As many of you know, I walked a 20 mile walk yesterday to help raise money and awareness for a real problem that exists today. That problem is America’s hungry. Many of those are children. While I do not intend to climb on my soapbox, I would like to let everyone know that 42,000 walkers and 2000 volunteers helped raise 3.8 Million Dollars for the cause. The team I walked with (United States Personal Chef Association. New England Chapter raised about $2700. A job well done all around and also a big thank you to all who donated.

After the walk, I had a “hankering” for a nice steak. Maybe it was my body saying PROTEIN or maybe my mind saying STEAK. Whatever , it was I stopped at the market on the way home a bought some steaks. Although I have cut down on eating red meat, I thought that after the walk I deserved it. This leads me to today’s post, how to grill a great steak.

Many of us like to go out and get a steak from a restaurant but have difficulty on duplicating the same experience at home. Although we may not be able to get the same result of a top notch steak house with there 600-700 degree grills and ovens, there are tips that we can follow to have an excellent meal and impress our friends.

Tip 1
Buy a good quality steak. The USDA grades beef, and the best is USDA Prime after that comes USDA Choice. While only 2% of the beef is graded Prime, Choice is readily available in your higher end markets.

Tip 2
Take the steaks out of the refrigerator about an hour or so before cooking; let them come to room temperature. Now I know some of you may be crying “foul, you warned us of the Food Danger Zone”. That is okay, one hour for beef at room temperature is acceptable (Warning: this is not recommended for chicken.)

Tip 3
Get your grill hot. If using coals, make sure they are white hot (stack only on one side) or preheat gas grill with one or two burners turned off,

Tip 4
Season just before grilling. Use a spice rub or at the very least salt and pepper. Do not salt before hand as it draws out moisture if left too long. You may also want to brush with oil before seasoning to help prevent sticking.


Tip 5
Sear for a few minutes on each side, do not move around on grill. Let mother nature do her job and the steak will release itself from the grill plate after a few minutes, You can rotate once if you want nice crossed grill marks.

Tip 6
Move to cool side and cover grill. Now perhaps the most important step is to heat to desired temperature for doneness Invest in an instant read thermometer (less then $20.00) Also keep in mind that carryover cooking will continue to raise temp about 5 degrees so remove a bit early

VERY RARE Approx. 130°F, 55°C
RARE Approx. 140°F, 63°C
MEDIUM RARE Approx. 145°F, 63°C
MEDIUM Approx. 160°F, 71°C
WELL DONE Approx. 170°F, 77°C
VERY WELL DONE Approx. 180°F, 82°C


That’s it, follow these guidelines and you are on your way of becoming become a “Grillmeister”

Let me know how you liked these tips, any feedback welcomed.