heat (the fire) and indirect heat (no fire).  You don’t want to cook your steak on direct heat the entire time as that will burn the heck out of it.  See tip #4 for when you need the direct heat zone.

If you have a charcoal grill, to create a direct and indirect zone is easier than you may think.  Push your coals to one side to create your direct heat. The side without your coals is the indirect heat zone.  Really it’s as simple as pushing your coals to one side, so don’t be intimidated by the charcoal grill.

6.  Sear the steak first.  

No matter how you like your steak, sear your meat first. To sear, you place the steak on the direct side with the flames for a few minutes on each side.  This locks in the juices in the meat.  It also gets you those nice grill marks.  After just a minute or two, move it over to the indirect heat side. This is where you’ll cook the steak to your desire temperature.

7.  Your temperature guide to steak. 

Do not miss the video interview above for the best how to grill steak tips. Robyn covers the difference between Japanese and American Waygu, and other must-know tid-bits.  Also visit Robyn’s website at grillgirl.com for more in-depth tips and cooking ideas and check out our recipe this week for Florentine steak. Yes, we took Robyn’s guide for how to grill steak, and were inspired to make one of the most prime cuts of steak, the Porterhouse.  We can confirm that grilling is an addition.