I always keep the hood open since I have a gas grill and the gas will taint the flavor of the meat if the hood is closed. This is why I sear the steak while the hi heat is still ambient, once the hood is gone, the grill will be cooler and I want to get the most from that high temp without closing the hood.

As for getting heat up on a grill, I've read you can stack your charcoal thicker to get more heat, anyone else heard this?

Kremlin - regarding aged meat and color, I believe the bluer meats are indeed better, but they aren't aged, they are fresher and the iron in the meat hasn't oxidezed yet.

As fas as aged meat goes, proper aging can be good, but really fresh meat is good too imo. You either want it fresh or properly aged. I thought aged beef was the best until I had a two-day old steak, and that blew me away.

 

I just did a search, and you are correct! I've been wrong about why it's that color all along..

And dry aged steak is DELICIOUS. If you ever see it, it's worth a try.

 

After reading all the replies do you now believe me? So many people don't understand the value of properly salting meat. They're afraid that it'll come out too salty.

Trust me. Salt + very high heat = tasty steak.

All the other crap like Lawry's, Emeril Essence, is just that, crap. A good cut of steak never needs more than salt (and/or pepper).

 

Well, a good cut that's properly cooked. If you toast the meat, you'll need something to wash it down, like some 57 sauce.

When it comes to salt, I prefer the bigger rock salts, sea salts, (crazy salt), etc, that add flavor without overwhelming the meat.

 

TOTALLY agree. I should've clarified myself about the salt. I'm not talking about using Iodized Table salt. Rather a good coarse kosher salt is preferred. Sea salt is OK too.

 

I enjoyed this thread so much, I went out to get some steak. Only restaurant that serves decent steak in Davis is Applebees I got the ribeye and my friend got the bourbon steak. Boy was the bourbon steak tasty. The meat was mediocre at best, but whatever spices it has on it made it all okay. Give it a try. They're pina coladas are also excellent.

 

You should have went to Cattlemen's. It's in Dixon, which isnt far away.

 

 

Do you also like getting caught in the rain?

 

For me, the trick is HOT, HOT, HOT. I have a LP gas grill, which is not ideal... Charcoal is better for home use, and restaurants tend to use high heat professional LP or NG grills.

I do not oil the steak, but, rather oil the grill BEFORE heating it to reduce troublesome sticking. (Actually, most sticking on grills is due to impatient chefs..), and then simply cover the steak with a nice sea salt & fresh cracked pepper crust before grilling.

1-2 mins, then a 90 degree turn. One flip and a finish on the other side.


The only other tip I can offer besides a hot grill is letting the steak warm to room temp before it hits the grill.