How to Cook the Perfect Steak

Before it hits the Grill

Make sure your steak is at room temperature before you start cooking.

Remove it from the fridge 5-10 minutes before you are ready to start cooking. This will help the steak cook evenly without any cold spots in the meat and prevent it from becoming tough.

Lightly oil the steak on both sides to prevent it from sticking to the grill. It’s best to add oil directly to the steak and not to the grill as oil will burn quickly on the grill causing excess smoke and flare-ups.

Season the steak with salt, freshly ground pepper and your choice of other spices, just before placing it onto the hot plate or grill.

Salt will draw moisture from the meat making it tough. Be sure not to add too much salt or to add the salt too early before you are ready to cook

Grilling

Be sure to heat up the grill on medium-high heat before adding the steak. The steak should sizzle when placed onto the hot plate or grill. If it doesn’t, the surface isn’t hot enough and you may not achieve a nice brown colour on the outside.

Ensure that the BBQ heat is adjusted according to the thickness of your steak. If the cut of meat is thin, you should use a higher heat as the steak will cook quickly. If you are cooking a thick cut of meat, or prefer your steak well done, turn the BBQ to a lower heat or move it to a cooler part of the BBQ to prevent the outside from over-cooking.

To cook the perfect steak, you’ll only need to turn it once. The more times you turn it, the tougher it will become.

To test if your steak is cooked, never cut the meat as this will cause the juices and flavour to seep out. Simply press the centre of the steak with the back of your BBQ tongs and observe how the tongs bounce back. If the steak is still soft, then it’s still rare. If the tongs spring back,
the steak is cooked medium. When the meat begins to feel firm, it is cooked medium-well.

When the meat is very firm to touch with the BBQ tongs, this means the steak is well done.

As a guide, refer to the below table.

Always cook the second side of your steak slightly less than the first side to ensure it cooks evenly.

Thickness
of Steak
Rare Medium Well Done
1cm–2cm 1 to 1 ½ minutes each side of 60˚C internal meat temperature 2 to 3 minutes each side 68˚C internal meat temperature 3 to 4 minutes each side 77˚C internal meat temperature
2cm–3cm 2 to 3 minutes each side of 60˚C internal meat temperature 4 to 5 minutes each side 68˚C internal meat temperature 5 to 6 minutes each side 77˚C internal meat temperature

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