Top 5 Steak Grilling Myths

Grills just wanna have fun this summer. So, let them.

But perhaps difficult to do, right? When you’re standing there, in front of them and their Kilauea-killer heat, holding 100 dollars’ worth of prime steer set to sear.

Nah. You got this. Just don’t let all the “received wisdoms” about grilling steaks hamstring you. Most of them are myths. Let them go.

Myth #1: Searing meat seals in its moisture. (In fact, it burns or evaporates it away.) Read more here. 

Myth #2: Cutting into a steak to see how it’s coming along in the rare department lets all the juices run out. (It doesn’t.) Read more here.

Myth #3: You should flip a steak only once, maybe twice. (Nope, flip away.) Read more here.

Myth #4: Marinades and rubs tenderize steaks. (Not really; most of them merely flavor the outsides.) Read more here. 

Myth #5: Salt and pepper the steak after grilling it. (Nope. Salt before. Way before.) Read more here.

Major tips, too: Sure, you can teach yourself to “feel” temperature, such that “medium-rare” feels like pressing the inside base of your thumb when your palm is nearly stretched out. Got that?

Just use an instant-read thermometer. Read it when stuck in at an angle: 120 degrees for rare; 130 for medium-rare; 140 for medium. (BSJ goes no higher.) 

And let the steak rest, hard as that might be when you’re now drooling over its delicious juiciness. But the “Bourdain Effect” occurs, and it so is so important: 

“[The steak] should rest on the board, meaning sit there at room temperature for 5 to 7 minutes, at which point, stay away from it. The steak continues to cook in these crucial moments and it must be left alone to ensure perfect distribution of the juices inside. All the difference in the world between a good steak and a totally messed-up steak is going on in that period of time that you're just doing nothing. Don't wrap it in foil, don't cover it, don't poke it, don't prod it, don't even look at it. Just let it sit there. Leave it alone, and you will be rewarded.” ~ Anthony Bourdain

Four steak recipes on this site: Two-Heat Kansas City Strips, Bone-In Cowboy (or Tomahawk) Steak, Pan-Seared Flap Steak with Sauce Gribiche, Flat-Iron Steak.