Grilling the Perfect Steak

~Chef Perry Perkins~

To grill the perfect steak, you get what you pay for. Go with T-bone, Porter-house or NY strips. If you can find a butcher that ages their beef 30 days, you'll taste the difference.

The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped bone with meat on each side. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin and thus include more tenderloin steak, along with (on the other side of the bone) a large strip steak.

T-bone steaks are cut closer to the front, and contain a smaller section of tenderloin. The smaller portion of a T-bone, when sold alone, is known as a filet mignon, especially if it's cut from the small forward end of the tenderloin.

Here’s what to do with them...

1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs + 2 tsp chopped thyme, div
1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary

3 cloves garlic, divided
3 Tbs butter, melted
2 T-bone steaks, 1-1/2 in

Remove steaks from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking, pat dry, season and allow to rest at room temp. for about 30 minutes.

Oil La Caja China grill and heat to highest temp. If you can hold your have six inches above the grill and count to two, it's not hot enough!

Add some oak and/or pecan chips, ¼ cup of each, on the coals 5 minutes before steaks.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil with 1 Tbs thyme, rosemary and 2 cloves garlic, which have been finely chopped.

Generously rub herbed oil mixture over both sides of steaks. Place steaks in a deep baking dish. Pour remaining herbed oil over the top. Cover the dish loosely with foil, and refrigerate for 3 to 5 hours.

Prepare 1 load of charcoal in a chimney starter, when coals are uniformly grey and glowing, spread them beneath the oiled Top Grill(s) for direct grilling.

In a small bowl, combine butter with remaining thyme, remaining garlic, which has been crushed, and a little grated lemon zest. Refrigerate until needed.

When grill is hot, place steaks over indirect heat. Cover and cook until meat reaches 5 degrees below desired doneness, turning once. Move steaks directly over heat, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, turning every 30 seconds, until steaks are nicely seared.

Remove from grill and place in baking pan, spreading both side with the steak butter. Return steaks to grill, sprinkle each side with sea salt and pepper, and finish cooking looking for an internal temp of 115d.

Once steaks reach that (2-3 addition minutes per side) move them back to the baking pan, dredge in butter again, and allow to rest 10-15 minutes at room temp.

To serve, drizzle a little of the butter and juice mixture (from the pan) onto your cutting board and slice steaks thinly across the grain. Pour a little of the butter/juice onto a plate, top with a fan of steak slices, and spoon a bit more butter over the top.

~Chef Perry

Perry runs the non-profit organization, MY KITCHEN Outreach Program, which teaches nutrition, shopping, and hands on cooking classes for at risk youth.

His cookbooks include La Caja China Cooking, La Caja China World, La Caja China Party, and the NEW “La Caja China Grill.”

You can follow the rest of Chef Perry’s cooking adventures at ChefPerryPerkins.com