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Grilling Steak: An Art and Science

Grilling steak is a culinary skill that requires both artistic flair and scientific precision. To achieve the best results, it's crucial to understand how long to cook steak on a grill depending on the cut and the type of grill you're using. After all, a filet mignon is not treated the same as a flank steak. The perfect grilled steak begins with high-quality meat - and the right cut. Invest in the best beef you can afford, and familiarize yourself with our comprehensive guide for selecting steaks before you shop.

The Best Steaks for Grilling

Here are some of the best steaks for grilling:

Chuck: Most cuts in this section are too tough for grilling, with the exception of the flat iron steak.
Rib: This section offers tender, full-flavor cuts such as ribeye and prime rib steaks.
Short loin: Some of the best steaks for grilling come from the short loin, including porterhouse, T-bone, filet mignon, and top loin (strip) steaks.
Flank: This is the belly area, which produces flank, skirt, and hanger steaks. For the best results while grilling steaks from this section, tenderize before grilling.

To ensure the juiciest grilled steak, we'll guide you through the step-by-step process for popular cuts using charcoal and gas grills. We'll also explain how long to cook steak on a grill to achieve the perfect internal temperature. Explore our new favorite method for grilling steak, and learn about different methods for other cuts so you can customize your meal based on your steak, whether you're preparing grilled flank steak, filet mignon, or tri-tip.

How to Grill Steak: A Comprehensive Guide

Discover the art of reverse-searing steak, a technique favored by many barbecue experts. It results in remarkably juicy meat with a satisfying crust. Here's how to grill steak reverse-sear-style:

Prepping Your Steak

Getting your steak ready to grill doesn't require much. However, before adding the meat to the grill, follow these steps:

Use a paper towel to dry off surface moisture so the meat can get a nice sear and brown on the surface.
Trim excess fat that could cause flare-ups while grilling steak.
Optional step: To boost flavor before cooking, mix a steak marinade and marinate meat for 4 to 24 hours. Season the meat with a spice or herb rub, or simply cover with olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper. Our pros say just salt brings out the juices, too.

Test Kitchen Tip: When possible, salt your steak for grilling 4 to 48 hours before you plan to cook, suggests Aaron Franklin, the pitmaster and owner of Franklin Barbecue in Austin. This allows the seasoning to infuse and results in a more tender steak.

Grilling and Reverse-Searing the Steak

Select a thick cut (about 1.5 inches), such as New York strip or ribeye, for this grilling method. Prepare your grill as follows:

Prepare a two-zone fire on your grill. For a gas grill, light all burners to preheat, then turn off the center burner for a cool zone to cook indirectly. For a charcoal grill, ignite 50 to 75 briquettes for a 22-inch grill. Once the coals look ash-covered, push them to opposite sides of the grill to create a cool zone in the center to cook indirectly. Place rack on grill.
Place steaks over the indirect flame (the grill temperature should be about 300°F) and cook the meat low and slow with the lid closed.
Remove steaks from the grill once they reach 100°F internally.
Adjust your grill to high heat, or about 450°F to 500°F, by igniting more briquettes (for charcoal grills) or igniting the center burner on high (for gas grills).
Place steaks back on the now-hot grill and sear, turning often, until well-browned. This should take 4 or 5 minutes.

Testing for Doneness

How long to grill steak is often a matter of personal preference. When grilling steak for a group, stagger when you put the steaks on the grill, starting with steaks to be served well-done and ending with steaks to be served rare.

Use this tech-free test to determine the grill temp for steak: Shake out your hands. Using one hand, follow the directions below touching that thumb to different fingers on the same hand. Use your opposite hand to touch the fleshy area between your thumb and the base of your palm to assess level of doneness. Be sure to keep your first hand relaxed.

Rare: Touch your thumb to your index finger.
Medium rare: Move your middle finger to touch your thumb.
Medium: Press your ring finger to your thumb.
Well: Touch your pinky finger to your thumb.

You can also use an instant-read thermometer if you're unsure how long to grill steak. Cook medium-rare steaks to 145°F and medium steaks to 160°F.

Serving Your Perfect Grilled Steak

Let the steaks rest 5 minutes after grilling and before cutting. This allows the juices to redistribute and helps keep them from escaping the meat as soon as it is cut (read: steak that's supremely juicy!)

A perfectly grilled steak needs no embellishment, but you can dress it up if you want with a bit of herbed butter, purchased steak sauce, or homemade sauce. Serve steaks with steak knives or other knives that are sharp enough to easily cut through the meat without tearing it.

Grilling Different Cuts of Steak

Curious how to grill the perfect steak if ribeye or strip isn't your prime pick? Read on for cut-by-cut advice for grilling steak that's just as scrumptious as you'll find at a fancy steakhouse.

Grilling Filet Mignon

Go gourmet and grill filet mignon! This ultratender option deserves to be the star of the show. Follow these instructions:

On charcoal grills, place the meat on a grill rack directly over medium coals; grill uncovered.
For a gas grill, preheat the grill; reduce heat to medium. Place the filet on the grill rack over the heat. Cover the grill.
Turn your filets once halfway through the grilling time, and use the following timings for how long to grill steak: For a 1-inch cut, grill 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare (145°F) or 12 to 15 minutes for medium (160°F). For a 1-1/2-inch cut, grill 15 to 19 minutes for medium rare (145°F) or 18 to 23 minutes for medium (160°F).
Transfer the meat to a platter. Cover with foil and allow it to stand 5 minutes before serving.

Grilling Flank Steak

Grilled flank steak is delicious on its own but also stands out inside burritos and on steak salads. It's best when soaked in a steak marinade before grilling, so don't skip that step in your grilled flank steak recipe.

To marinate: Trim fat from steak. Score steak on both sides by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals in a diamond pattern. Place meat in a self-sealing bag set in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over meat in bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes or as long as your recipe specifies. Drain meat and discard marinade.
For a charcoal grill: Place meat on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill 17 to 21 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 145°F for medium-rare doneness or 160°F for medium doneness.
For a gas grill: Preheat gas grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place meat on rack over heat. Cover and grill, following the same instructions for grilling on a charcoal grill.
Transfer the meat to a platter. Cover with foil and allow it to stand 5 minutes, then thinly slice meat against the grain.

Grilling Strip Steak

Serving up a New York strip steak might sound fancy, but it's simpler than you think. Try serving your juicy grilled steak with compound butter or a squeeze of lemon for a hearty meal. Follow these instructions for grilling:

For a charcoal grill: Grill steaks on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals to desired doneness, turning once halfway through grilling. Allow 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare (145°F) or 12 to 15 minutes for medium doneness (160°F).
For a gas grill: Preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place steaks on grill rack over heat—cover and grill as directed above.
Transfer the meat to a platter. Cover with foil and allow the steak to stand 5 minutes before serving.

Grilling Tri-Tip

Want to know our secret for a perfect grilled steak when you have a tri-tip handy? Get our in-depth information on how to cook tri-tip steaks. Here's the general process:

Consider seasoning or marinating tri-tip steaks. They're a lean cut and benefit from added flavor.
For a charcoal or gas grill, grill steaks, covered, over medium to desired doneness, turning once halfway through grilling. For ¾-inch-thick steaks, grill 9 to 11 minutes for medium rare (145°F) or 11 to 13 minutes for medium (160°F). For 1-inch-thick steaks, grill 13 to 15 minutes for medium rare (145°F) or 15 to 17 minutes for medium (160°F).

Grilling Skirt Steak

The most important part of serving skirt steak comes after grilling the steak. Always cut skirt cuts thinly against the grain for buttery, tender results.

Season steak with salt and black pepper, and, if desired, marinate.
For a charcoal grill: Grill steak on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals about 4 minutes or until steak is lightly charred, turning once halfway through grilling.
For a gas grill: Preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place steak on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as directed above.
Remove steak from grill. Cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes. Slice steak against the grain and serve.

Grilling Flat Iron Steaks

Also known as top-blade steak, flat iron steaks are very similar to flank steaks. This is one of the best steaks for grilling and is at its best when you season it with a sprinkle of spices and serve with plenty of zippy sauce (try homemade chimichurri or romesco sauce).

Season or marinate steaks as desired.
For a charcoal grill: Grill steaks on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals 7 to 9 minutes for medium rare (145°F) or 10 to 12 minutes for medium doneness (160°F), turning once halfway through grilling.
For a gas grill: Preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place steaks on grill rack. Cover and grill as directed above.
Serve steaks with desired sauce.

This grilling season, put your steak skills to work and get ready for rave reviews. Don't forget about the barbecue sides: A grilled steak is fantastic, but it gets even better with the right accompaniment for a complete meal.