What does the perfectly grilled steak look like to you? If you’ve followed along with our blog for any amount of time, there’s a good chance that you’ve noticed that we’re big fans of sharing grilling tips, tricks, recipes, and ideas on everything from winter grilling to barbecue grill accessories. At the end of the day, we believe that there’s nothing in the world quite like a wonderfully grilled steak.

That’s why in today’s post, we’d like to share the definitive steak grilling guide with our readers. Whether you’ve been grilling steaks for years or this summer is the year that you’re going to buy your first grill, you can always count on the team at Mighty Flame to steer you in the right direction when it comes to grilling. And so, without further ado, let’s dive right in.

How to Pick the Right Steak

If we lived in a perfect world, buying the ideal cut of meat would be as easy as heading to your local butcher shop and asking for them to slice you up something fresh. If you live in an area where this is possible, then by all means, take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity! The more of a relationship you have with your butcher, the better off you’re going to be in general.

Even if you have to head to the grocery store, be sure to chat up the fine folks at the meat counter, because they would be more than happy to make sure that you get the right cut of meat. If there’s one thing you should take away from this section of our guide, it’s that it’s never a bad idea to talk to someone who knows steaks.

On the other hand, if you’re forced to choose a pre-packaged steak from the grocery store, do you know what to look for? Steaks can be expensive, so it makes sense to want to get the most bang for your buck. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be a trial and error situation if you’ve never grilled steaks before. Aside from asking a butcher, your best bet is going to be to do some research beforehand to learn about which cut of meat to purchase and what the ideal characteristics are for that particular piece of meat.

Once again, however, we’d like to take this opportunity to say that it will always be in your best interest to talk to the butcher at the butcher shop or the person who is working behind the counter at the meat section of the grocery store if at all possible.

“How Should I Season My Steak?”

Once you have your steaks in hand, you’ll want to get them ready for the grill. If you’re preparing a steak for the first time, you might be tempted to grab a bottle of steak seasoning from the grocery store. While there’s nothing wrong with that, our suggestion is to season your steak simply with fresh salt and black pepper. The truth is that it all comes down to preference in the end, so go with your gut, but know that if you’ve invested in quality steaks, the salt and pepper are going to enhance the natural flavors much more than a pre-packaged seasoning will.

If you’d like to get a little more creative, we fully support that idea as well. As a matter of fact, we wrote a previous guide that was all about how to create the perfect homemade steak rub for grilling and we stand behind what we wrote back then. From oregano to cumin to chili powder to cayenne pepper and anything in between, if your palate is craving a certain flavor, don’t hesitate to experiment a bit. You know what you want in a steak, so don’t let anyone slow you down or get in your way!

“What Temperature Should I Cook My Steak To?”

Ah, the million dollar question. Let’s just get it out of the way quickly by saying that different people will have different preferences. You’ll read varying opinions about how done your steak should be, with the majority of people agreeing that your steak should be medium-rare or medium. Our opinion on the matter? Listen to your taste buds! If you prefer a steak that is cooked to well-done and others make fun of your preference by referring to it as a hockey puck…well, they don’t have to eat it, do they?

It’s your steak, so cook it however you’d like.

Having said that, do you know what temperature a steak should be to be considered “medium”? While professional chefs can eyeball it (or use various other methods to determine a steak’s doneness), we always advocate for novices and experts alike to use a grilling thermometer. If you don’t have one yet, do yourself a favor and grab one, because it will soon become your best friend.

So you know how you like your steak done, but you don’t know what temperature to cook it to. Not to worry, because the handy infographic below has all of the information you need. Feel free to print it out and keep it around for reference so you don’t have to dig around on your smartphone every time you’re craving a steak.

INFOGRAPHIC

“What Else Do I Need to Know?”

Great question. From here on out, it’s all about trial and error. If you’re just getting started, you’ll probably make a bad steak at some point. Hey, it happens to the best of us! The important thing is that you get back on your horse (or cow in this case) and give it a shot again. Before you know it, you’ll be a grilling machine, capable of grilling the best steaks in existence. And, as a bonus, you won’t have to go out for a steak at a restaurant ever again because you’ll know that the steaks you’re making from the comfort of your own grill are just as good (and in some instances far superior).

Other than that, you can dig through our blog archives to find gems like underrated techniques for finishing a steak and more. We love sharing grilling tips, tricks, recipes, and ideas, so if you’re new to grilling, be sure to take a deep dive, because you’re sure to find something to love.

And, of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that we believe the best steaks are grilled with propane grills, and fortunately for you, we have a number of propane tank exchange locations across the country, making it easy to buy a propane tank.

We hope that this guide has been helpful. Until next time, friends and neighbors!