Everybody's got an opinion on how to grill a steak. Here's ours: stop touching it so much.
Steak of the Union is a bold, pepper-forward beef rub built for exactly this kind of simple, no-nonsense cooking. Ribeyes, strips, burgers, backstrap from last season's buck, it doesn't discriminate. This is the method we use for a steak, and it works on a gas grill, charcoal, or a cast iron pan if the weather turns.
What you need
- Ribeye or New York strip, 1 to 1.25 inches thick. Thin steaks overcook before they get a crust.
- Steak of the Union, more than you think you need
- A grill that will hit 450 to 500 degrees, or a cast iron pan on the burner
- An instant-read thermometer. Cook to temperature, not to the clock.
Forty minutes out
Pull the steaks from the fridge, pat them dry, and season every side heavy with Steak of the Union. Let them sit on the counter for 30 to 40 minutes. Two things happen: the salt in the rub pulls moisture up and then back in, which seasons the meat deeper than a last-second shake, and the steak loses its chill so it cooks evenly instead of gray on the outside and cold in the middle.
The grill
Get it screaming hot: 450 to 500 degrees on the lid thermometer, grates clean and oiled. On charcoal, that's a full chimney spread in an even bed. On gas, all burners on high with the lid down for ten minutes.
The cook
Lay the steaks down over direct heat and close the lid. Then do the hard part: leave them alone. Four to five minutes on the first side for a 1-inch steak. Every time you lift that spatula to check, you're letting out the heat that crust needed to build.
One flip. Another three to four minutes with the lid down. Then start checking the thermometer through the side of the steak:
- Pull at 125 for medium rare, it rests up to 130 to 135
- Pull at 135 for medium, it rests up to 140 to 145
- Burgers are a different animal: cook them through to 160
Thicker steak, add a minute a side. The number on the thermometer is the truth; the minutes are just a guide.
The rest
Off the grill and onto a board for five to ten minutes, loosely tented. Cut it early and the juice runs out on the board instead of staying in the meat. Slice against the grain and hit it with one more light dusting of Steak of the Union while it's still hot.
Feed the crowd
Patience makes the sear, not the spatula. Grab a bottle of Steak of the Union and give your steak the seasoning, and the mercy of not being flipped, that it deserves.