Before I get into this recipe, I'd like to discuss what I consider to be the two most important things in the grilling of a perfect steak...cooking the meat to medium rare and putting a beautiful, charred crust on that marvelous piece of beef.
Consumer sous vide cooking made quite a splash in the 2000's. I jumped on the bandwagon as it meant that a perfect 125º was possible every time you cooked a steak. Seal your meat in a vacuum bag and let it bathe in 125º water for several hours. And while sous vide was extraordinary for always hitting the correct temperature, it was accomplished in a moisture-rich environment. Regardless of how much you dried off the meat after a sous vide cook, there was just way too much moisture to put a charred crust on the steak.
The very same situation occurs when you marinate a steak....a lesson in futility. First, the marinade just coats the surface...so none of the flavors make it deep into the meat. And, again, you have a moisture-rich environment...so you will walk away from your grilling session with the steak having no charred crust. Sous vide and marinades cause the exterior surface of the steak to steam on the grill. You went to all of the trouble to build a roaring fire to char-grill your steaks.....hoping to make sure each steak is crisp and robust. But steam heat just makes your steak pink and flaccid (oh...the horror).
Moisture is Public Enemy Number 1 when it comes to charring a steak. Kosher salt is the Dick Tracy hero that will eradicate and eliminate all of your moisture problems. Take your steaks out of the package and place them on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. Salt the daylights out of them and then let them sit in the fridge...uncovered...for 1 to 3 nights. This methodology is called Dry Brining. The Kosher salt will not only draw the moisture out of the meat, it will also penetrate completely through the meat....meaning every bite is seasoned to perfection.
After your steaks have rested in the fridge for one or more nights, pull them and put them on the counter for at least 4 hours prior to cooking. This will serve to further dry off the meat and bring it to room temperature...which makes for faster, uniform cooking. Leave the Kosher salt on the steak while it rests at room temperature. Then, right before cooking, wipe down the steaks to remove moisture and excess salt. Then season the steak with your favorite spices right before grilling.
The easiest way to ensure that your steak is served at 125º is to use a meat thermometer. One foolproof cooking method is to reverse sear the steak in a grill that is 250º. The temp will rise slowly and you can pull it at 118º. Tent it with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes....the temp will gradually increase to 125º. When it does, sear it for about a minute per side and serve.
You can also grill it quickly, using a 2-zone fire and the meat thermometer. Get one zone on your grill blazing hot and have nothing in your 2nd zone as you will use that for indirect cooking. Sear the meat over the covered hot zone for 4 minutes per side and then slide it over to the covered, indirect side for 4 more minutes. Your steak should be about 118º, so all you have to do is yank it off the grill, tent it with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. The temp will rise about 7º under the foil and the juices will redistribute throughout the meat.
The very best way to put a nice crust on your steak is to use a dry rub. This is a combination of herbs and spices that will char as the steak cooks. And if you add some sugar to the rub (like we have done here), it will crystallize over the heat and help to create the most incredible charred crust you have ever tasted. But don't take my word for it. Follow the instructions I have shared below and use this smoked paprika rub to achieve grilled steak nirvana.
INGREDIENTS
2 New York Strip Steaks, about 16-ounces and at least 1-1/2" thick
Olive oil
For the Rub
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
DIRECTIONS
- Prepare your grill for a two-zone fire...one zone for direct cooking over high heat and the other indirect.
- Combine rub ingredients and mix thoroughly. Brush steaks with olive oil and season thoroughly with the rub (rub it into the meat by hand...don't just sprinkle it)..
- Place steaks over direct heat and cook, covered, for 4 minutes per side. Then move steaks to indirect side and cook, covered, for 4 minutes more.
- Remove steaks from grill, wrap with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then serve.
Wine pairing: Malbec
