| Step 1 - Marinating | | | | Okay, I'm back. I promise I won't let that happen again. |
| For a grilled piece of meat to truly be great it must | | | | Telling when a steak is done is easy. But before you |
| have been marinated properly. Let me give you two | | | | even put the steak on the grill, you want to make sure |
| rules of thumb. The first is that you need to let the | | | | that the grill is hot! The hotter the better. A hotter grill |
| meat have some time in the juices you are soaking it | | | | cooks faster. Faster cooking equals a juicier steak. |
| in. | | | | Put the steak on the grill. Now watch the sides. You're |
| Marinating for three hours won't cut it. (Naturally, there | | | | looking for the sides of the meat to start turning gray. |
| are exceptions, but this is just a rule of thumb.) It needs | | | | When that happens, flip the meat. There should be |
| time to soak the flavors up. The other rule of thumb is | | | | good grill marks on the meat. |
| that the marinade should include some kind of acidic | | | | When the sides have grayed up completely, look for |
| component (e.g. vinegar). This not only gives the meat | | | | good grill marks on the other side. If they are present, |
| flavor, but it also acts like a tenderizer. It breaks the | | | | it's time to check for doneness. |
| toughness in the meat down. | | | | This little test that I'm going to tell you was taught to |
| Here is a simple steak marinade. You can find a whole | | | | me when I worked a restaurant by an old short-order |
| bunch more on the internet. Just search Google for | | | | cook. |
| "steak marinade recipe" | | | | Take a fork or your spatula and press on the center |
| 1/2 cup soy sauce | | | | of the steak. Try to move it side to side. Raw meat |
| 1/4 cup brown sugar | | | | will total squish and move side-to-side. |
| 1 tablespoon lemon juice | | | | Well-done meat will not. It will be harder to press down, |
| 1/4 cup red wine vinegar | | | | and none of the side-to-side movement will be there. |
| 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce | | | | By the way, a well-done steak isn't worth eating. You |
| 1 cup of water | | | | might as well consider it burnt. |
| Directions: | | | | When the steak is ready to eat, it will be slightly harder |
| Mix all ingredients for marinade. Pour over steak. | | | | to press and have a little side-to-side movement. If you |
| Cover and refrigerate overnight. Turn meat over one | | | | are still unsure as to doneness, take a knife with a thin |
| time. | | | | blade. Make a cut half way through the meat in the |
| Step 2 - Grilling | | | | center about one inch long. Twist the blade to reveal |
| This is really an easy step, but so many people get it | | | | the center. It should be a light pink. |
| wrong. They're afraid of overdoing the meat. Perhaps | | | | Step 3 - Rest |
| it's the other way around. They are afraid of it being | | | | This is a very important step, yet seems to be skipped |
| underdone. | | | | far too much. Remove it from the grill and just let it be |
| Side note: I have a slightly mischievous side to me. I | | | | for 5 minutes. This will result in much more succulent |
| can't help it. Speaking of underdone meat reminded me | | | | steak. It needs this time to reabsorb its own juices. |
| of something. Next time you see someone eating a | | | | If you did make a cut in the meat when testing for |
| rare steak, wait until the meat just touches their mouth. | | | | doneness, make sure the cut is facing up. |
| Then make "mooing" noises like a cow. It can be quite | | | | And that is how to grill a great steak. Obviously the |
| humorous. It's even better if there is a vegetarian | | | | more you do it, the better you will get. |
| present. | | | | |